PFEIFFER, Paul Gotthelf
| Service Number: | 416005 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 1 March 1941 |
| Last Rank: | Flight Sergeant |
| Last Unit: | No. 461 Squadron (RAAF) |
| Born: | Point Pass, South Australia, 5 December 1916 |
| Home Town: | Point Pass, Goyder, South Australia |
| Schooling: | St Marks College, South Australia |
| Occupation: | School-Master/German teacher |
| Died: | Accidental (flying crash), Invergordon, Scotland, Scotland, United Kingdom, 3 January 1945, aged 28 years |
| Cemetery: |
Harrogate (Stonefall) Cemetery, North Yorkshire, England Section H; Row D; Grave 17 |
| Memorials: | Adelaide WW2 Wall of Remembrance, Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Eudunda War Memorial, North Adelaide St. Mark's College WW2 Honour Roll, Robertstown Peace Hall Roll of Honor WW2, Korea & Vietnam |
World War 2 Service
| 1 Mar 1941: | Involvement Flying Officer, 416005 | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Mar 1941: | Enlisted Royal Australian Air Force, 416005 | |
| 1 Mar 1941: | Enlisted Royal Australian Air Force, Flying Officer, 416005 | |
| 27 Apr 1944: | Involvement Royal Australian Air Force, Flight Sergeant, 416005, No. 461 Squadron (RAAF) | |
| Date unknown: | Involvement |
Paul Pirffer
Please see the first hand account of the accident in which Paul was killed from Norman Sheehan DFC enclosed in the article on the loss of Marsh Godsall and crew under personal story Herbert Marshall Godsall
Submitted 16 October 2016 by Marshall Sheehan
Biography contributed by Julianne Ryan
Born 5/12/1916 at Point Pass, South Australia
Father Gottlieb August Pfeiffer and Mother Maria Augusta Mathilda Pfeiffer,
lived at Point Pass, South Australia
Siblings:
Brother: William John Pfeiffer, living at Seppeltsfield, SA
Brother: John Alwyn Pfeiffer
Brother: Otto Wilhelm Pfeiffer, farmer in Eudunda, SA
Sister: Martha Maria Klante (nee Pfeiffer), Warranmboo, SA
Sister: Lydia Emma Braunach (nee Pfeiffer), Kongolia, SA
Sister: Elsie Matilda Pfeiffer
Sister: Hulda Helena Pfeiffer
Worked as an Assistant School-Master, and Tutor at St Marks College
Paul lived at 46 Pennington Terrace, North Adelaide, SA prior to enlisting.
Described on enlisting as 24 yrs 2 mths old; single; 5' 8" tall; 144 lbs;
medium complexion; blue eyes; fair hair; Church of England
1/3/1941 enlisted into RAAF, at No.5 Recruitment Centre, Adelaide, SA
25/5/1941 embarked from Australia for overseas
13/3/1942 awarded "Air Observer's Badge"
16/1/1943 Flying Pilot with 461 Squadron
19/9/1943 No.1 AAS Manby
14/9/1943 promoted to Flight Sergeant
27/10/1943 rank Pilot Officer with 461 Squadron
6/2/1944 Pembroke dock
27/4/1944 rank Flying Officer
August 1944 RAF Station Pembroke Dock, Wales. Paul was a member of No.461
(Sunderland) Squadron RAAF in the UK registering their votes.
3/1/1945 Paul was a crew member of a Sunderland Aircraft ML 738.
to carry out a special photographic detail. The aircraft was airborne at 1310 hours
on 3/1/1945. The takeoff was a normal cross-wind takeoff, the subsequent climb
appeared to witnesses to be steeper than usual and when about 200 feet up the
aircraft became unstable laterally. It was seent o drop its starboard wing then its
port wing and finally its starboard wing dropped and continued to go down until the
aircraft struck the water with this wing and its nose.
The aircraft broke up on impact and four survivors were rescued, two of them died
in hospital. (retrieved from the ocean, at Cromarty Firth, Scotland.)
4/1/1945 died of injuries received in flying accident, did not regain consciousness
in Royal Naval Hospital, Invergordon at Cromarty Firth, Scotland
Buried in: Harrogate (Stonefall) Cemetery, Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England
Section H; Row D; Grave 17
His name is commemorated on Panel 128 at the Australian War Memorial, Canberra, ACT.
Sourced and submitted by Julianne T Ryan. 5/7/2016. Lest we forget.
Click images to start slideshow.