LEST WE FORGET
Pilot Officer Peter Richard Vincent SULLIVAN
Service No: 403385
Born: Gundagai NSW, 28 March 1916
Enlisted in the RAAF: 6 January 1941
Unit: No. 109 Squadron (RAF), RAF Station Stradishall
Died: Air Operations: (No. 109 Squadron Wellington aircraft AD605), Netherlands, 3 July 1942, Aged 26 Years
Buried: Bergen General Cemetery, Noord-Holland, Netherlands
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Peter Joseph and Stella May Sullivan; husband of Patricia Joan Sullivan, of Randwick, New South Wales, Australia
Roll of Honour: Gundagai NSW
Remembered: Panel 131, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
At 2300 hours on the night of 2 July 1942 Wellington AD605 took off from Stradishall detailed to carry out a special duties flight for Air Ministry over Bremen, Germany. The aircraft was carrying special wireless equipment to carry out a wireless test. Nothing was heard from the aircraft after take-off and it failed to return to base. The aircraft was shot down and crashed at 0220 hours at Dirkshorn, (Noord-Holland), 14 kms north north-west of Alkmaar. Five of the crew members were killed and two became Prisoners of War.
The crew members of AD605 were:
Flying Officer William Adamson DFM (645659) (RAF) (Wireless Air Gunner)
Warrant Officer William Royden Allison (550785) (RAF) (Observer)
Sergeant John Alfred Eyers (1323684) (RAFVR) (Special Wireless Operator)
Flight Sergeant W J Garnett (905930) (RAFVR) (Air Gunner) PoW
Sergeant Raymond John Liversuch (1257329) (RAFVR) (Wireless Air Gunner)
Sergeant W J Morrison (973760) (RAF) (Special Wireless Operator) PoW
Pilot Officer Peter Richard Vincent Sullivan (403385) (Pilot)
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, 163/164/117
Bibliography:
Brettingham, Laurie, Beam Benders No. 80 (Signals) Wing RAF 1940-5, Midland Publishing, Leicester UK, 1997