Pilot Officer HARVEY FRANCIS MUNDAY 418864, Royal Australian Air Force who died age 24 on 06 June 1944 Son of William Henry and Mary Ellen Munday, of Geelong, Victoria, Australia. Remembered with honour ST. MANVIEU WAR CEMETERY, CHEUX CWGC :: Casualty Details
RAAF FATALITIES IN SECOND WORLD WAR AMONG RAAF PERSONNEL SERVING ON ATTACHMENT IN ROYAL AIR FORCE SQUADRONS AND SUPPORT UNITS 418864 Pilot Officer MUNDAY, Harvey Francis Source : AWM 237 (65) NAA : A705, 166/28/321 Micro Film No 463 OAFH Commonwealth War Graves records W R Chorley : RAF Bomber Command Losses of the Second World War, Page 256, Volume 1944. Aircraft Type: Stirling Serial number: LK 385 Radio call sign: OJ – C Unit: ATTD 149 SQN RAF Summary: Stirling LK385 took off from RAF Methwold at 2209 hours on the night of 5/6th June 1944, detailed to carry out a special duties patrol as a D Day support. Nothing was heard from the aircraft after take off and it failed to return to base. Crew : RAF PO Mayo, W H Captain (Pilot) RAF Sgt H J mather, (Flight Engineer) RAF Flt Sgt J MacFarlane (Navigator) RAAF 418864 PO Munday, H F (Navigator) RAF Flt Sgt Parker (Navigator) RAF Sgt F C Heal, (Air Bomber) RAF WO G C C Holmes, (Wireless Air Gunner) RCAF Sgt J A W Nind, (Air Gunner) RAF Sgt B Wynne-Cole, (Air Gunner) The aircraft crashed at Marcelett (Calvados). Six of the crew were killed and Sgt’s Heal and Wynne-Cole were POW’s, while Sgt Nind evaded capture. Those killed are buried in the St-Manvieu War Cemetery at Cheux, France. Cheux is a village 10kms west of Caen, France.
Pilot Officer HARVEY FRANCIS MUNDAY 418864, Royal Australian Air Force who died age 24 on 06 June 1944 Son of William Henry and Mary Ellen Munday, of Geelong, Victoria, Australia. Remembered with honour ST. MANVIEU WAR CEMETERY, CHEUX CWGC :: Casualty Details Harvey was my Grandmother's first cousin. She told me that she remembered farewelling him before he embarked for war. He was shot over Normandy during the D-Day landings. She remembered her mothers look of shock and horror when they found out he had been killed. Years later she made it her mission to visit his grave in France. That's all I know about him, any more information would be fantastic! I don't know much about his squadron, but more information would be brilliant. Thank you. RIP Harvey
Welcome to the forum Rosie. Amazing how you post something and a relative sees it the same or next day. Well done Rosie. Glad to see these postings are appreciated by family. 30 Australian lads were killed while with 149sq. The lads are buried in Germany, France, The Netherlands, Norway and Denmark while some have no known grave and are remembered on the memorial at Runnymede. One of the other Australians in 149sq was Rawdon Hume Middleton who was decorated posthumously with the Victoria Cross in November 1942. I have also added a photo Harvey Francis Munday from my collection of over 9,000 RAAF headstones. (2,200 to go). You would already have one however it is there for the next person who requires it. Rawdon Hume Middleton was born in Waverley, Sydney on 22 July 1916, and spent his early years in the Central Western district of New South Wales. He was a great-nephew of the colonial explorer, Hamilton Hume. He was an athletic young man, and excelled in cricket and Rugby football at school. After leaving school, he worked for a time as a jackaroo at Leewang station, the large grazing property his father managed. The first Australian death in the squadron was on 9/9/1940 and the last on 5/3/1945 with the average age of 24. Cheers Geoff
Hi Rosie, Omitted to add that 149sq was on a Special Duties Operations flight when the aircraft was lost. Airborne 2209 5Jun44 from Methwold tasked for a Special Duties patrol dropping dummy parachutists and explosive devices in tactical support of the D-Day landings. Cause of loss not established. Crashed at Marcelett (Calvados), France.
