LEST WE FORGET
Flying Officer Albert Thomas TUCK DFC
Service No: 411060
Born: Paddington NSW, 30 October 1915
Enlisted in the RAAF: 31 March 1941
Unit: No. 35 Squadron (RAF), RAF Station Graveley
Awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC), 19 October 1943
Died: Air Operations: (No. 35 Squadron Halifax aircraft HR907), Germany, 28 September 1943, Aged 27 Years
Buried: Hanover War Cemetery, Niedersachsen, Germany
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Harry Thomas Tuck and Grace Burns Tuck, of Coogee, New South Wales, Australia
Roll of Honour: Sydney NSW
Remembered: Panel 131, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
DFC Citation: Flying Officer Tuck has given evidence of his sound knowledge of his duties as Wireless Operator/Air Gunner in many successful sorties. Many of these have been attacks on strongly fortified objectives in enemy territory. This officer’s coolness and fearlessness have been the source of great confidence to his crew. (London Gazette 19 October 1943, Page 4620) Flying Officer Tuck was also a member of the Path Finder Force.
At 1939 hours on the night of 27 September 1943 Halifax HR907 took off from Graveley to bomb Hannover, Germany. Nothing was heard from the aircraft after take-off and it failed to return to base. It was later established that the aircraft was shot down from 17,000 feet by a night fighter, crashed onto a house and exploded. Both the Air Gunners were killed and the others were taken prisoner.
The crew members of HR907 were:
Pilot Officer F R Dolling DFM (155855) (RAFVR) (Wireless Air Gunner) PoW
Flight Sergeant Albert Victor Forsyth DFM (1382045) (RAFVR) (Rear Gunner)
Flight Lieutenant C A Hewlett (126470) (RAFVR) (Navigator) PoW
Sergeant R A MacI Mather (947323) (RAFVR) (Flight Engineer) PoW
Pilot Officer N J Matich DFM (414658) (RNZAF) (Pilot) Evaded capture
Flying Officer Albert Thomas Tuck DFC (411060) (Mid Gunner)
Pilot Officer R W Tully (J/18180) (RCAF) (Bomb Aimer) PoW
Pilot Officer Matich later stated “after leaving the target and on the return journey the aircraft was attacked by a night fighter. As a result three of the engines were damaged and at a height of 12,000 feet I ordered abandon. At the time Flying Officer Tuck had been wounded in the leg in the Mid Upper Gunner position, and he advised by intercom that he could not get out of the turret without assistance. I ordered Sergeant Mather to assist Tuck. Mather reappeared shortly after to say that Tuck had left the aircraft from the rear escape hatch. I did not make any contact with the crew after landing nor was I aware of the extent of Tuck’s injuries. At the time Tuck baled out we were 20 miles west of Hannover, and the land was low lying with enormous canals and some timber.”
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, 166/40/91