LEST WE FORGET
Flight Sergeant Patrick William James RENDLE
Service No: 420055
Born: Bendigo VIC, 8 August 1920
Enlisted in the RAAF: 10 October 1941 (at Sydney NSW)
Unit: No. 78 Squadron (RAF), RAF Station Breighton
Died: Air Operations: (No. 78 Squadron Halifax aircraft JB907), Netherlands, 29 June 1943, Aged 22 Years
Buried: Maastricht General Cemetery, Limburg, Netherlands
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Charles Henry and Margaret Kathleen Rendle, of West Coburg, Victoria, Australia
Roll of Honour: Canberra ACT
Remembered: Panel 129, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
On the night of 28/29th June 1943Halifax took off from Breighton detailed to attack Cologne, Germany. Nothing was heard from the aircraft after take-off and it failed to return to base. JB907 is believed to have been shot down by a night fighter, crashing 0125 at Valkenburg (Limburg) 10 km east north east of Maastricht, Netherlands. All the crew members were killed. Flak from batteries near Aachen is also mentioned as a possible cause leading to the destruction of this Halifax.
The crew members of JB907 were:
Sergeant Theodore Ivan Lishman Dagg (1035453) (RAFVR)
Sergeant Frank Hill (1699994) (RAFVR)
Sergeant Leslie Howarth (1146906) (RAFVR)
Sergeant Cecil Andrew Morris (1337838) (RAFVR)
Flight Sergeant Patrick William James Rendle (420055) (Pilot)
Sergeant Gwilym John Samuel (591204) (RAF)
Sergeant William Russell Townsend (R/92330) (RCAF)
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, 166/35/93