Hales, Hilton Alfred (Warrant Officer )
Killed in Action 1944-December-17
Birth Date: 1922-January-19
Born: Hamilton, Newcastle City, New South Wales, Australia
Parents: Son of Alfred and Gladys Ethel May Hales
Spouse: Husband of Jean Dorothy Hales, of Cardiff, New South Wales, Australia
Home: Cardiff, New South Wales, Australia
Enlistment: Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Enlistment Date: 1942-March-28
Service
RAAF
Unit
61 (B) Sqn- Squadron (RAF)
Per Purum Tonantes Thundering through the clear air
Base
RAF Skellingthorpe
Rank
Warrant Officer
Position
Wireless Operator/Air Gunner
Service Numbers
421847
Target
Munich Germany
Temporary Burial
Degerndorf Civil Cemetery, near crash site
Remains were later exhumed from this location and reburied
HALES Hilton Alfred 421847 - Aviation Heritage Museum
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
Finadagrave.comCrew or Other Personnel
Lancaster LM729
Mission
Lancaster Mk.I/III LM729
Bombing Munich Germany 1944-December-17 to 1944-December-17
61 (B) Sqn (RAF) RAF Skellingthorpe
61 Squadron RAF (Per Puram Tunantes), RAF Skellingthorpe. Lancaster III aircraft LM 729 QR-V was shot down by flak thirty five-miles south-east of the targets in Munich, Germany near Degendorf, Germany with only the rear air-gunner surviving the aircraft loss
Flying Officer Percy Barlow (RCAF), Flying Officer Edward Roy Newland (RCAF), Warrant Officer Hilton Alfred Hales (RAAF), Sergeant Ronald William Bennett (RAFVR), Sergeant David Thomson Muir (RAFVR) and Sergeant Herbert Alfred Tuck (RAFVR) were all killed in action
Although claimed as shot down by flak, Rear Gunner Chester Samuel Joce (RAFVR) later reported that a photo-flash bomb, used by aircrew to illuminate the target area in order to photograph bomb damage exploded inside the fuselage after the bomb load was released, killing most of the crew. The tail plane and rear turret separated from the fuselage and Joce survived to fall free and became a Prisoner of War
Lancaster LM729 Mk.I/III - Bombing Munich Germany - 1944-12-17 to 1944-12-17
Squadron: 61 (B) Sqn (RAF)
Start Date: 1944-12-17
Completion Date: 1944-12-17
Mission: Bombing
Operation: unspecified
Target City: Munich Germany
Target Specific: rail yards
Base: RAF Skellingthorpe
Take Off Time: 16:40:00
Squadron Code: QR-V
Radio Code:
Return Base:
Return Time:
Crash City: Germany
Crash Specifics: thirty five-miles south-east of Munich near Degendorf, Germany
Crash Latitude: 0.00000000
Crash Longitude: 0.00000000
Crash Reason: flak
Flak Battery: unspecified
Enemy Claim:
War Diary Unavailable
6 Group Unavailable
6 Group Unavailable
61 Squadron RAF (Per Puram Tunantes), RAF Skellingthorpe. Lancaster III aircraft LM 729 QR-V was shot down by flak thirty five-miles south-east of the targets in Munich, Germany near Degendorf, Germany with only the rear air-gunner surviving the aircraft loss
Flying Officer Percy Barlow (RCAF), Flying Officer Edward Roy Newland (RCAF), Warrant Officer Hilton Alfred Hales (RAAF), Sergeant Ronald William Bennett (RAFVR), Sergeant David Thomson Muir (RAFVR) and Sergeant Herbert Alfred Tuck (RAFVR) were all killed in action
Although claimed as shot down by flak, Rear Gunner Chester Samuel Joce (RAFVR) later reported that a photo-flash bomb, used by aircrew to illuminate the target area in order to photograph bomb damage exploded inside the fuselage after the bomb load was released, killing most of the crew. The tail plane and rear turret separated from the fuselage and Joce survived to fall free and became a Prisoner of War