PRESTON, Francis Albert
| Service Number: | 407972 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 27 February 1941 |
| Last Rank: | Pilot Officer |
| Last Unit: | No. 100 Squadron (RAF) |
| Born: | Clifton Hill, Victoria, Australia, 30 October 1920 |
| Home Town: | Henley Beach , City of Charles Sturt / Henley and Grange, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Thornbury St. Mary's, Christian Brothers College East Melbourne, Rostrevor College |
| Occupation: | Clerk, General Motor Holdens Ltd., Woodville, South Australia, Australia |
| Died: | Air operations, Netherlands, 23 August 1943, aged 22 years |
| Cemetery: |
Bergen General Cemetery, Netherlands 2 C 24, Cenotaph: West Terrace Cemetery Adelaide, Adelaide City, South Australia, Australia. Catholic Western Ground, Row WW, Site 189. |
| Memorials: | Adelaide WW2 Wall of Remembrance, Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Henley Beach Council Fallen WW1 & WW2 Honour Board, Henley Beach Council WW2 Honour Roll and Addendum, International Bomber Command Centre Memorial, Rostrevor College WW2 Memorial Plaques |
World War 2 Service
| 27 Feb 1941: | Involvement Royal Australian Air Force, Pilot Officer, 407972, No. 100 Squadron (RAF) | |
|---|---|---|
| 27 Feb 1941: | Enlisted Adelaide, SA | |
| 27 Feb 1941: | Enlisted Royal Australian Air Force, Pilot Officer, 407972 | |
| Date unknown: | Involvement |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Faithe Jones
Son of Harold Claude and Hannah Mary Preston, of Henley Beach, South Australia.
FOR THE GREATER GLORY OF GOD
WARRANT OFFICER FRANCIS
ALBERT PRESTON (R.A.A.F.), aged 22 years, who was reported missing as a result of air operations over Berlin on August 23, is now believed to have lost his life on that date. He was captain of a Lancaster bomber attached to the R.A.F., and had taken part in many operations over the Continent. He was the son of Mr. and Mrs. H. Preston, of Beck Street, Henley Beach, and was educated at C.B.C., Victoria Parade, East Melbourne. Prior to enlistment he was an active and valued member of the Catholic Guild for Social Studies, and of the Holy Name Society, Henley Beach. To his parents, brother (A.I.F.), and sister sympathy is respectfully extended.
Mr. and Mrs. H. Preston, formerly of Ballantyne-street, Thornbury, and now of Beckstreet, Henley Beach, S.A., have been notified that their son, Pilot-Officer Francis Albert Preston, who was previously reported missing as a result of air operations on August 23, 1943, over Berlin, is now presumed killed. Pilot-Officer Preston, who is 22, enlisted in 1940, and trained) in West Australia, where he received his wings. He was posted to England in 1942, and had been serving with the R_A.F. as captain of a Lancaster Bomber. He was educated at St. Mary's, Thornbury, and afterwards at C.B.C., East Melbourne. A brother is at present in New Guinea, serving with the A.I.F.
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