LEST WE FORGET
Sergeant Roy Thomas Aston WALLIS
Service No: 406269
Born: Eltham England, 17 December 1920
Enlisted in the RAAF: 7 October 1940 (at Perth WA)
Unit: No. 250 Squadron (RAF), Landing Ground 106, Egypt
Died: Air Operations (No. 3 Squadron Kittyhawk aircraft ET837), Libya, 10 July 1942, Aged 21 Years
Buried: Unrecovered
CWGC Additional Information: Son of James Lewis Wallis, J.P., and Annie Elizabeth Wallis, of Fremantle, Western Australia
Roll of Honour: Fremantle WA
Remembered: Column 266, Alamein Memorial, Egypt
Remembered: Panel 98, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
Remembered: Cenotaph Undercroft, State War Memorial, Kings Park WA
The same three squadrons (3 Squadron RAAF, 112 and 250 Squadrons RAF) departed yet again for LG 21 at 1807, 450 providing ten aircraft, but were intercepted over the sea by Bf109Es and MC202s, which caused all but three of No. 450 Squadron’s pilots to jettison their bombs. The raid was abandoned and as the Kittyhawks turned for home, Sergeant AW Taylor (Kittyhawk AL 142) (1) damaged a Bf109, firing from a head on to front quarter position. He saw pieces drop off his target, which entered a steep dive. Sergeant Des Cormack (2) of 250 damaged one of the Macchis.
450’s pilots reported a burning Kittyhawk at 8,000 ft, and a parachute which opened at 7,000 feet.
The unfortunate pilot was Sergeant Roy Wallis from 250 Squadron. He landed in the sea and was not rescued. The Air/Sea rescue flight was requested to pick him up, but was unable to do so due to
the presence of enemy aircraft.
No. 3 Squadron was released from operations at 1330, and their aircraft were made available to 112, 250 and 450 Squadrons for the remainder of the day. Sergeant Wallis was flying one of these aircraft, ET837, and it may be due to this that he is listed on 3 Squadron’s Roll of Honour.
By the end of the day, 250 Squadron had lost five aircraft: four of the pilots were killed, two of them Australians (Sergeant Wallis and Sergeant John Power (402806)). These losses were redressed to some extent by Canadian Sergeant Gordon Troke, who destroyed a Bf1 09E and a MC202 during the last combat.
(1) Flight Lieutenant Andrew Walter John Taylor (404188) was discharged from the RAAF on 29 January 1946.
(2) Flight Lieutenant Desmond John Cormack DFC (407412) was discharged from the RAAF on 10 August 1945.
Brown, R. (Russell) Desert Warriors Australian P-40 Pilots at War in the Middle East and North Africa 1941-1943, Banner Books Maryborough QLD 4652, 2000 – Page 144
References:
Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour On-Line Records
Commonwealth War Graves Commission On-Line Records
Department of Veteran’s Affairs On-Line WWII Nominal Roll
National Archives of Australia On-Line Record A9301, 406269