| Accession Number | P07921.001 |
|---|---|
| Collection type | Photograph |
| Object type | Black & white - Print silver gelatin |
| Maker |
Unknown |
| Place made | United Kingdom: England |
| Date made | 1944 |
| Conflict |
Second World War, 1939-1945 |
| Copyright |
Item copyright: Copyright expired - public domain
|
Studio portrait of 422725 Flight Sergeant (Flt Sgt) William John Seale of Ardlethan NSW. ...
Description
Studio portrait of 422725 Flight Sergeant (Flt Sgt) William John Seale of Ardlethan NSW. Enlisting in the RAAF in Sydney in May 1942, Flt Sgt Seale trained as an air gunner under the Empire Air Training Scheme (EATS) and was posted to 97 (Pathfinder) Squadron at RAF Coningsby, Lincolnshire, England. He was listed as missing after his Lancaster bomber, serial number ND764, radio call sign OF-B (B-Bravo) failed to return from an operational sortie over the railway junction at Etampes, France, on 10 June 1944. It was later determined that ND764 was hit by anti-aircraft fire over the target and sustained further damage from German night fighter aircraft. Three members of his crew managed to escape the aircraft to be taken prisoner of war (POW) but the remaining four crew members were killed, including Flt Sgt Seale, aged 22.