LEST WE FORGET
Sergeant Roy Meldrum TAYLOR
Service No: 403825
Born: Quirindi NSW, 15 June 1922
Enlisted in the RAAF: 3 March 1941
Unit: No. 4 Photographic Reconnaissance Unit (RAF)
Died: Air Operations: (No. 4 Photographic Reconnaissance Unit Spitfire aircraft BR423), Algeria, 31 December 1942, Aged 20 Years
Buried: La Reunion War Cemetery, Algeria
CWGC Additional Information: Son of James Rodger and Robina Taylor, of Quirindi, New South Wales, Australia
Roll of Honour: Unknown
Remembered: Panel 131, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
Remembered: Quirindi Town Clock and War Memorial, Quirindi NSW
On 31 December 1942, Spitfire BT423 carrying out a solo operational day photographic
Reconnaissance mission, crashed at about 1200 hours on the mountain side of the El Main aerodrome near Medjana, Algeria and Sergeant Taylor was killed. The aircraft was on its way back from the high level photographic reconnaissance of the Gaba area. From Arab sources it appeared the aircraft had broken cloud in the valleys, circled and then climbed steeply into cloud to avoid the mountain side. Shortly after, the aircraft crashed into ground about 3,000 feet high.
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, 166/39/2
Register of War Memorials in New South Wales On-Line