Remembering Today Casualty Flying Officer DEGARIS, ALFRED KEITH Service Number 416835 Died 31/03/1943 Aged 29 Royal Australian Air Force Son of Alfred Ernest and Alice Ruby Degaris; husband of Isabel Berry Degaris, of Prospect, South Australia. INSCRIPTION: LOVINGLY REMEMBERED Buried at DUNFERMLINE (DOUGLAS BANK) CEMETERY Location: Fifeshire, United Kingdom Number of casualties: 131 Cemetery/memorial reference: Sec. A. Grave 260.
Name: Alfred Keith Degaris Birth Date: 3 Mar 1914 Birth Place: Mildura Victoria Year Range: 1939 - 1948 Enlistment Place: Adelaide Service Number: 416835 Next of Kin: Isabel Degaris (Australia, World War II Military Service Records, 1939-1945) Name: A Keith Degaris Gender: Male Birth Date: abt 1914 Birth Place: Mildura, Australia Age: 28 Arrival date: 24 Oct 1942 Port of Arrival: San Francisco, California Ship Name: Noordam Port of Departure: Sydney, Australia Last Residence: Australia (California, Passenger and Crew Lists, 1882-1959) Grave photo: Dunfermline
Flying Officer Alfred Keith DE GARIS 416835 died in the loss of De Havilland DH86 AX844 near Donibristle, Fife, Scotland on 31/03/1943 The 782 RN squadron (communications) DH86 aircraft crashed on take-off from RNAS Donibristle (HMS Merlin) for the five minute flight across the River Forth, to RAF Turnhouse. They seem to have been on a familiarization tour. One officer from New Zealand must have survived - Pilot Officer NEWMAN 436336 RNZAF (NFI) Naval deaths (Drawn from Geoff's search engine): - RN FX 82259 PARR, F H (Petty Officer Airman) (Pilot) & RN FX 91318 MURPHY, P J (Leading Airman). The RAAF casualties were on the posted strength of 11 Personnel Depot & Reception Centre (formerly at 1 "Y" Depot, Canada): HENDERSON, William Gordon (Pilot Officer) 413766 RAAF / PUDNEY, Brian Harwood (Flying Officer) 416699 RAAF / DE GARIS, Alfred Keith (Pilot Officer) 416835 RAAF / SHROFF, Owen Mortimer (Pilot Officer) 416645 RNZAF / SMITH, Maurice Victor (Pilot Officer) 422327 RNZAF (From the AWM collection): Group portrait of No 4 Initial Training School, RAAF, Course No 21, C Squadron, Flight 10, at Victor Harbor, South Australia. Identified in the middle row, from left to right: 416845 Donald Norman Flower; 416835 Alfred Keith De Garis (died 31 March 1943 in Scotland); Course photographs for No. 4 Service Flying Training School (4 SFTS)