LEST WE FORGET
Sergeant John Murray OPIE
Service No: 402534
Born: Minlaton SA, 10 March 1921
Enlisted in the RAAF: 16 September 1940 (at Sydney NSW)
Unit: No. 20 Service Flying Training School (RAF)
Died: Aircraft Accident (No. 20 Service Flying Training School Harvard aircraft P5918), near Harare, 26 May 1941, Aged 20 Years
Buried: Harare (Pioneer) Cemetery, Zimbabwe
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Errol John and Lillias Mary Opie, of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Roll of Honour: Sydney NSW
Remembered: Panel 134, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
Remembered: St Peter’s Anglican Church World War 2 Honour Roll, Cremorne NSW
On 26 May 1941, Harvard P5918 crashed at 1030 hours at Banket, and Sergeant Opie, a pilot under training flying solo, was killed.
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, 163/148/108
Register of War Memorials in New South Wales On-Line
Bibliography:
Winter, V.A. (Vincent Adams) Noble Six Hundred: the story of the Empire Air Training Scheme with special reference to Australians who trained in Southern Rhodesia, V.A. Winter Brighton VIC 3186, 1982