The Last Post Ceremony commemorating the service of (412747) Warrant Officer Gordon Jeffrey Stokes, No. 198 Squadron, RAF, 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 Craig Berelle, the story for this day was on (412747) Warrant Officer Gordon Jeffrey Stokes, No. 198 Squadron, RAF, Second World War.


The Footage of this ceremony is not avaliable to the public at this time.

412747 Warrant Officer Gordon Jeffrey Stokes, No. 198 Squadron, RAF
Flying Battle 7 June 1944

Today we remember and pay tribute to Warrant Officer Gordon Jeffrey Stokes.

Gordon Stokes was born on 18 July 1922 to Albert and Lily May Stokes of Paris, Ontario, Canada. The Stokes family immigrated to Australia in the 1920s and settled in the Sydney suburb of Bexley.

Stokes attended the local school and at the age of 17 began work as a junior clerk. He later went to work as a radio cadet and valve technician for Phillips Radio in Camperdown.

Just prior to the outbreak of the Second World War, Stokes joined the 1st Battalion of the Citizens’ Military Force and became qualified as a machine-gunner.

When the war began, Stokes was still too young for full time service, but he had set his mind on joining the Royal Australian Air Force. On 20 July 1941 he went to the RAAF’s recruiting office in Sydney and he enlisted.

He was accepted to train as aircrew and after his initial training he re-mustered as a trainee pilot and in early September he was sent to Temora. Here, he learned to fly the Tiger Moth. His trainers must have seen his natural affinity for flying, as he was sent on to train as a fighter pilot at Wagga Wagga and Uranquinty. After nearly a year of training, Stokes was awarded his flying badge on 16 September 1942. He was promoted to sergeant the following day.

Stokes embarked from Sydney with other members of the RAAF on 17 October on a transport ship bound for England.

Upon reaching England Stokes was posted to an operational training unit where he learned to fly the fearsome Hawker Typhoon fighter. On 17 March Stokes was promoted to temporary flight sergeant. He was promoted to warrant officer a year later.

While in England Stokes met and began a relationship with Joan Aspinall, changing his records to make her his next of kin. He also bought a motorcycle to help him get around the English countryside when he had any time off.

On 10 December 1943 Stokes joined No. 198 Squadron of the Royal Air Force. From the time he joined the squadron, he was actively involved in fighter sweeps over occupied Europe and flying escort missions for British and American bomber formations.

In February 1944 No. 198 Squadron’s Typhoon fighters were equipped to carry rockets and became a ground attack squadron. Stokes and his comrades were actively involved in attacking German targets in France in the lead up to the Normandy landings known as D-Day.

D-Day saw No. 198 Squadron supporting the British landing on the Normandy coast, ranging inland to attack German troop and vehicle formations.

On 7 June, 198 Squadron was tasked to perform an armed reconnaissance in the Lisieux area, looking for enemy transport and armoured vehicles. The squadron was split into three sections of four aircraft, and each section was identified by the colours blue, green and black. Stokes was flying in Green Section as Green 4.

Once over the Norman Coast, the pilots of Green section located an enemy tank near Cormeilles and proceeded to attack. The pilot of Green 3 noticed tracers coming at his aircraft from a German machine-gun position near the tank. Stokes’ aircraft followed last in line and as he pulled out of his attack dive several other pilots noticed a small flame under the starboard wing, which they attributed to machine-gun fire.
Stokes aircraft was seen climbing to 1,200 feet where it entered a cloud formation. During the climb the formation leader noticed what he believed to be the canopy of the fighter falling away from the aircraft. Seconds later, the Typhoon dove out of the clouds, plunged nose-first into the ground, and burst into flames. None of the other pilots saw a parachute to signify that Stokes had bailed out.

Stokes was initially posted as missing in action and it was not until May 1945 that his parents’ agonising wait came to an end.

A German unit in the area recovered Stokes’ remains and after removing all identifying objects, buried him as an “Unknown British Airman” in the churchyard cemetery in the town of Les Moutiers-Hubert. Children playing near the crash site discovered a watch and lighter engraved with Stokes’ details. These were handed to members of the local French Resistance, who gave them to the mayor.

When a British graves registration unit reached the town, the mayor passed on Stokes’ watch and cigarette lighter to them. His remains were located and exhumed and after being positively identified, were re-interred in the Les Moutiers-Herbert Churchyard Cemetery, where they remain today. He was 21 years old.

His name is listed 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 Warrant Officer Gordon Jeffrey Stokes, who gave his life for us, for our freedoms, and in the hope of a better world.

Michael Kelly
Historian, Military History Section