ROSE, Walter Henry
| Service Number: | 405605 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 26 April 1941 |
| Last Rank: | Pilot Officer |
| Last Unit: | No. 156 Squadron (RAF) |
| Born: | Cloncurry, Queensland, Australia, 31 December 1920 |
| Home Town: | Cloncurry, Cloncurry, Queensland |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Apprentice Electrician, Cloncurry Electrical Authority |
| Died: | Flying Battle, Berlin, Germany, 23 November 1943, aged 22 years |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" Runnymede Memorial, Englefield Green, Runnymede Borough, Surrey, England. Panel 191. |
| Memorials: | "The Monument" Cloncurry, Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, International Bomber Command Centre Memorial, Runnymede Air Forces Memorial |
World War 2 Service
| 26 Apr 1941: | Enlisted Royal Australian Air Force, Pilot Officer, 405605 | |
|---|---|---|
| 26 Apr 1941: | Enlisted Royal Australian Air Force, Aircraftman 2 (WW2), 405605, Aircrew Training Units | |
| 27 Apr 1941: | Involvement Royal Australian Air Force, Leading Aircraftman, 405605, Aircrew Training Units, Empire Air Training Scheme, Australia, Canada and the UK | |
| 1 Mar 1943: | Involvement Royal Australian Air Force, Pilot Officer, 405605, No. 460 Squadron (RAAF), Air War NW Europe 1939-45, Flew 'G for George' to Duisburg 27 April 1943 | |
| 15 May 1943: | Involvement Royal Australian Air Force, Pilot Officer, 405605, No. 156 Squadron (RAF), Air War NW Europe 1939-45, Pathfinder Force | |
| 10 Oct 1943: | Honoured Distinguished Flying Cross, Air War NW Europe 1939-45 | |
| 23 Nov 1943: | Involvement Royal Australian Air Force, Pilot Officer, 405605, No. 156 Squadron (RAF), Air War NW Europe 1939-45 |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Graham Padget
405605 Pilot Officer Walter Henry Rose DFC
An apprentice electrician before enlisting in the R.A.A.F. in April, 1941, P.O. Rose trained as a pilot in Australia and Canada as part of the Empire Air Training Scheme (EATS). After being posted to 460 Squadron R.A.A.F. in March, 1943, P.O. Rose flew Lancaster bombers, including 'G-George' during an operational sortie over Duisburg on 27th April, 1943.
In May, 1943, P.O. Rose was transferred to 156 Pathfinder Squadron R.A.F., and in October 1943, was recommended for the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) for his 'high reputation as an operational pilot which has since been enhanced by his skill and determination with which he has pressed home attacks on varied targets in Germany, Italy and occupied territory'.
P.O. Rose was killed during an operational sortie when his Lancaster, serial number JB223, radio call-sign GT-M (M-Mike) was shot down over Berlin on the night of 23/24 November, 1943.
Aged 22 at the time of his death, P.O. Rose has no known grave, however a watch worn by P.O. Rose was uncovered by a German farmer after the war and forwarded to his next of kin (http://www.maryboroughmuseum.org/raaf.html.)
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