Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

SERGEANT ALBERT FRANCIS SOADY 14635 RAAF

Albert Soady was born in Balmain NSW on the 15th of February 1913, the eldest of nine children born to John and Matilda Soady. His brothers Clifford and Ronald served in the 2/AIF.  Albert trained and worked as a mechanic, and was single when he enlisted in the RAAF on the 22nd of April 1940 as a ground crew Fitter 2E. After training in Australia, he posted to 455 Squadron RAAF in the United Kingdom in late 1941 to maintain the squadron’s Handley Page Hampton Bombers.

In 1942, Albert volunteered for aircrew and after completing his Flight Engineer’s courses he was awarded his Flight Engineers Brevet (Half Wing), one of only a handful of Australian airmen to do so in the European Theatre. He was then posted to 262 Squadron RAF which operated Catalina Flying Boats from St Lucia Lake in Natal Province in South Africa. On the way to South Africa, Albert was taken ill with Malaria and he was hospitalised in Durban and unable to fly for six weeks.

Two weeks after returning to flying duties, on the 26th of June 1943, Albert was the flight engineer in a crew commanded by Australian Flying Officer Frederick White RAAF which was tasked with flying on an Anti-submarine patrol.  The heavily laden Catalina attempted to depart St Lucia Lake at night on its operational mission, there was no moon, and the lake surface was flat calm. The aircraft crashed on take off and Albert and the entire crew, including fellow Australians Frederick White, Sergeant Thomas Lane and Flight Sergeant Ronald Jenkins were killed.

Thomas Lane, Frederick White and Albert Soady’s bodies were recovered from the lake in July and they were buried on the 12th of July in the Stellawood CWGC plot in Durban South Africa. Ronald Jenkins body was not recovered and he is commemorated on the Alamein Memorial.