The Last Post Ceremony commemorating the service of (431562) Flight Sergeant Llewellyn William Grant, No. 460 Squadron, 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 Richard Cruise, the story for this day was on (431562) Flight Sergeant Llewellyn William Grant, No. 460 Squadron, Royal Australian Air Force, Second World War.

431562 Flight Sergeant Llewellyn William Grant, No. 460 Squadron, Royal Australian Air Force
Killed in flying battle 19 March 1945
Story delivered 19 March 2018

Today we remember and pay tribute to Flight Sergeant Llewellyn William Grant.

Born in the Melbourne suburb of Clifton Hill on 22 November 1920, Llewellyn William Grant was the son of Dudley and Frances Grant.

Before he enlisted in the Royal Australian Air Force on 16 July 1943, Grant had worked as a machinist. After enlisting, he trained as a navigator before embarking for overseas service.

As part of the Empire Air Training Scheme, he was one of almost 27,500 RAAF pilots, navigators, wireless operators, gunners, and engineers who, throughout the course of the war, joined Royal Air Force squadrons or Australian squadrons based in Britain.

After his arrival in Britain, Grant undertook further specialist training before he was posted to No. 460 Squadron, Royal Australian Air Force.

No. 460 Squadron would become the most highly decorated Australian squadron in Bomber Command, and the squadron that suffered the highest casualties. Flying twin-engined Vickers Wellington medium bombers, and then the four engined -Avro Lancaster heavy bomber, the squadron lost over 1,000 men: Australian, British, Canadians, New Zealanders and South Africans. Almost 600 Australians from 460 Squadron are listed here on the Roll of Honour.

On the morning of 19 March 1945, 22 Lancasters from 460 Squadron took part in a raid on Hanau, Germany. As they were returning from the mission, low cloud cover reduced visibility over the home airfields of the Bomber Command squadrons in Lincolnshire, England. The Lancaster in which Grant was navigator was being homed to RAF Kelstern airfield – only a few kilometres from 460 Squadron’s home at Binbrook - when it crashed into high ground while making its approach toward the runway.

Grant, and all six of his fellow Australian and British crewmates were killed. They were Australians Pilot Officer Geoffrey Browne, Warrant Officer George McBryde, Slight Sergeant Jack Stacey, Warrant Officer Alexander Moss, Flight Sergeant Rex Schodde, and British airman Sergeant Jack David.

Llewellyn Grant was 24 years old.

The bodies of Australian members of the crew were recovered from the crash and are buried side by side in the RAF plot at Cambridge city cemetery.

Grant’s name is listed here on the Roll of Honour on my left, among almost 40,000 Australians who died while serving in the Second World War.

This is but one of the many stories of service and sacrifice told here at the Australian War Memorial. We now remember Flight Sergeant Llewellyn William Grant, who gave his life for us, for our freedoms, and in the hope of a better world.

Lachlan Grant
Historian, Military History Section