LEST WE FORGET
Sergeant Colin Lindsay ROGERS
Service No: 400209
Born: Melbourne VIC, 10 February 1920
Enlisted in the RAAF: 21 July 1940
Unit: No. 33 Squadron (RAF)
Died: Air Operations: (No. 33 Squadron Hurricane aircraft V7106), Egypt, 14 September 1941, Aged 21 Years
Buried: Unrecovered
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Albert and Clara May Rogers, of Hawthorn, Victoria, Australia
Roll of Honour: Unknown
Remembered: Panel 246, Alamein Memorial, Egypt
Remembered: Panel 129, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
On 14 September 1941 Hurricane V7106 was detailed along with other squadron aircraft to escort bombers on a raid in enemy territory. On the return journey enemy aircraft were encountered over a forward area, and in the ensuing engagement V7106 was shot down. Sergeant Rogers’ body was found five days later by troops of the 7th Armoured Division, some 50 miles away from the scene of the engagement. The Army reported stated that on September 19 during a halt about 12 noon “I went over to a circular cairn about 75 yards away. The cairn had an RAF helmet and goggles sticking up on one side. Inside the cairn was the body of an aircrew member. The body was identified and an identity disc and pocket knife removed. There was a revolver in one hand with three empty chambers. The RAF member had been wounded and apparently only been dead for some hours.” Sergeant Rogers was considered lost in a mined area and he has no known grave.
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, 163/158/175
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