LEST WE FORGET
Flight Sergeant Geoffrey Keeley STOKES
Service No: 409765
Born: Echuca VIC, 8 April 1921
Enlisted in the RAAF: 10 October 1941
Unit: No. 58 Operational Training Unit (RAF), RAF Station Grangemouth
Died: Aircraft Accident (No. 58 Operational Training Unit Spitfire aircraft P9429), near Grangemouth, 29 June 1943, Aged 22 Years
Buried: Grangemouth (Grandsable) Cemetery, Stirlingshire, Scotland
CWGC Additional Information: Son of John Patrick and Dorothy Mary Stokes, of South Yarra. Victoria. Australia
Roll of Honour: Echuca VIC
Remembered: Panel 130, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
At 1220 hours on 29 June 1943, Spitfire P9429, took off from RAF Grangemouth to carry out a non-operational day training flight and crashed after take-off in a field one quarter of a mile west of the aerodrome killing Flight Sergeant Stokes. The aircraft took off in coarse pitch using the full length of the aerodrome. The Pilot attempted to climb but had insufficient power because of the coarse pitch and the aircraft stalled too near to the ground for recovery to be possible. The accident was caused by the Pilot failing to make a complete cockpit check before take off.
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, 166/38/189