LEST WE FORGET
Flight Sergeant Gordon Sydney READER
Service No: 427548
Born: Perth WA, 16 October 1913
Enlisted in the RAAF: 19 July 1942
Unit: No. 102 Squadron (RAF), RAF Pocklington, Yorkshire
Died: Air Operations (No. 102 Squadron Halifax aircraft MZ289), North Sea, 17 September 1944, Aged 30 Years
Buried: Milsbeek War Cemetery, Limburg, Netherlands
CWGC Additional Information: Son of James Edward and Edith Reader; husband of Doreen Reader, of Perth, Western Australia.
Roll of Honour: Perth WA
Remembered: Panel 129, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
Remembered: Cenotaph Undercroft, State War Memorial, Kings Park WA
Remembered: Honour Avenues, Kings Park WA
Halifax MZ289 took off at 1755 hours on 17 September 1944 to carry out an operational training flight over the North Sea and drop bombs at position 53.30N, 02.10 E about 55 miles from the east coast. Nothing further was heard from the aircraft which did not return to base. When the aircraft was overdue 30 minutes, Control (Pocklington) informed No 42 Base at 1910 hours. Two Warwicks were sent out by RAF Chatham with flares but with no result. Further aircraft searches the next day from Group 4 and Group 6 were unsuccessful. It was later recorded that the missing crew had lost their lives at sea.
The crew members of MZ289 were:
Sergeant Robert Aitchison (1824340) (RAFVR) (Flight Engineer)
Sergeant Granville Butterworth Gibson (1699599) (RAFVR) (Air Gunner)
Sergeant Gordon Valentine Greening (1836309) (RAFVR) (Air Gunner)
Warrant Officer Horace Leonard Locke (1375820) (RAFVR) (Wireless Operator Air)
Flight Sergeant Gordon Sydney Reader (427548) (Navigator Bomb Aimer)
Captain Ronald Carby Thompson (206162V) (SAAF) (Pilot)
Sergeant Robert Ian White (1671475) (RAFVR) (Air Bomber)
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 Veteran’s Affairs On-Line WWII Nominal Roll
National Archives of Australia On-Line Record A705, 166/35/360