The Last Post Ceremony commemorating the service of (435169) Leading Aircraftman Dudley Frank Grimsey, 1 Air Observers School Evans Head, Second World War.

Place Oceania: Australia, New South Wales, Evans Head, Evans Head War Cemetery
Accession Number AWM2021.1.1.166
Collection type Film
Object type Last Post film
Physical description 16:9
Maker Australian War Memorial
Place made Australia: Australian Capital Territory, Canberra, Campbell
Date made 15 June 2021
Access Open
Conflict Second World War, 1939-1945
Copyright Item copyright: © Australian War Memorial
Creative Commons License This item is licensed under CC BY-NC
Copying Provisions Copyright restrictions apply. Only personal, non-commercial, research and study use permitted. Permission of copyright holder required for any commercial use and/or reproduction.
Description

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 Richard Cruise, the story for this day was on (435169) Leading Aircraftman Dudley Frank Grimsey, 1 Air Observers School Evans Head, Second World War.

Film order form
Speech transcript

435169 Leading Aircraftman Dudley Frank Grimsey, 1 Air Observers School Evans Head
Accidental 14 January 1944

Today we remember and pay tribute to Leading Aircraftman Dudley Frank Grimsey.

Dudley Grimsey was born in Brisbane on 26 January 1925, the son of Frank and Mary Grimsey.

Dudley’s father, Frank, had served with the 3rd Light Horse during the First World War. He died in 1926, when Dudley was just a baby, and it was reported that his death was due to war injuries.

Dudley grew up in the Brisbane suburb of Norman Park with his mother, and after completing his education found employment as a clerk.

On 26 March 1943, not long after he had turned 18, Dudley Grimsey enlisted in the Royal Australian Air Force.
After initial training, he attended elementary training school in June, and on 9 September he was posted to air observer’s school in Cootamundra.

On 14 January 1944, Dudley Grimsey was one of two trainee observers on a Fairey Battle single-engine light bomber piloted by Sergeant William Wallace Hopper. At around 11.20 am, the aircraft was about 12 kilometres south-west of Evans Head on the New South Wales coast. There the aircraft crashed, immediately killing Hopper, Grimsey, and the other trainee observer, George Harrison. An investigation into the accident concluded that the pilot was undertaking unauthorised low flying, and that this error of judgment led to the accident.

Dudley Grimsey was 18 years old.

Today, his remains lie in Evans Head War Cemetery, alongside the graves of 24 other airmen.

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 Leading Aircraftman Dudley Frank Grimsey, who gave his life for us, for our freedoms, and in the hope of a better world.

Duncan Beard
Editor, Military History Section
310 words



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