Frederick Gillespie by Ella Tanti

 


Frederick Gillespie

 Born in Semaphore South Australia on the 30th of January 1914, son of Thomas Stanley and Irene Gillespie, Fredrick James Gillespie died in an aircraft accident on the 5th of August 1945 aged 31 years.

Husband to Hazel Gillespie and father of two sons Graeme and Peter, he worked as a bank clerk along with being a member of the Berri Golf Club and one of the outstanding players of the Upper Murray, and a prominent cricketer. Gillespie joined the air force in November 1940, training at Mt. Breckan, Parafield, Point Cook, Camden and Deniliquin, when he became appointed the squadron leader of no. 87 (Photographic Reconnaissance) squadron.

The squadron was first formed at RAAF Station Laverton on the 8th of June 1942 as No. 1 Photo Reconnaissance Unit, also known as 1 PRU, with eight officers and thirty-five airmen. The unit received its first mosquito aircraft on 26th May 1944 representing a significant upgrade in capability, between June and August the squadron flew numerous missions. On the 10th of September 1944 No. 1 PRU was re-named as No. 87 Squadron RAAF at Coomalie Creek Airfield in the Northern Territory. The new squadron was equipped with two Wirraways and a Mosquito and was tasked with delivering photo reconnaissance support for Allied operations in South and East Asia and the Netherlands.

On take-off from Coomalie at 0715 hours on the 5th of August 1945, Mosquito A52-605 was tasked to conduct flights over Japanese held territory in order to monitor Japanese Army units until they could be disabled. Unfortunately, during take off the aircraft swung to port, running into a ditch, causing the undercarriage to collapse and bursting into flames killing Frederick Gillespie and seriously injuring flying officer and navigator Frank Alexander Haymes.

 

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