BARBELER, Gerard Sydney
| Service Number: | 425917 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 21 May 1942 |
| Last Rank: | Flight Sergeant |
| Last Unit: | No. 12 Squadron (RAAF) |
| Born: | Maryborough, Queensland, Australia, 26 August 1923 |
| Home Town: | Tinana, Fraser Coast, Queensland |
| Schooling: | St. Mary's Primary School Maryborough, Christian Brothers School Maryborough |
| Occupation: | Carpentry Apprentice |
| Died: | Flying Battle, Germany, 16 March 1945, aged 21 years |
| Cemetery: |
Durnbach War Cemetery, Germany |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, International Bomber Command Centre Memorial, Maryborough No. 3 Wireless Air Gunners' School Memorial Wall, Maryborough St Mary's College War Memorial, Maryborough WW2 RAAF Enlistment Roll of Honour, Tinana No 5 Division Burrum Shire Honour Board, Tinana War Memorial |
World War 2 Service
| 3 Sep 1939: | Involvement Flight Sergeant, 425917 | |
|---|---|---|
| 21 May 1942: | Enlisted Royal Australian Air Force, Flight Sergeant, 425917, Enlisted at Brisbane | |
| 21 May 1942: | Enlisted Royal Australian Air Force, Flight Sergeant, 425917, No. 12 Squadron (RAAF) |
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Plane was Lancaster ME 526 at Aldernorf which crashed on a house and exploded on impact
Biography contributed by Faithe Jones
Son of Cornelius Sidney and Irene Catherine Barbeler, of Maryborough, Queensland, Australia.
REQUIESCANT IN PACE
Flight Sergent Gerard Sydney Barbeler eldest son of Cornelius Sidney and Irene Catherine nee Cummings, fifth son of Conrad Joseph and Annie nee Cuttler Barbeler River Road Tinana Via Tinana Maryborough Queensland.
Born 26 August 1923, St. Margaret's Private Hospital 160 John St. Maryborough.
Baptised 9 September 1923. St. Mary's Catholic Church Adelaide St. Maryborough Qld. Priest Rev. Father J. Me. Dermmott. Godparents Leo Cummings, Annie Barbeler.
He was educated at St. Mary's Primary School Lennox Street, and The Christian Brothers School 51 Lennox Street Maryborough.
Three years into his carpentry apprenticeship he enlisted in to the R.A.A.F. ( Royal Australian Air Force ) training took him to Bankstown, Sydney New South Wales, Evens Heads northern New South Wales, Kingaroy Queensland, Bradfield Park and Maryborough Queensland Australia.
He sailed for the United Kingdom England on the 27 January 1944, and was stationed at Brighton, Lichfield, Lindholmeand Wickenby. He flew with the R.A.F. [ Royal Air Force.] No. 12 Squadron, and was rear gunner in a Lancaster crew of five Australians and two Englishmen.
Gerard had flushed his allotted number of flights and was on extra duty when his plane was shot down on a bombing flight to Nuremberg on the 16 March 1945.
Reports many months later stated that his plane crashed on a house in Albendorf, killing the five Australians and two German people in the house.
the five airmen were interred in a communal grave at Scahen cemetery, and were later exhumed, identified and re- interred individually at the Bad Toelz British cemetery near Munich Germany Europe.
Gerard was awarded five medals.
Letters from his mother (that he never read) were returned. She kept writing even after he had been listed as missing in action. She always had faith that he would return. All Gerard's airgraph letters are still treasured by his sister and brother, Rita Sauer and Cyril Barbeler.
Courtesy of Maryborough Military & Colonial Museum
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