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148 Squadron. Plane was a Wellington IC HD947

Rank - Flight Sergeant

Son of Robert Graham Banbury and Eleanor Burkitt Banbury, of Grange, Queensland, Australia

Dick was born in Brisbane on 14th May 1922 to Robert Graham and Eleanor Banbury of Price St, Grange, Brisbane. He was the older brother of Jeanne. He worked as an insurance clerk before enlisting. He had a passion for aircraft and built model planes. Before he left for England, he burnt all his models.

He become a tail gunner in a Wellington Bomber and was reported missing in action over Tobruk, presumed dead, when his plane failed to return after its bombing mission. An official Italian communique of 29/9/42 stated "In a renewal of Allied Air Offensive, Tobruk Harbour was bombed last night, one of the raider was shot down in flames after being hit by anti-aircraft fire."

Bomber No 947 left Landing Ground No 237 (Gebel Hamzi) near Cairo at 10:30pm 28/9/1942 (full moon) and presumed lost before midnight.

The RAF bomber squadrons - in which there were many Australian crews - took a heavy toll of the barges in which Rommel was attempting to steal supplies along the coast from Tobruk to Mersa Matruh.

When on leave, Dick and his 5 crew mates went to Tel Aviv. They consisted of a Brit, a Kiwi and 3 Canadians. He was well liked by all who knew him and was greatly missed by his family.

Flight Sergeant Richard Mostyn Graham BANBURY
Service No: 404746
Born: Brisbane QLD, 14 May 1922
Enlisted in the RAAF: 8 November 1940
Unit: No. 148 Squadron (RAF)
Died: Air Operations: (No. 148 Squadron Wellington aircraft HD947), North Africa, 28 September 1942, Aged 19 Years
Buried: Unrecovered
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Robert Graham Banbury and Eleanor Burkitt Banbury, of Grange, Queensland, Australia
Roll of Honour: Brisbane QLD
Remembered: Column 265, Alamein Memorial, Egypt
Remembered: Panel 118, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT

At 2235 hours on the night of 28 September 1942 Wellington HD947 took off, to attack enemy shipping in Tobruk Harbour, Libya. Nothing was heard from the aircraft after take-off and it did not return to base. The aircraft carried 4 x 500 lb (220 kg) bombs, 2 x 4.5 flares and 750 gallons of petrol. Following post war enquiries and investigations, it was recorded in 1948 that the missing crew members had lost their lives at sea.

The crew members of HD947 were:

Flight Sergeant Richard Mostyn Graham Banbury (404746) (Rear Gunner)
Sergeant Richard Henry Gresham (1330539) (RAFVR) (Second Pilot)
Warrant Officer II David Douglas Miller (R/68104) (RCAF) (Front Gunner)
Flight Sergeant Donald Alex Mitchell (R/61680) (RCAF) (Wireless Operator/Air Gunner)
Pilot Officer Stanley Charles Pearse (46903) (RAF) (Pilot)
Flight Sergeant Alan Holden Threlfall (1060131) (RAFVR) (Observer)

Source: NAA : A705, 163/90/453.

 After Italy entered into the war, RAF bomber detachments were sent to Malta to attack targets in North Africa and Italy. In December 1940, No. 148 Squadron was reformed by merging three detachments from the Nos 38, 99, and 115 Squadrons at RAF Luqa. After moving to Egypt, the squadron supported the Eighth Army in the North African campaign. Moved back to Malta in December 1942, the squadron was disbanded with its crews and aircraft being transferred to other units.

Source: Wikipedia