Melville George Delatorre [15033] ¹³¹

  General Notes:

Reference:
A. Notes provided by P Keyte (nee May).
B. Australian War Memorial Records.
C. Commonwealth War Graves Commission, Debt of Honour List.

Birth Details:
Born on 24 April 1913 at Broken Hill, NSW. He wasthe first child of Celis and Ina Pearl Delatorre (nee Hall).

Comment:
As a young man, Melville served with distinction in the Royal Australian Air Force during World War II. He attained the rank of Flight Sergeant and flew with Bomber Command in the United Kingdom. He was attached to the Royal Air Force when on 3 March 1943, whilst on operations over Hamburg, Germany, his aircraft was shot down and destroyed. He was listed as killed in action. His body was recovered by the local people and buried in the village cemetery, near where the aircraft crashed. His grave site has been visited by family members, including his mother and Auntie Nessie May.

Further, and Later Comment:
According to Ref: C., Melville's body is buried in the Hamburg Cemetery, Germany. According to the Historical Information of the Commemorative Statement, the Hamburg Cemetery was used as a burial place for Allied casualties and servicemen who died as prisoners of war during World War I. This practice, obviously continued during, and after, World War II. Family anecdotal information is that Melville's mother, Ina Pearl Delatorre, accompanied by her sister, Nessie May, visited his grave shortly after World War II. They said it was located in a small village cemetery, near the site where his aircraft crashed. The local people were very helpful, some recalling the night when the aircraft came down.
Commemorative Information, Historical Information and the Commemorative Plaque Details are in the Family Tree Scrapbook.

  Noted events in his life were:

• Baptised, 24 Apr 1913, Born, Broken Hill, Nsw.

• Fact 2, 3 Mar 1943, Died When On Allied Air Operations Over Hamburg, Germany.

Melville married Living