LANAGAN, Alfred Henry
| Service Number: | 6853 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 8 January 1940 |
| Last Rank: | Corporal |
| Last Unit: | No. 11 Squadron (RAAF) |
| Born: | Bingara, New South Wales, Australia, 21 September 1913 |
| Home Town: | Burren Junction, Walgett, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Station Mechanic (Various Places) |
| Died: | Executed whilst a prisoner of the Japanese, New Britain, Pacific Islands, 4 May 1942, aged 28 years |
| Cemetery: |
Rabaul (Bita Paka) War Cemetery, Papua New Guinea (CWGC) Grave Reference, Location ~ Plot H. Row C. Grave 12. Personal Inscription ~ "IN LOVING MEMORY OF OUR DEAR SON AND BROTHER". |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Ballarat Australian Ex-Prisoners of War Memorial, Cardwell RAAF Wall |
World War 2 Service
| 3 Sep 1939: | Involvement Corporal, 6853 | |
|---|---|---|
| 8 Jan 1940: | Enlisted Royal Australian Air Force, Corporal, 6853, No. 11 Squadron (RAAF) | |
| 28 Feb 1942: | Honoured Mention in Dispatches, New Britain |
Help us honour Alfred Henry Lanagan's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Stephen Bonald
Extract from Gillison, D. (Douglas) Royal Australian Air Force 1939-1942, Australian War Memorial, Canberra, 1962 – Page 518.
On 4th May the crews of Allied reconnaissance aircraft reported a concentration of “19 enemy transports with attendant warships” in Simpson Harbour, Rabaul, and that day the crew of a Mitchell of No. 90 Squadron reported having sighted a Japanese aircraft carrier and two heavy cruisers. Contact with this force was lost when the Mitchell was driven off by a swarm of enemy fighters. In the same area, over the Coral Sea to the south of Bougainville, the crew of a RAAF Catalina captained by Flying Officer Norman signalled that they were being attacked. No further word was received from the flying-boat, which failed to return. The RAAF thus lost another precious crew and a valuable aircraft.
Extract from Avaition Hertiage Museum
No. 11 Squadron Catalina aircraft A24-18 is believed to have been shot down by Japanese float planes on 4 May 1942. The crew members were:
Flying Officer Francis O’Connell Anderson (403118) (Observer)
Leading Aircraftman John Joseph Burns (19574) (Fitter II Airframe)
Flying Officer Frederick Arthur Donald Diercks (407708) (Second Pilot)
Leading Aircraftman Vernon Holloway Hardwick (17635) (Wireless Operator)
Corporal Alfred Roland Hocking (18005) (Fitter II Engines)
Corporal Alfred Henry Lanagan MID (6853) (Fitter II Engines)
Leading Aircraftman Ernest John McDonald (10253) (Armourer)
Flying Officer Alan Leslie Norman MID (407006) (Pilot)
Leading Aircraftman William Murdoch Parker (20343) (Wireless Mechanic)
All but Corporal Lanagan are recorded as dying while Prisoners of War with the date of death being given as 4 November 1942 (six months after being posted missing). Corporal Lanagan is recorded as dying while a Prisoner of War and his date of death is given as the day of the battle, 4 May 1942.
In August 1948, Flying Officer Norman’s remains and those of 13 other RAAF members were found at Matupi, New Britain. Those RAAF members were:
Flying Officer Francis O’Connell Anderson (403118) No. 11 Squadron
Warrant Officer John Pretty Bailey (4240) No. 8 Squadron
Sergeant David Stuart Brown (401489) No. 75 Squadron
Leading Aircraftman John Joseph Burns (19574) Headquarters RAAF Station Port Moresby
Flying Officer Frederick Arthur Donald Diercks (407708) No. 11 Squadron
Leading Aircraftman Vernon Holloway Hardwick (17635) (Wireless Operator)
Corporal Alfred Ronald Hocking (18005) Headquarters RAAF Station Port Moresby
Corporal Alfred Henry Lanagan (6853) No. 11 Squadron
Flying Officer Ross Bryan O’Loghlen (400662) No. 8 Squadron
Leading Aircraftman Ernest John McDonald (10253) No. 11 Squadron
Flying Officer Allan Leslie Norman MID (407006) No. 20 Squadron
Leading Aircraftman William Murdoch Parker (20343) No. 11 Squadron
Flight Lieutenant Godfrey Hubert Vincent (400866) (Pilot) No. 8 Squadron
Unidentified RAAF Member (possibly Flying Officer Charles William Vincent (404757))
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