The Last Post Ceremony commemorating the service of (411427) Flying Officer William Stanley Brennan, No. 512 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 Gerard Pratt, the story for this day was on (411427) Flying Officer William Stanley Brennan, No. 512 Squadron, RAF, Second World War.

411427 Flying Officer William Stanley Brennan, No. 512 Squadron, RAF
Flying Battle: 7 June 1944

Today we remember and pay tribute to Flying Officer William Stanley Brennan.

William Brennan was born on 18 January 1912 in Drummoyne, New South Wales, the son of Alfred and May Brennan.

He grew up in the Drummoyne area and after attending local school went on to Sydney University where he studied to become a teacher. During this time he also served in the Sydney University Regiment.

By the time the Second World War began he was working as a school teacher at Central Junior Technical School in Newcastle, living in the nearby suburb of Merewether.

Brennan enlisted for service with the Royal Australian Air Force on 28 April 1941 and was accepted for training as a pilot. After initial training, he was posted to Temora where he learned to fly Tiger Moth aircraft.

He qualified as an airman pilot in late June 1941, after which he was posted to Canada as part of the Empire Air Training Scheme for further training. He learned to fly Harvard and Oxford trainers and was awarded his pilot’s wings on 16 January 1942. He was promoted to sergeant the same day.

By May, Brennan had been posted to England where, after further training, he was posted to No. 24 Squadron, Royal Air Force. One of the squadron’s duties was flying VIPs, and the squadron maintained and flew Prime Minister Winston Churchill’s personal aircraft.

As well as flying Lockheed Hudson and Douglas Dakota aircraft, Brennon attended a number of courses which qualified him for a commission. He received his commission with the rank of flying officer on 17 July, and was posted to No. 512 Squadron, RAF, that same day. This squadron had been formed the previous month when the Dakota aircraft had been split off from No. 24 Squadron to create the new unit.

In February 1944 the squadron was transferred to No. 46 Group, RAF, which was one of two RAF Transport Command groups tasked with carrying British paratroopers and towing gliders to France as part of the Allied invasion of Europe.

By this time, Brennan’s regular crew was well established and they were highly regarded by their squadron mates.

On the night of 5/6 June 1944 every aircraft of No. 512 Squadron was used to carry members of the British 9th Parachute Battalion to France. Their objective was the destruction of the Merville Battery.

Due to bad weather over the drop zones, the paratroopers were widely scattered, but the Merville Battery was captured. All of the squadron’s aircraft returned to England, and later that day they towed 18 Horsa gliders to Normandy before flying resupply operations into the evening.

Brennan and his crew tasked to fly on the resupply operation took off just after 10.30 pm on the night of 6 June, carrying supplies for British troops in Caen.

Approaching the French coast in darkness, the British-marked Dakotas were misidentified by Allied surface vessels which opened fire with anti-aircraft guns. While the three other aircraft in Brennan’s formation escaped untouched, Brennan’s Dakota was fatally hit and crashed out of control onto the beach at the mouth of the Orne River. The crash and resulting explosion killed all four men on board.

The other three aircraft in the formation reached Caen and delivered their supplies. On the return journey one of the crews saw the burning aircraft at the mouth of the Orne.

Brennan’s aircraft was not the only one lost that day to Allied fire. Of the 50 aircraft sent to France on re-supply operations, nine were shot down by Allied fire from sea and land.

The bodies of the crewmembers were recovered by British soldiers and laid to rest in the Hermanville Beach Cemetery.

William Brennan was 32 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 Flying Officer William Stanley Brennan, who gave his life for us, for our freedoms, and in the hope of a better world.

Michael Kelly
Historian, Military History Section