The Last Post Ceremony commemorating the service of (413267) Flying Officer Francis Mathew Silva, No. 456 Squadron, RAAF, 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 (413267) Flying Officer Francis Mathew Silva, No. 456 Squadron, RAAF, Second World War.

413267 Flying Officer Francis Mathew Silva, No. 456 Squadron, RAAF
Flying Battle 29 April 1944

Today we remember and pay tribute to Flying Officer Francis Mathew Silva.

Francis Silva was born on 26 June 1922 in Liverpool, England, to Francis and Mary Silva. While he was still a boy, the Silva family moved to Bellevue Hill, a suburb of Sydney. Francis attended Marist Brothers College and St Gregory’s College in Campbelltown. After leaving school, he worked briefly as a clerk in the New South Wales Department of Education.

In August 1941, at the age of 19, Francis Silva decided to join the war effort. He enlisted in the Royal Australian Air Force at Number 2 Recruiting Centre in Sydney. By early the next year, he was training at RAAF Station Parkes, in central New South Wales, as part of the Empire Air Training Scheme.

The Empire Air Training Scheme was an agreement between the British Government and Commonwealth countries to boost the number of aircrew available in Britain. Silva trained as an air observer in Australia before earning his flying badge in March 1942. He sailed to England in August that year, and continued his training at Royal Air Force Station Bournemouth. There he trained to become a navigator and passed a course in radio operation.

In February 1943, Silva was posted to Number 456 Squadron RAAF which was a part of Fighter Command. By this time, the squadron was flying twin-engined Mosquito planes, which fought in a number of roles, including night-fighting using radar, daylight raids against German transport in France, and patrolling over the Bay of Biscay. Each Mosquito had an aircrew of two, a pilot and a navigator.

Serving as a navigator, Silva was commissioned at the rank of pilot officer in mid-1943. In January 1944, he was promoted to the rank of flying officer. The squadron was based at Fairwood Common in south Wales. In early 1944, the German bomber arm began what would be its final offensive strike against southern England, known as Operation Steinbock. To help defend against these raids, Number 456 Squadron was moved to a base at Ford, south-east of London.

During one of these raids, on the night of 28 April 1944, Silva’s Mosquito was scrambled in response to reports of enemy aircraft over the English Channel. His pilot was his good friend and long-time crew comrade, Flying Officer Robert Pahlow, who was also from Sydney. After midnight, Silva sent a radio message stating that they were closing in on an enemy aircraft. No further contact was established between the airbase and Silva. Wreckage was recovered from the ocean the next day, but neither man’s remains were found. Silva was reported missing in action.

Over a year later, Silva’s family were notified that his status had changed, and he was presumed to have been killed on 29 April 1944 in flying battle with the enemy. He was 21 years old.

Francis Silva is commemorated at Runnymede Memorial in Surrey, England, alongside more than 20,000 Commonwealth airmen and women who lost their lives during the Second World War and have no known grave.
Both Francis Silva and Robert Pahlow are 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 Flying Officer Francis Mathew Silva, who gave his life for us, for our freedoms, and in the hope of a better world.

Thomas Rogers
Historian, Military History Section