LEST WE FORGET
Flight Sergeant John Gordon RUSSELL
Service No: 425759
Born: Esk QLD, 10 March 1924
Enlisted in the RAAF: 26 April 1942
Unit: No. 38 Squadron (RAF)
Died: Air Operations: (No. 38 Squadron Wellington aircraft MP743), Central Mediterranean, 2 March 1944, Aged 19 Years
Buried: Unrecovered
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Charles Frederick and Edith May Russell, of Paddington, Queensland, Australia
Roll of Honour: Brisbane QLD
Remembered: Column 282, Alamein Memorial, Egypt
Remembered: Panel 129, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
On the evening of 1 March 1944 Wellington MP743 took off to carry out a night shipping strike in the Aegean Sea. An alternative target was that of bombing Melos. Nothing was heard from the aircraft after take-off and it did not return to base. Following post war searches and investigations it was later recorded hat the missing crew members had no known graves.
The crew members of MP743 were:
Flying Officer Walter Dawson Carl Boyd (J/18761) (RCAF) (Pilot)
Sergeant Patrick Brosnan (1527364) (RAFVR) (Wireless Operator Air)
Sergeant Cornelius Desmond Driscoll (657345) (RAFVR) (Wireless Operator Air)
Flying Officer Athelstan George Cornish Easson (149676) (RAFVR) (Second Pilot)
Sergeant Norman William Reeve (1337387) (RAFVR) (Wireless Operator Air)
Flight Sergeant John Gordon Russell (425759) (Navigator / 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, 166/36/208