The Last Post Ceremony commemorating the service of (6665) Aircraftman Class 1 Francis Leo Baxendale, No. 462 Squadron RAAF, Second Wolrd 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 Chris Widenbar, the story for this day was on (6665) Aircraftman Class 1 Francis Leo Baxendale, No. 462 Squadron RAAF, Second Wolrd War.

6665 Aircraftman Class 1 Francis Leo Baxendale, No. 462 Squadron RAAF
Ground Battle 12 April 1943


Today we remember and pay tribute to Aircraftman Class 1 Francis Leo Baxendale.

Francis Baxendale was born on 20 May 1919 in Newcastle, New South Wales, the son of Thomas and Eleanor Baxendale. When he was young, Francis and his mother, father, and two siblings moved to Balmain in Sydney, where his father worked as a carpenter. In June 1932, the family was rocked by tragedy when Baxendale’s father was crushed by falling timber while working on a steam ship in Sydney Harbour.

After completing his schooling, Baxendale worked as a labourer and moulder at the rubber company Dunlop Perdriau in Drummoyne. He was a keen sportsman who enjoyed playing football and handball.

In October 1939, not long after the outbreak of the Second World War, Baxendale wrote to a local recruitment centre offering his services as a labourer in the air force. Although he did not have any experience or qualifications, he wrote, he would endeavour to serve with excellence.

On 18 December 1939 Baxendale formally enlisted in the Royal Australian Air Force. He began training as an aircraft mechanic, and would later serve as a flight mechanic. Rather than taking part in air operations against enemy forces, he was part of the large ground crew team that looked after and repaired aircraft in between missions.

After training at a number of bases across New South Wales and Victoria, Baxendale joined Number 451 Squadron, an army co-operation unit, and sailed for service in North Africa. From mid-1941 Baxendale serviced Number 451 Squadron’s Hurricane and Westland Lysander aircraft in operations across North Africa. In November and December, they assisted in British operations against German forces at Tobruk.

In November 1942 he transferred to the newly formed Number 462 Squadron in Egypt, which flew Handley Page Halifax heavy bombers on missions across North Africa and the Mediterranean.

On the afternoon of 12 April 1943, Baxendale and three companions from Number 462 Squadron were driving from Alexandria in Egypt to Misurata in Libya when they pulled over to the side of the road to have some lunch. They pulled up near an old building on the Libyan coast and began preparing a fire to heat their meal. Baxendale began looking for a tin in which to make the fire and protect it from the wind, and as he made his search stepped on a concealed land mine. The resulting explosion injured two of his companions, and killed him instantly.

He was 23 years old.

He is buried in the Benghazi War Cemetery in Libya, where over 1,200 Commonwealth soldiers of the Second World War now lie.

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 Aircraftman Class 1 Francis Leo Baxendale, who gave his life for us, for our freedoms, and in the hope of a better world.

David Sutton
Historian, Military History Section