Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Long-time friend of Reg Bain (SN 412879), Bob Coveny was born in Wagga Wagga on 4 July 1920. Like Reg he enlisted in the RAAF, enlisting on 15 August 1941.

Across the other side of the world, Reg and Bob both ended up in 460 Squadron based at Binbrook in England. Bob was a Wireless Operator and Air Gunner.

Bob Coveney completed his first tour of operations (30 missions) as a wireless operator mainly with the “G for George” crew piloted by Harry “Cherry” Carter. With him on this crew was fellow Wagga Wagga Airman and friend, Keith Harris. “G for George” is the Lancaster now permanently housed at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra.

On 21 January 1944, Bob along with the rest of the G for George crew (except Keith Harris) was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for “Exceptional ability as a Wireless Operator/Air Gunner on a number of sorties”. Keith had done the same number of sorties with the crew and the fact that everyone else on the crew got a DFC and he didn’t was something that rightly upset Keith.

Bob then signed up for a second tour of duty with 460 squadron and was crewed with Eric Greenacre (Pilot). On 7 October 1944 whilst on a bombing raid over Germany, Bob’s plane PB407 was shot down and all the crew captured and made POWs.

His friend Reg Bain was on leave in Edinburgh at the time and on returning to Binbrook found Bob and his crew missing. Reg was told by others from the same raid that they had seen all the crew bail out over Emmerich. Reg passed this information onto Bob’s family back in Australia telling them it was more than likely that Bob was safe but a POW.

This was only a few weeks before Reg’s plane was shot down and he also became a POW. In another extraordinary coincidence, Bob and Reg ended up towards the end of the war in the same POW camp at Luckenwalde (Stalag IIIA) though in different (adjacent) compounds.

Reg used to tell of the time that he had managed to sneak out of the camp in a work gang disguised as one of the ‘trusted’ French prisoners. Whilst out he managed to ‘rustle’ a couple of chickens, hiding them in his uniform. On returning to the camp he shared one of the chickens with his hut mates and the other he tossed to Bob over the compound’s fence.

About a week later, one of the POWs called Reg to the fence saying fellows in the other compound were looking for him. When he got to the fence Bob was there with a bundle wrapped in a tea towel which promptly came sailing over the fence. Bob’s crew were all imprisoned together. Eric Greenacre was a baker before the war and he had managed to get hold of some flour and baked some scones. Bob ‘sent some over’ to Reg as thanks for the chicken!

When Bob returned to civilian life he continued employment with Greens Woolhide & Skins in Wagga Wagga as a manager.