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| Missing In Action (MIA) | Prisoners Of War (POW) | Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) |
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| RAAF No. 8 Squadron Former Assignments No. 32 Squadron |
Pilot F/Lt Geoffrey Hubert Vincent, 400866 (POW, executed 1-14-44) East Melbourne, VIC Navigator W/O John Pretty Bailey, 4240 (POW, executed 11-25-43) Leederville, WA W/AG F/O Allan Mervyn Brown, 413955 (POW, survived) Rylstone, NSW W/AG F/O Charles William Vincent, 404757 (POW, executed 11-25-43, MIA) London, UK Ditched October 21, 1943 at 4:02am Aircraft History Built by the Department of Aircraft Production (DAP) at Fishermans Bend in Melbourne. Delivered to the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) as Beaufort Mark VIII serial number A9-244. Wartime History Assigned to No. 32 Squadron. Later, assigned to No. 8 Squadron. No known nickname or nose art. Mission History On October 21, 1943 took off from Vivigani Airfield on Goodenough Island armed with an aerial torpedo as one of nine Beauforts on an attack against Japanese ships off the east coast of New Ireland. This Beaufort part of "B" flight of four. At approximately 4:00am, the target was located and at 4:02am the formation attacked. Beaufort A9-244 remained with the formation until the time of the attack but was not heard or seen after that. In fact, this Beaufort ditched and the entire crew survived. Fates of the Crew After surviving the ditching, the entire entire crew was captured by the Japanese and became Prisoners Of War (POWs) and transported to Rabaul and detained by the Keibitai 81st Naval Guard Unit at the Japanese Navy POW Camp at Rabaul. On November 25, 1943 F/O Charles W. Vincent and W/O Bailey were executed and buried in a mass grave on Matupi Island. On January 14, 1944 a group of seventeen POWs were taken from the camp including F/Lt. Geoffrey Vincent were executed and buried in a mass grave on Matupi Island. During 1950, their bodies were found in a mass grave at Matupi Island and identified and recovered. On February 17, 1944 F/O Brown was one of six Allied prisoners transported aboard a G4M1 Betty bomber from Rabaul to Truk, and then onward to Japan. He survived the war and was discharged from the RAAF in December 1945. Memorials The remains of W/O Bailey and F/Lt G H Vincent were located in a mass grave on Matupi Island during 1950. Both were buried at the Bitapaka War Cemetery. Geoffrey Hubert Vincent at H. C. 13 and Bailey at H. C. 7. Charles William Vincent is memoralized at Bitapaka War Cemetery on the Rabaul Memorial, panel 34. References Advocate "Murdered Servicemen's Bodies Found Near Rabaul" July 15, 1950 CWGC - Geoffrey Hubert Vincent CWGC - John Bailey CWGC - Charles William Vincent World War Two Nominal Roll - Allan Mervyn Brown Thanks to Daniel Leahy and David Forrester for additional information Contribute Information Are you a relative or associated with any person mentioned? Do you have photos or additional information to add? Last Updated October 20, 2022 |
 Beaufort  POW / MIA 4 Prisoner 1 Missing |
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