Leonard William HANSON

HANSON, Leonard William

Service Number: 406178
Enlisted: 12 September 1940
Last Rank: Sergeant
Last Unit: Not yet discovered
Born: Leonora, Western Australia, 18 June 1914
Home Town: Not yet discovered
Schooling: Not yet discovered
Occupation: Not yet discovered
Died: Flying Battle, Germany, 31 March 1942, aged 27 years
Cemetery: Not yet discovered
Memorials: Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Gingin War Memorial, International Bomber Command Centre Memorial, Runnymede Air Forces Memorial
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World War 2 Service

3 Sep 1939: Involvement Sergeant, 406178
12 Sep 1940: Enlisted Royal Australian Air Force, Sergeant, 406178

Help us honour Leonard William Hanson's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.

Biography contributed by Paul Lemar

HANSON Leonard William

                   

Leonard was the son of Henry William HANSON & Olive Prudence GASTON and was born on the 18th of June 1914 in Leonora, WA.

He was the third child born into the family of 4 children.

 

His parents were married on the 3rd of August 1909 in Burtville, Mt Margaret, WA.

His mother was the daughter of George GASTON & Ann LAWSON and was born on the 28th of May 1891 in Barossa Diggings, SA.

His father was the son William Henry PRIEST & Mary Ann OBRIEN and was born in February 1870 in Hobart, Tasmania. He was adopted by Henry HANSON & Wilhemina DODDS.

 

His father was a prospector and in 1916 they lived in Burtville and by 1922 they lived at 54 Collins Street, Kalgoorlie.

 

Leonard was educated at the Eastern Goldfields High School from 1927 to 1928 and then the Perth Boys School from 1929 – 1930.

From 1930 to March 1937, his parents leased the Railway Refreshment Room in Watheroo, so at the age of 15, he then boarded at the St Ildephonus College New Norcia Benedictine for 2 years.

Along with his education he enjoyed playing football, cricket, tennis, golf, hockey and handball.

 

After his education he gained employment as a clerk and moved back to his parents in Watheroo.

In 1937 they moved to Gingin, where his brother; John Henry, took over the running of the Gingin Hotel.

 

At the age of 26, Leonard enlisted into the RAAF on the 12th of September 1940 in Perth and was allotted the service number 406178. He listed his mother, of Gingin Hotel as his next of kin.

He was posted to the No. 1 Initial Training School in Somers, Victoria, 3 days later.

He was trained at Somers for 3 months.

 

He then attended the No. 1 WAGS (Wireless Air Gunners School) Course 8 in Ballarat from December 1940 until the 3rd of May 1941 when he was transferred to No. 1 BAGS (Bombing and Air Gunnery School) in Evans Head, north coast of NSW.

He had only been here 11 days when his father died on the 14th of May 1941 in Mt Lawley, WA.

On the 30th of June 1941 he was transferred to No. 2 Embarkation Depot in Bradfield Park, NSW awaiting embarkation orders.

 

Leonard embarked for the UK from Sydney on the 17th of July 1941, arriving in the UK on the 2nd of September where he was transferred to No. 3 Personal Receiving Centre in Bournemouth.

Whilst waiting here, his youngest brother, Albert Edward enlisted into the RAAF on the 14th of September 1941 in Perth and was allotted the service number 415323.

 

On the 16th of September 1941 Leonard was transferred to No. 10 Operational Training Conversion Unit at Linton on Ouse.

This unit was to qualify crews trained on medium bombers to operate the heavy bombers before final posting to the operational squadrons.

 

Leonard was transferred to 76 Squadron RAF on the 21st of October 1941 and based in Middleton St George, Durham.

In early March, Leonard was detached with 76 Squadron to Tain Scotland for Operations against the German battleship Tirpitz in the Trondheim area of Norway.

 

Leonard was the Flight Engineer on Halifax R9453 – code MP-K, when they took off from RAF Tain, Scotland, at 1832 hours on the night of the 30th of March 1942, to bomb the German battleship Tirpitz which was moored at the time in Fættenfjord near Trondheim.

The Tripitz also had the German ships, Prinz Eugen, Admiral Scheer and Admiral Hipper for company in Lofjord, a small fjord two miles north of Fættenfjord.

 

They were accompanied by eleven Halifax aircraft from 76 Squadron, Tain to commence the first phase of the attack. Ten Halifax aircraft from 10 Squadron took off from Lossiemouth and twelve from 35 Squadron took off from Kinloss for the second phase of the attack. One 35 Squadron Halifax returned to base early due to engine trouble.

 

On reaching the Norwegian Coast the weather was clear with bright moonlight. However, on approaching the Trondheim area sea fog and 10/10 low cloud was almost totally obscuring the landscape below making it virtually impossible to locate Tirpitz. Many of the aircraft jettisoned their loads in the target area and bombed flak and searchlights that could be seen. However, no observations were made as to the effectiveness of these due to the sea fog and haze.

 

Six of the thirty-four aircraft that took off failed to return.

 

On the return journey Leonard’s aircraft ran into cloud and icing and became short of fuel and diverted to Sumburgh, but when they arrived they found that Sumburgh was covered with low cloud and fog and they were unable to land.

They headed south hoping to reach either Orkney, Wick or one of the destroyers but after only a few minutes the tanks ran dry.

 

Leonard’s aircraft was last heard from on Wireless/Telephone at 0215 hours on the 31st of March, but nothing further was heard and the aircraft did not return to base.

It was presumed they crashed into the sea when trying to ditch.

 

Squadron Leader Arthur Patrick Burdett’s body was recovered from the sea approximately 18 miles south of Sumburgh Head in the Shetland Islands, along with a wheel of the aircraft.

The remainder of the crew were not found.

Squadron Leader Burdett was buried in Lerwick New Cemetery on Shetland.

 

Some twenty aircraft and two Royal Navy destroyers made an intensive search of the area for traces of the aircraft or crew, but no trace was found.

 

Leonard was the only Australian of the crew and his body was never recovered.

 

Despite their best efforts he battleship Tirpitz was not located and no damage was inflicted on it, but some flak positions were bombed.

Leonard is remembered on the Runnymede Memorial Surrey UK

 

 

Photo Reference;

https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C1221009

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