Adelaide Pathway of Honour - SA Dambusters Raid WW2 Memorial

Details

Location Kintore Avenue / King William St, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
Type memorial
Description

The pathway contains 24 monuments, 23 with bronze plaques affixed to cement or granite blocks; several have two plaques. The main plaques are set on an angled face. One monument, the SAS, is a cut and polished black granite boulder with brass plaques affixed to the face.

Built 2007
Opened Not yet discovered
Inscription

"THE SOUTH AUSTRALIAN DAM BUSTERS"

 
THIS MEMORIAL COMMEMORATES THE BRAVERY AND HEROISM OF THREE SOUTH AUSTRALIAN AIRMEN WHO PARTICIPATED IN THE FAMED DAM BUSTERS RAID ON 17 MAY 1943.

SQUADRON LEADER DAVID SHANNON DSO & BAR DFC & BAR (BOMBER PILOT),

FLIGHT LIEUTENANT ROBERT HAY DFC & BAR (BOMB AIMER) AND

FLYING OFFICER FREDERICK SPAFFORD DFC DFM (BOMB AIMER)

WERE SECONDED FROM THE ROYAL AUSTRALIAN AIR FORCE TO ROYAL AIR FORCE 617 SQUADRON, ON ITS FORMATION IN MARCH 1943.

ALL THREE FLEW IN THE FIRST WAVE OF NINETEEN LANCASTER AIRCRAFT DETAILED TO ATTACK THE
MOHNE, EDER AND SORPE DAMS IN THE GERMAN RUHR VALLEY.

THE MOHNE AND EDER DAMS WERE SUCCESSFULLY BREACHED CAUSING CONSIDERABLE DISRUPTION TO KEY GERMAN WAR INDUSTRIES LOCATED DOWNSTREAM FROM THE DAMS.

THIS DARING OPERATION CAME TO BE KNOWN AS THE DAM BUSTERS RAID. IT GREATLY UNDERMINED THE RESOLVE OF THE GERMAN WAR EFFORT AND PAVED THE WAY FOR AN ALLIED VICTORY IN EUROPE.

THE RAID WAS COURAGEOUSLY AND AUDACIOUSLY CARRIED OUT AT EXTREMELY LOW LEVEL AGAINST GREAT ODDS. OF THE NINETEEN LANCASTER AIRCRAFT DISPATCHED FROM SCAMPTON AIRFIELD IN ENGLAND, IN THE EVENEING OF 16 MAY 1943, ONLY ELEVEN RETURNED.

IN ALL, THIRTEEN AUSTRALIAN AIRMEN TOOK PART IN THE RAID, TWO OF WHOM WERE KILLED AND ONE OF WHOM BECAME A PRISONER OF WAR.

FLYING OFFICER SPAFFORD DIED IN AN AIR OPERATION OVER EUROPE ON 16 SEPTEMBER 1943 AND

FLIGHT LIEUTENANT HAY DIED SIMILARLY ON 13 FEBRUARY 1944.

SQUADRON LEADER SHANNON SURVIVED THE WAR AND DIED IN ENGLAND IN 1993

LEST WE FORGET

Squadron insignia 
RAAF insignia

Condition

MAINTAINED BY: Adelaide City Council

PECULIARITIES/DAMAGE: Ni

View Tributes of Honour Description

Names

Showing 3 people of interest from memorial

SHANNON, David John

Service number 407729
Squadron Leader
Born 27 May 1922

HAY, Robert Claude

Service number 407074
Flight Lieutenant
No. 617 Squadron (RAF)
Royal Air Force
Born 4 Nov 1913

SPAFFORD, Frederick Michael

Service number 407380
Flying Officer
No. 617 Squadron (RAF)
Royal Air Force
Born 16 Jun 1918

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