LEST WE FORGET
Sergeant George Henry SHANNON
Service No: 400294
Born: Ballarat VIC, 16 May 1915
Enlisted in the RAAF: 18 August 1940
Unit: No. 405 Squadron (RCAF), RAF Station Topcliffe
Died: Air Operations: (No. 405 Squadron Halifax aircraft DG228), Netherlands, 2 October 1942, Aged 27 Years
Buried: Noordwijk General Cemetery, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Francis T. and Eva Shannon; husband of Gweneth Shannon, of Geelong West, Victoria, Australia
Roll of Honour: Geelong VIC
Remembered: Panel 133, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
At 1826 hours on the night of 2 October 1942, Halifax DG228 took off from RAF Topcliffe , detailed to bomb Krefeld, Germany. The aircraft was hit by flak and crashed at 2249 hours near Vredebest Farm, near Noordwijkerhout (Zuid Holland), 16 kms south south west of Haarlem. All the crew of seven was killed.
The crew members of DG228 were:
Flight Sergeant Maxwell Ben-Hertz (R/87671) (RCAF) (Air Bomber)
Sergeant David George Hackett (R/89449) (RCAF) (Flight Engineer)
Sergeant Sidney Messham (618362) (RAF) (Wireless Air Gunner)
Warrant Officer I Edward Warren Murphy (R/67977) (RCAF) (Pilot)
Sergeant Charles Joseph Neubert (R/132976) (RCAF) (Air Gunner)
Sergeant George Henry Shannon (400294) (Observer)
Sergeant Lionel Harry Williams (R/122012) (RCAF) (Air 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, 163/161/288