The Last Post Ceremony commemorating the service of (402114) Sergeant David Ross Gale, 250 Squadron RAF, Royal Australian Air Force, Second World War

The Last Post Ceremony is presented in the Commemorative area of the Australian War Memorial each day. The ceremony commemorates more than 102,000 Australians who have given their lives in war and other operations and whose names are recorded on the Roll of Honour. At each ceremony the story behind one of the names on the Roll of Honour is told. Hosted by Joanne Smedley, the story for this day was on (402114) Sergeant David Ross Gale, 250 Squadron RAF, Royal Australian Air Force, Second World War.

**Due to technical issues this recording is of poor quality and not for public display.**

402114 Sergeant David Ross Gale, 250 Squadron RAF
KIA 26 June 1941
No photograph in collection (image used from service record and from Sydney Morning Herald, 29 January 1941, p.7)

Story delivered 10 November 2013

Today we remember and pay tribute to Sergeant David Ross Gale, whose photograph is displayed today beside the Pool of Reflection.

David Gale was born to Leslie and Mary Gale in Killara, Sydney, and had a privileged upbringing on the Upper North Shore. David attended the Tudor House School and Sydney Church of England Grammar School before going on to study law at Sydney University. He was a keen sportsman, being a member of the university sports union, as well as the university golf club and his local golf club in Killara. He played football, cricket, tennis and squash, competed in the Australian ski championships at Mt Kosciusko in 1938, and was a member of the Manly Surf Life Saving Club.

David enlisted in the Royal Australian Air Force on 27 May 1940. He did an extended period of training to become a pilot, and was sent to Egypt early in 1943, arriving in March.

Seconded to 250 Squadron of the British Royal Air Force, he flew Tomahawk aircraft in North Africa. On 11 July 1941 he was in one of ten Tomahawks that escorted a number of bombers over Gazala. While returning from the objective the formation was half-heartedly attacked by a small number of enemy planes which failed to press home the attack.

However, once Gale's formation reached the Bardia Capuzzo area, they saw a large dogfight of about forty aircraft which the tomahawks promptly joined. The formation became separated in the fight and did not re-form before returning to base. Once all the aircraft had made it back it was noticed that two were missing ... one of which was David Gale's. Several months later, in light of the fact that all efforts to trace him had come to naught, he was posted as dead, presumably killed in the air combat on 26 June 1941. He had been on active operations for less than three months.

David Gale's name is listed on the Roll of Honour on my left, along with more than 40,000 others from the Second World War.

This is but one of the many stories of courage and sacrifice told here at the Australian War Memorial. We now remember Sergeant David Ross Gale, and all of those Australians who have given their lives in the service of our nation.