LEST WE FORGET
Pilot Officer Charles William Perry PERSSE
Service No: 404184
Born: Toowoomba QLD, 17 November 1917
Enlisted in the RAAF: 21 June 1940
Unit: No. 274 Squadron (RAF)
Died: Air Operations: (No. 274 Squadron Hurricane aircraft BE864), Libya, 11 June 1942, Aged 25 Years
Buried: Knightsbridge War Cemetery (Acroma) Libya
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Charles Dudley Persse and Violet Vivian Persse, of Warra, Queensland, Australia
Roll of Honour: Beaudesert QLD
Remembered: Panel 128, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
At 1740 hours on 11 June 1942, Hurricane BE864 was shot down by enemy action and Pilot Officer Persse was killed. The aircraft was seen to burst into flames, and it crashed five miles south east of El Adem, Libya. The Squadron had taken off at 1705 hours to carry out a sweep of the El Adem/Tobruk area. Six enemy Me109s were sighted from the north-west escorting several JU87s. The Me109s turned to attack the Squadron aircraft from astern, and the Hurricanes turned to engage the enemy aircraft in a head on attack. BE864 and one other aircraft were attacked by 2 Me109s and BE864 was shot down.
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, 163/150/116
Bibliography:
Ilbery, P.L.T. (Peter Leslie Thomas) (422957) Hatching an Air Force: 2SFTS, 5SFTS, 1BFTS Uranquinty and Wagga Wagga, Banner Books Maryborough QLD 4650, 2002