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Operation: Shipping strike
Date: 21st October 1943 (Thursday)
Unit No: 8 (Torpedo) Squadron, RAAF, 9 Operational Group
Type: DAP Beaufort *
Serial: A9-244
Code: UV:?
Base: Vivigani airfield, Goodenough Island, New Guinea
Location: Off the East coast of New Ireland
Pilot: Flt Lt. Geoffrey Hubert Vincent 400866 RAAF Age 25. Murdered (1)
Observer: WO. John Pretty Bailey 4240 RAAF Age 31. Murdered (1)
WOp/Air Gnr: Fg Off. Charles William Vincent 404757 RAAF Age 33. Murdered (2)
WOp/Air Gnr: Fg Off. Alan Mervyn Brown 413955 RAAF Age 33. PoW **(3)
* DAP = Department of Aircraft Production which built Beauforts under licence
** Zentsūji PoW Camp, Shikoko Island, Japan
Above Flt Lt. Geoffrey H. Vincent from his Service Record.
REASON FOR LOSS:
In the evening of the 21st October 1943 eleven (11) aircraft took-off from Vivigani airfield, Goodenough Island, New Guinea commencing at 21:00 hrs and detailed to carry out a Torpedo sweep from Cape St. George to the top of East coast of New Ireland.
Vivigani, Goodenough island, Papua. C. 1943-11. Part of a heavy force of Beaufort aircraft of Nos. 6 and 8 Squadron RAAF lining up to take off on the anniversary of the air attack on Rabaul (Courtesy of the Australian War Museum).
Flt Lt. Vincent the captain of A9-244 which was one of the four (4) aircraft in the “B” flight formation and at approximately 04:00 hrs the targets were located and at 04:02 hrs the formation attacked.
Attacks on the leading ship did not appear to register any hits and no damage was seen. The ship to the rear of the formation was also attacked but no Torpedo explosions were observed but was seen on fire at its stern and men seen entering lifeboats. A further ship was left stationary and ablaze.
Flt Lt. Vincent remained with the formation up to the time of the attack but was not seen or heard of thereafter. It was believed that he made an attack with the rest of the formation but evidence on this point was not definite.
Fg Off. Brown described that the aircraft crashed into the sea at approximately 03:30 hrs on the 21st October 1943 off the coast of New Ireland. Although not reported it is assumed that the aircraft had been hit by Anti-Aircraft fire.
The crew were uninjured and safely made it to shore where they spent four (4) days with the New Ireland natives before they were handed over to the Japanese. They were then held on New Ireland for the next three (3) days before being taken to Rabaul on the 28th October 1943.
All four (4) of the crew were seen at Rabaul by Sqn Ldr. Quinn, Father Lamarre who was a missionary, along with other prisoners. They were alive in the Japanese Navy PoW Compound for some time.
Sqn Ldr. Noel Thomas Quinn DFC & Bar, 622 RAAF was the Pilot from 8 Sqn Beaufort A9-262 which was missing on operations over New Ireland/New Britain on the 4th December 1943.
Fg Off. Brown was taken by air from Rabaul to Japan in the company of Cmdr. Arbuckle, US Navy, and several other Americans.
Fg Off. Charles W. Vincent, no relation to Flt Lt. Geoffrey H. Vincent, WO. John P. Bailey and ten Americans were taken out of the compound on the 25th November 1943 and Flt Lt. Geoffrey H. Vincent with Fg Off. O'Loughlen and twelve Americans were taken out on the 14th January 1944.
Fg Off. Ross O'Loughlen 400662 RAAF was the Observer from 8 Sqn Beaufort A9-262 which was missing on operations New Ireland/New Britain on the 4th December 1943.
In both cases the remaining prisoners were told that the prisoners had been sent away by ship and this story was given some credence until disproved, in part, by the recovery of the bodies of Flt Lt. Geoffrey H. Vincent, Fg Off. O'Loughlen and WO. John P. Bailey in 1950.
After the Japanese surrender an RAAF search party uncovered thirty (30) bodies from a Japanese Naval execution ground near the Matupi volcano, Rabaul. The majority of the bodies appear to have been executed by decapitation and in some cases the victims had been bound wire before being killed.
Four (4) of the Australians and three (3) Americans had been known to be in the hands of the Japanese Navy in Rabaul and had allegedly been sent away by ship. The other nine (9) identified RAAF airmen were not previously known to have been captured were from 20 Sqn PBY-5 Catalina A24-18.
The recovered remains of two (2) RAAF airmen were never identified as were the remains of nine (9) American servicemen and two (2) unidentified whose Nationality were unknown.
Flt Lt. Geoffrey H. Vincent and WO. John P. Bailey were two (2) of the other four (4) identified RAAF airmen, the other two (2) were:
Sgt. David Stuart Brown 401489 RAAF who was the Pilot from 75 Sqn Kittyhawk A29-38 lost on operations on the 11th April 1942;
Fg Off. Ross Bryan O’Loghlen 400662 RAAF who was the Observer from 8 Sqn Beaufort A9-262 which was missing on operations over New Ireland/New Britain on the 4th December 1943.
