LEST WE FORGET
Flying Officer Terence Blachford O’REILLY
Service No: 402535
Born: North Sydney NSW, 20 January 1920
Enlisted in the RAAF: 16 September 1940
Unit: No. 61 Operational Training Unit (RAF)
Died: Aircraft Accident (No. 61 Operational Training Unit Spitfire aircraft P8505), Shropshire, 12 June 1943, Aged 23 Years
Buried: Oswestry General Cemetery, Shropshire
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Bernard John and Iris Osborne O’Reilly, of Pymble, New South Wales, Australia; husband of Joyce Gwenda O’Reilly, of South Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Roll of Honour: Pymble NSW
Remembered: Panel 128, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
Remembered: Ku-ring-gai World War 2 Book of Remembrance, Gordon NSW
Brother of Pilot Officer Edwin Nott O’Reilly (432559)
On 12 June 1943, Spitfire P8505 took off for on a non-operational day dog fighting training flight to be carried out between 5 and 6,000 feet. There were four aircraft involved plus an Instructor engaged in the exercise. At 0830 hours, P8505 was involved in a mid-air collision with Spitfire P8195 when both pilots were unsighted due to the attitudes of their aircraft. Flying Officer O’Reilly was killed when P8505 crashed. The pilot of P8195 is not identified in the accident report and he was not 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, 166/31/72
Register of War Memorials in New South Wales On-Line