| Accession Number | P07399.001 |
|---|---|
| Collection type | Photograph |
| Object type | Black & white - Print silver gelatin |
| Maker |
Maitland, H Noel |
| Date made | 1940 |
| Conflict |
Second World War, 1939-1945 |
| Copyright |
Item copyright: Copyright expired - public domain
|
Studio portrait of 404264 Sergeant (Sgt) John Shannon of Rockhampton, Qld. A station hand before ...
Description
Studio portrait of 404264 Sergeant (Sgt) John Shannon of Rockhampton, Qld. A station hand before enlisting in the RAAF in July 1940, Sgt Shannon trained as a pilot under the Empire Air Training Scheme (EATS) and was attached to 455 Squadron RAAF based at RAF Swinderby. Sgt Shannon was killed on the night of 30 November/1December 1941 when his Hampden bomber, serial number P1272, radio call-sign UB-R (R-Robert) failed to return from an operational sortie over the Blohm & Voss Shipbuilding Yards at Hamburg, Germany. It was later confirmed by German records that UB-R had been shot down and crashed, killing all four members of the crew including Sgt Shannon. Aged 21 at the time of his death, Sgt Shannon and his fellow Australian crew member 402578 Pilot Officer Alan George Sands were the first casualties of 455 Squadron RAAF during the Second World War.