ARCHER, Rodney Bainbridge
| Service Number: | 402148 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 24 June 1940 |
| Last Rank: | Flying Officer |
| Last Unit: | No. 42 Squadron RAAF |
| Born: | Lindfield, New South Wales, Australia, 9 October 1918 |
| Home Town: | Rose Bay, Woollahra, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Sydney Grammar School, New South Wales, Australia |
| Occupation: | Flight Clerk with Qantas |
| Died: | Flying Battle, North West Europe, 17 May 1942, aged 23 years |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Narromine Aviation Museum Memorial Wall, Runnymede Air Forces Memorial |
World War 2 Service
| 3 Sep 1939: | Involvement Flying Officer, 402148 | |
|---|---|---|
| 24 Jun 1940: | Enlisted Sydney, New South Wales, Australia | |
| 24 Jun 1940: | Enlisted Royal Australian Air Force, Flying Officer, 402148 | |
| 13 Oct 1940: | Embarked From Sydney for Canada | |
| 24 Mar 1942: | Honoured Distinguished Flying Cross | |
| 17 May 1942: | Involvement Royal Australian Air Force, Flying Officer, 402148, No. 42 Squadron RAAF |
Help us honour Rodney Bainbridge Archer's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Elizabeth Allen
Rodney Bainbridge ARCHER was born in Lindfield, Sydney on 9th October, 1918
His parents were Rowland Bainbridge ARCHER & Olga Blanche FOTHERINGHAM who married in Sydney in 1917
He enlisted in Sydney on 24th June, 1940 and left Australia for Canada on 30th October, 1940
He was awarded a Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) on 24th March, 1942 for a strike in a Beaufort torpedo attack on enemy naval force including the Scharnhorst & Gneisenau off the Dutch coast on 12th February, 1942
Rodney went missing in action during a Flying Battle in North West Europe during a strike on German battleship Prince Eugen off Lista, Norwayon 17th May, 1942 while piloting a Beaufort fighter AW283-
The aircraft was never found & only one body was washed ashore on the coast of Norway - he was never found & it was assumed the plane had crashed into the sea and that remaining crew members were lost at sea
His name is memorialised on the Australian War Memorial & the Runnymede Memorial (Panel 108) - His last unit was the 42 Squadron (RAF)
IN MEMORY
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