The three Americans were from the USAAF, USNR and USN:
1st Lt. Phillip L. Bek, Silver Star (SS), DFC O-724280 USAAF who was the Navigator aboard B-17F 41-24454 lost on the 13th June 1942;
- ENS. Philip Kirk Phillis O-251356 USNR and AAM2c. Paul Munroe Mannon 6603207 USN who were a 2nd Pilot and Gunner respectively from a VPB-52 "Black Cats" PBY-5A Catalina #8428 which was lost on the 20th November 1943.
The investigation team were of the opinion, in light of the discoveries that were made, that the total number of prisoners murdered at Matupi over the whole period must have been at least one hundred (100) and likely to be many more.
With one exception none of the Japanese directly responsible for the murders of Allied airmen in this area were brought to trial. These known criminals can be divided into various classes:
Died or killed in action before end of war;
Committed suicide to avoid arrest, e.g. Rear Admiral (Kaigun-shōshō) FUJITA who was responsible for the murder of Flt Lt. William Ellis Newton VC, 250748 RAAF and Rear Admiral (Kaigun-shōshō) KIYAMA who was responsible for some of the murders at RABAUL;
Because of the cunning with which the Japanese had covered their tracks sufficient evidence had not been obtained when investigations closed;
Criminals that were still alive and at large against whom sufficient evidence of guilt had been obtained.
(1) The death of Flt Lt. Geoffrey H. Vincent was presumed to be on or about the 14th January 1944 and the death of WO. John Pretty Bailey was presumed to be on or about the 25th November 1943.
On the 18th July 1950, Flt Lt. Vincent and WO. Bailey were laid to rest in the Rabaul (Bitapaka) War Cemetery with full Service Honours. Grp Capt. Carr, Officer Commanding North Eastern Area and members of his staff attended on behalf of the RAAF.
The Civil Administrator, the Rabaul Sub-Branch of the Returned & Services League (RSL) and local civilian organisations took part in the Ceremony. The funeral was attended by a great number of local inhabitants and a band and firing party were provided by the New Guinea Constabulary; Church of England, Roman Catholic and Methodist Clergymen officiated at the funeral services. The pall bearers were ex-servicemen, mainly former RAAF members residing in the Rabaul Area. Wreaths were laid on behalf of the Minister for Air and the Air Board and many other organisations and Individuals; in all there were 130 wreaths.
(2) A careful search failed to locate the body of Fg Off. Charles W. Vincent. Only one member of the party claimed to have been moved out of the Rabaul compound on the 25th November 1943 was found and identified.
The death of Fg Off. Charles W. Vincent was presumed to be on or after the 25th November 1943. As a consequence he is commemorated on the Rabaul (Bita Paka) Memorial on Panel 34.
(3) Advice that Fg Off. Brown was alive and a prisoner of the Japanese was received through the International Red Cross Committee in Geneva dated 5th February 1945. However, he had written a letter to Joyce, his wife, in September 1944 which was received on the 29th December 1944.
Fg Off. Brown was initially taken to the Ōfuna PoW Camp in Japan and then transferred to Zentsuji PoW Camp on the 27th August 1944. He was liberated on the 12th September 1945 and arrived in Sydney on the 27th September 1945.
The Ōfuna Camp was a Japanese Navy installation located in Kamakura outside of Yokohama in Japan. It was the camp where high-value enlisted men and officers, particularly Pilots and Submariner PoWs, were held.
Zentsūji PoW Camp was located on Shikoko Island. In April 1945 the control of the camp was turned over the Hiroshima PoW Camp. The camp complex comprised a number of sub-camps and held Australian, British and American Servicemen and Dutch civilians.
Alan Mervyn Brown was born on the 27th January 1917 in Rylstone, New South Wales. He was demobilised as a Flt Lt. on the 5th December 1945. Alan sadly died on the 29th January 1957 aged just 40.
Burial Details:
Above: Rabaul (Bita Pita) War Cemetery (Courtesy of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC))
Flt Lt. Geoffrey Hubert Vincent. Finally laid to rest in the Rabaul (Bita Paka) War Cemetery. H.C.13. Grave Inscription: “DEARLY LOVED HUSBAND OF DOROTHY AND FATHER OF JACQUELINE...R.I.P.”. Born on the 1st July 1918 in Essendon, Victoria. Son of Francis Henry and Edith Maude Vincent. Husband of Dorothy Margaret Vincent of East Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
WO. John Pretty Bailey. Finally laid to rest in the Rabaul (Bita Paka) War Cemetery. H.C.7. Grave Inscription: “BELOVED FATHER OF JILLIAN, ANTHONY AND JACQULINE OF PERTH,W.A...R.I.P.”. Born on the 22nd march 1912 in Boulder, Western Australia . Son of Gordon Oswald and Kathleen Bailey, of Leederville, Western Australia. Husband of Alice Margaret Mary Bailey of South Perth, Western Australia.
Above: Rabaul (Bita Pita) War Memorial (Courtesy of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC))
Fg Off. Charles William Vincent. Rabaul (Bita Paka) Memorial, Panel 34. Born on the 8th June 1910 in London, England. Son of William George and Jessie Ada Vincent of Hale End, London, England.
Researched by Ralph Snape for Aircrew Remembered and dedicated to the crew and their families (Dec 2024).
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RS 03.12.2024 - Initial upload
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