LEST WE FORGET
Flying Officer Richard John TWOMEY
Service No: 400490
Born: Brunswick VIC, 12 September 1919
Enlisted in the RAAF: 14 September 1940
Unit: No. 39 Squadron (RAF)
Died: Air Operations: (No. 39 Squadron Beaufort aircraft DD875), off the North African Coast, 30 November 1942, Aged 23 Years
Buried: Unrecovered
CWGC Additional Information: Son of John Charles and Anne Mary Twomey; husband of Valda Gwenda Twomey, of Thornbury, Victoria, Australia
Roll of Honour: Unknown
Remembered: Panel 5, Column 1, Malta Memorial, Malta
Remembered: Panel 131, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
At 1830 hours on 30 November 1942 Beaufort DD875 took off from Luqa for an operational flight laying mines in Bizerta Harbour. DD875 was in company of two other aircraft from No. 39 Squadron. Nothing was heard from the aircraft after take off and it did not return to base. There was medium opposition from gun positions on the eastern side of the harbour and it is possible that DD875 was damaged by enemy action. Searches failed to reveal any trace of the missing aircraft or crew members. In 1949 it was recorded that the crew members had lost their lives at sea and had no known graves.
The crew members of DD875 were:
Sergeant Kenneth Gamble (1202449) (RAFVR) (Wireless Operator/Air Gunner)
Flight Sergeant Laurence Helme (1101197) (RAFVR) (Observer)
Sergeant Thomas Howarth (1122661) (RAFVR) (Wireless Operator Air Gunner)
Flying Officer Richard John Twomey (400490) (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, 163/59/88