LEST WE FORGET
Warrant Officer Donald Maurice Russell PURDUE
Service No: 421688
Born: Glen Innes NSW, 25 October 1923
Enlisted in the RAAF: 28 February 1942
Unit: No. 142 Squadron (RAF)
Died: Air Operations: (No. 142 Squadron Wellington aircraft ME120), Italy, 14 July 1944, Aged 20 Years
Buried: Milan War Cemetery, Italy
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Maurice Henry and Matilda Louisa Purdue, of Glen Innes, New South Wales, Australia
Roll of Honour: Unknown
Remembered: Panel 129, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
At 1949 hours on the night of 13 July 1944 Wellington ME120 took off detailed to bomb the Lambrake marshalling yards at Milan, Italy. Nothing was heard from the aircraft after take-off and it failed to return to base. The aircraft was lost in the target area and all the crew members were killed.
The crew members of ME120 were:
Flight Sergeant Patrick Cashin (968964) (RAFVR) (Navigator)
Flight Lieutenant Stewart Foster Garland DFC (J/16208) (RCAF) (Pilot)
Flight Sergeant Douglas Michael Maughan-Taylor (700731) (RAF) (Air Gunner)
Warrant Officer Donald Maurice Russell Purdue (421688) (Wireless Air Gunner)
Flying Officer Stuart Collin Ware (151075) (RAFVR) (Bomb Aimer)
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, 166/33/191