LEST WE FORGET
Flight Sergeant Herbert John ROSS
Service No: 405233
Born: Bundaberg QLD, 3 April 1916
Enlisted in the RAAF: 3 February 1941
Unit: No. 35 Squadron (RAF), RAF Station Graveley
Died: Air Operations: (No. 35 Squadron Halifax aircraft HR833), Belgium, 30 May 1943, Aged 27 Years
Buried: Schoonselhof Cemetery, Antwerpen, Belgium
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Mr. and Mrs. John Ross; husband of Elsie Ethel Ross, of Romford, Essex
Roll of Honour: Bundaberg QLD
Remembered: Panel 129, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
At 2227 hours on the night of 29 May 1943 Halifax HR833 took off from Graveley to bomb Wuppertal, Germany. Nothing was heard from the aircraft after take-off and it failed to return to base. It was later established that the aircraft was shot down by a night fighter and exploded crashing at Hoogstraten (Antwerpen), 15 kms north west from Turnhout. Five of the crew members had been killed and two were Prisoners of War.
The crew members of HR833 were:
Flight Lieutenant William Abbotson Tetley DFC (81378) (RAFVR) (Bomb Aimer)
Flying Officer J C Goodson (51805) (RAF) (Flight Engineer) PoW
Sergeant G A Jones (1094912) (RAFVR) (Navigator) POW
Warrant Officer I James Livingstone Lee (R/68499) (RCAF) (Pilot)
Sergeant Victor Stanley Platt (1384338) (RAFVR) (Mid Gunner)
Flight Sergeant Herbert John Ross (405233) (Wireless Air Gunner)
Sergeant Frank Morley Traynor (1055872) (RAFVR) (Tail Gunner)
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, 166/36/69