The Last Post Ceremony commemorating the service of (414655) Flight Sergeant Gordon Maxwell Crouch, 63 Operational Training Unit, Royal 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 Tristan Rallings, the story for this day was on (414655) Flight Sergeant Gordon Maxwell Crouch, 63 Operational Training Unit, Royal Air Force, Second World War.

414655 Flight Sergeant Gordon Maxwell Crouch, 63 Operational Training Unit, Royal Air Force
Accidentally killed 29 February 1944

Today we remember and pay tribute to Flight Sergeant Gordon Maxwell Crouch.

Gordon Crouch was born on 12 April 1923 in Cooroy, Queensland, the son of Gavin and Selina Crouch. Theirs was a large family, and Gordon had seven sisters – Maud, Ena, Elsie, Frances, Ailsa, Ruby, and Nellie – and three brothers – Theo, Alan, and Harrington.

Gordon attended the Theebine State School from age five until he was 14. He was an athletic child, fond of cricket, tennis, football, and swimming, but he was particularly fond of dancing. After leaving school, he worked on his father’s dairy farm.

On 3 July 1941 Crouch enrolled in the Royal Australian Air Force reserve, as he was 18, he obtained his father’s permission to do so. He gave his occupation as a market gardener in order to officially enlisted with the RAAF on the 8th of November. Before he left for training, he and two other locals were farewelled by the district.

So began a period of intense training, and it wasn’t until the end of July 1942 that Crouch embarked from Melbourne, arriving in Canada the following month. There, as part of the Empire Air Training Scheme, Jacobson was one of almost 27,500 RAAF pilots, navigators, wireless operators, gunners, and engineers who, throughout the course of the war, joined squadrons based in Britain.

Earning his pilot’s flying badge in March 1943, Crouch embarked for the United Kingdom shortly afterwards, arriving in April. He was attached to the Royal Air Force, and spent the following months in training.

By February 1944 Crouch was flying with No. 63 Operational Training Unit out of Royal Air Force base Honiley. The unit was training its pilots in night fighting. That night Crouch was piloting a Hurricane when something went wrong. The aircraft was seen to dive almost vertically downwards before it crashed into the ground near the village of Barton-on-the-Heath in Warwickshire, England. Flight Sergeant Crouch died instantly, just over a month before his 21st birthday.

Today, his remains lie buried at the Oxford (Botley) Cemetery, under the inscription, “His country called, he answered.”

Crouch was sorely missed by his friend Keith Hoffman, who wrote a tribute to his pal in the Gympie Times, and placed in memoriam notices in the newspapers for years after his death. One read:
No one knows through the passing years
How oft will fall the silent tears,
Longing for a pal, loyal, true, and fine,
Knowing his equal I’ll never find.

But deep in my heart, a beautiful memory is kept,
Of a pal whom I know I shall never forget.
Flight Sergeant Gordon Maxwell Crouch’s name is listed on the Roll of Honour on my left, along with some 40,000 others from 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 Gordon Crouch, and all those Australians who have given their lives in service of our nation.

Christina Zissis
Editor, Military History Section