My Genealogical voyage: Walter Archibald O'MALLEY 1921- 1942

Terence & Maryanne à Eileen Marianne SHERIDAN àJohn Francis O’MALLEYà Walter Archibald O'MALLEY

Walter was born on 22 August 1921 in Hastings, New Zealand, the second of three children to Isabella nee ARCHIBALD and John Francis O’MALLEY.
He was named for his maternal grandfather Walter Patterson ARCHIBALD.

At the time of his enlistment Walter named his mother as his next of kin.
He was assigned to the Royal New Zealand Air Force, 11 Operational Training Unit.

On 10 September 1942 a Vickers Wellington IC (DV890 OP-G) of which he was the bomber, set off for a night flight misson over Dusseldorf.

It was the first flight as crew for the five occupants which also included; Sergeant MD GORTON also aged 21 gunner for the RAF (UK), Sergeant T P HURLEY aged 26 wireless operator and air gunner RNZAF, Sergeant J INSKIPP aged 22 navigator RNZAF, and Sergeant N J ROWE aged 29 pilot RNZAF. The plane was shot down over Gelsen Kirchen-Bismark, Germany close to the Netherlands border. Initially the, comrades were reported ‘missing in action’ but later assumed dead. Walter’s medical notes state ‘killed in action, cause of death- killed on air operations.’

The comrades burial records detail individuals who were originally buried in a smaller or isolated cemetery, but who, at a later date, were exhumed and reburied in a war cemetery. The concentration of cemeteries allowed otherwise unmaintainable graves to be moved into established war grave cemeteries where the Commission could ensure proper commemoration.

These five are immortalised at the Reichswald Forest British Cemetery (RAF Extension), Kleve, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany. Walters final resting place is Row 19 C Grave 10.