PARSONS, Arthur Stuart
| Service Numbers: | Q217764, 434266 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 1 July 1942 |
| Last Rank: | Flight Sergeant |
| Last Unit: | No. 550 Squadron (RAF) |
| Born: | Mareeba, Queensland, Australia, 18 October 1923 |
| Home Town: | Herberton, Atherton Tablelands, Queensland |
| Schooling: | Herberton State School, Herberton. Queensland, Australia |
| Occupation: | Main Roads Commission Clerk |
| Died: | Air Operations, France , France, 31 August 1944, aged 20 years |
| Cemetery: |
Abbeville Communal Cemetery Extension Plot 8. Row B. Coll. grave 1- |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, International Bomber Command Centre Memorial |
World War 2 Service
| 1 Jul 1942: | Involvement Private, Q217764, Page missing from Enlistment Register | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Jul 1942: | Enlisted | |
| 1 Jul 1942: | Enlisted Australian Military Forces (Army WW2), Private, Q217764, 16th (QLD) Battalion Volunteer Defence Corps (VDC) | |
| 6 Nov 1942: | Enlisted Royal Australian Air Force, Flight Sergeant, 434266 | |
| 6 Nov 1942: | Enlisted Royal Australian Air Force, Flight Sergeant, No. 550 Squadron (RAF), Place of Enlistment Brisbane Queensland | |
| 18 Aug 1943: | Discharged Australian Military Forces (Army WW2), Private, Q217764, 16th (QLD) Battalion Volunteer Defence Corps (VDC) | |
| 18 Aug 1943: | Discharged | |
| 31 Aug 1944: | Involvement Royal Australian Air Force, Flight Sergeant, 434266, No. 550 Squadron (RAF), Air War NW Europe 1939-45, Killed in Air Opperations | |
| Date unknown: | Discharged Royal Australian Air Force, Flight Sergeant, 434266 |
Arthur Stuart Parsons
Australian Military Forces, Royal Australian Air Force, RAAF~~
Service Number:--- 434266
Born:--- 18th October 1923 at Mareeba, Queensland
Enlisted:--- RAAF, 6th November 1942, at Brisbane, Queensland.
Next of Kin:--- Mother, Mrs Ethyl Parsons
Last Unit:--- No. 550 Squadron (RAF)
Fate:--- Died in air operations when Lancaster I aircraft MF962 crashed at l-Etoile (Pas-de-Calais), on the north side of the Somme, 12 kms north west of Picquigay, France, on 31st August 1944, he was age 20years.
Burial:--- Abbeville Communal Cemetery Extension, Somme, France
Parents:-- Arthur Stirling Parsons and Ethel Amelia Frances Mower,married 1919 in Queensland.
Roll of Honour:--- Townsville , Queensland.
Remembered:--- Panel 128, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra
Details of mission:---On the 31st August 1944, Lancaster NF962 took from RAF North Killingholm at 1307 hours, detailed to bomb a V2 rocket store at Agenville, France. Nothing was heard from the aircraft after take off and it failed to return to base. The aircraft crashed at l-Etoile (Pas-de-Calais), on the north side of the Somme, 12 kms north west of Picquigay, France. All the crew members were killed.
The crew members of NF962 were:
Sergeant Hugh Henry Mills Connolly (1569111) (RAFVR) (Navigator)
Sergeant Derek Picken Gates (1836678) (Mid Upper Gunner)
Sergeant Thomas Hamilton (1826261) (RAFVR) (Rear Gunner)
Sergeant Ronald McLeod (1823751) (RAFVR) (Flight Engineer)
Flight Sergeant Arthur Stuart Parsons (434266) (Wireless Air Gunner)
Pilot Officer Peter Charles Siddall (421538) (RNZAF) (Second Pilot)
Wing Commander Alan Francis Moir Sisley (39008) (RAF) (Pilot)
Flight Sergeant Harold George Thomas (1441411) (RAFVR) (Air Bomber)
Submitted 21 November 2023 by Lynette Turner
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