LEST WE FORGET
Flight Lieutenant Thomas John O’DONOHUE DFM
Service No: 404487
Born: Boort VIC, 24 August 1919
Enlisted in the RAAF: 13 September 1940 (at Brisbane QLD)
Unit: No. 159 Squadron (RAF)
Awarded the Distinguished Flying Medal (DFM)
Died: Air Operations: (No. 159 Squadron Liberator aircraft BZ926), Rangoon area, 29 February 1944, Aged 24 Years
Buried: Unrecovered
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Michael James O’Donohue, and of Mary Teresa O’Donohue, of Ashgrove, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Roll of Honour: Ashgrove QLD
Remembered: Column 443, Singapore Memorial, Singapore
Remembered: Panel 128, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
Brother of Flight Sergeant Patrick Francis O’Donohue (426796)
DFM Citation: As Observer, Sergeant O’Donohue has displayed high skill and devotion to duty. Amongst other successes he took part in a very successful attack on the Matford Works at Poissy when he obtained hits on the target with heavy bombs. On the night of the 12 April, 1942, when returning from a raid on the Ruhr his aircraft was attacked by an enemy fighter and severely damaged. Sergeant O’Donohue was wounded in the leg but, despite considerable pain he remained at his post and skilfully navigated his aircraft back to the English coast.
At 1615 hours on 29 February 1944 Liberator BZ926 took off together with other Squadron aircraft to attack Rangoon. BZ962 carried a bomb load of 4500lbs (2100kg). According to eye-witness accounts from five other aircraft, two aircraft were seen over the target area to go down in flames and hit the ground. No distress signals were received from BZ962 which did not return to base after the mission, but an Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) plot faded out at 0500 hours in position 22.04N 089.16E. Three aircraft were sent out on a parallel search but found nothing of the missing aircraft or crews.
The crew members of BZ926 were:
Sergeant Stanley William Chalcraft (1807507) (RAFVR) (Beam Gunner)
Sergeant N J Davis (1545800) (RAF) (Flight Engineer) Safe*
Flight Sergeant J Harris (1315284) (RAFVR) (Mid Upper Gunner) Safe*
Warrant Officer John William Frank King (1312142) (RAFVR) (Rear Gunner) PoW, Died: 31 March 1945
Pilot Officer J H Lentz (149321) (RAFVR) (Co-Pilot) Safe*
Flight Sergeant J D Lomas (1260083) (RAFVR) (Second Wireless Operator) Safe*
Flight Lieutenant Thomas John O’Donohue DFM (404487) (Navigator)
Flight Lieutenant Edward James Douglas Stanley (114064) (RAFVR) (Pilot)
Flying Officer John Westermark (176353) (RAFVR) (First Wireless Operator) PoW, Died: 10 December 1944
* The NAA Casualty File records that the members classified as safe were reported as “recovered from Japanese hands” during the course of the war. Three members including Flight Lieutenant O’Donoghue died in the crash, two died as PoWs, and four returned safely.
References:
Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour On-Line Records (RAAF Casualty Information compiled by Alan Storr (409804))
Commonwealth War Graves Commission On-Line Records
Department of Veterans’ Affairs On-Line WWII Nominal Roll
National Archives of Australia On-Line Record A705, 163/148/211