Coming Soon.
BIRD, Roy Frank
Personal Details
| Service Number: | VX78975 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 8 April 1942 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 2nd/33rd Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Beringa Victoria, 29 March 1908 |
| Home Town: | Caulfield, Glen Eira, Victoria |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Not yet discovered |
| Died: | Accidental (Injuries - aircraft crash/ explosion), Near Jacksons Airfield, Port Moresby, New Guinea, 7 September 1943, aged 35 years |
| Cemetery: |
Port Moresby (Bomana) War Cemetery, Papua New Guinea (C1. C.7.) Port Moresby (Bomana) War Cemetery, Port Moresby (Bomana) War Cemetery, Bomana, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour |
Service History
World War 2 Service
| 8 Apr 1942: | Enlisted Private, VX78975, 2nd/33rd Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 8 Apr 1942: | Enlisted Australian Military Forces (Army WW2), Private, VX78975, 2nd/33rd Infantry Battalion | |
| 7 Sep 1943: | Involvement Private, VX78975, 2nd/33rd Infantry Battalion, New Guinea - Huon Peninsula / Markham and Ramu Valley /Finisterre Ranges Campaigns |
Personal Stories
Tragedy strikes 2nd/33rd Battalion while awaiting troop lift flight to Nadzab
The 2nd/33rd returned to Port Moresby in late July in preparation for the operations capture Lae, in New Guinea. On 7 September, while it waited near Jackson's Airfield at '7Mile' near Moresby to be flown to Nadzab, via Tsili Tsili, a fully fuelled and 'bombed up' US B-24 Liberator bomber crashed on take off among the trucks carrying the battalion. Sixty men, mainly from D Company, were killed and 92 injured. This represented a third of the battalion's fatal casualties for the entire war.
The remnants of the battalion were flown to Nadzab on 8 September and subsequently participated in the advance on Lae, which fell on 16 September.
Submitted 7 September 2017 by Steve Larkins