LEST WE FORGET
Flight Lieutenant Cecil Gloucester WALKER MID
Service No: 406336
Born: Hobart TAS, 12 January 1909
Enlisted in the RAAF: 11 November 1940 (at Perth WA)
Unit: No. 278 Squadron (RAF), RAF Thorney Island, Hampshire
Awarded the Mentioned in Despatches (MID), 21 June 1945
Died: Air Operations (No. 278 Squadron Walrus aircraft L2271), England, 6 March 1945, Aged 36 Years
Buried: Unrecovered
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Joseph and Muriel Lillian May Walker, of Southern Cross, Western Australia.
Roll of Honour: Unknown
Remembered: Panel 282, Runnymede Memorial, Surrey UK
Remembered: Panel 131, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
Remembered: Cenotaph Undercroft, State War Memorial, Kings Park WA
MID Citation: Promulgated in Commonwealth of Australia Gazette, 21 June 1945, page 1353, position 75.
Walrus L2271 of 278 Squadron took off from RAF Thorney Island at 0835 hours on 6 March 1945 to search for a Hurricane pilot reported to have baled out 3 miles east of Flamborough Head, East Yorkshire. L 2271 had been scrambled from Beccles, with the search area being a distance of 140 miles. On reaching the area, the pilot Flight Lieutenant Robertson informed the Controller that he was going down to search. Nothing more was heard until 10 minutes later when a Spitfire pilot
reported he had seen a Walrus dive straight into the sea. L 2271 had crashed about 5 miles north east of Bridlington, and east of Flamborough Head. Immediately another Walrus and Warwick aircraft were sent out to search plus 2 Air Sea Rescue high speed launches. Aircraft wreckage was found but no survivors were seen. It was later recorded that the missing crew had lost their lives at sea.
The crew members of L2271 were:
Warrant Officer Leonard Albert Gordon Carpenter (1195300) (RAFVR) (Air Gunner)
Flight Lieutenant Colin Graham Robertson DFC (41210) (RAF) (Pilot)
Flight Lieutenant Cecil Gloucester Walker MID (406336) (Air Gunner)
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 Veteran’s Affairs On-Line WWII Nominal Roll
National Archives of Australia On-Line Record A705, 166/36/500