Flight Sergeant Max Gordon FRANCIS
20 Aug 1923 – 21 Apr 1944
Max Gordon FRANCIS was born 20-8-1923, son of Kenneth Pearce Francis and Amelia Bertram Francis, of Waikerie, South Australia. He was one of six children, with sisters Beth and Joyce, and brothers Ross, Alan, and Jack (Jack was enlisted in the 2nd A.I.F. and their father Kenneth, served in the 1st AIF in WW1.)
In 1940 Max commenced gliding training joining the Gliding Club at Waikerie. Max enlisted and attested on 25th of April 1942, completing his initial training in S.A. before completing training interstate and being posted to Europe and joining Bomber Command.
Max was posted to 467 Squadron (R.A.A.F.) at R.A.F. base Waddington, England. He was flying in a Lancaster Mark III bomber, serial number ND732, with the radio call-sign P0-Y (Y-Yoke). The plane was almost new having completed 6 operational mission only.
467 Squadron was made up of Australians, Englishmen, Canadians and other members of the Commonwealth all flying together in English planes. Since 1st February 1944, 467 Squadron had lost just four aircraft for 357 completed sorties, that was a very lucky record as it was not unusual to lose more than one plane on a single operation. In the official diary on 18th April 1944, Flight Lieutenant McDonald wrote, ‘If this ratio can continue, we can indeed count ourselves as fortunate.”
On the night of Thursday 20th April 1944, they took off on an operational sortie over the bomb marshalling yards at La Chappelle, France. At the end of the day 467 Squadron, had made 147 sorties for only one plane lost (the crew of ND732, including Max). Max failed to return from that night raid attack on April 21, 1944. He and his crew mates were listed as “Missing”.
On the day Max was killed, his cousin Jenny (now Jenny WATSON) was born back in Australia making the date bitter sweet for the family, one of mourning and celebration. On the 28th April 1945, 3 years and 3 days after he enlisted, the RAAF changed the classification and Max and his crew mates were listed “Missing presumed killed”.
In a later investigation after the war, it was determined ND732 was hit by flack over the target after dropping its payload and crashed at Le Blanc Mesnil on the south east side of Paris-le-Bourget airport, killing Flying Officer Cameron (pilot) and his six crew members, including Flight Sergeant Max FRANCIS, instantly.
The people in the area where the plane crashed have not forgotten the sacrifice of Max and his crewmates. There is a memorial erected to them on the spot the plane crashed which roughly translated into English reads, “Homage of Blanc Mesnil El and its inhabitants to 7 Australian airmen who fell in this place on 20 April 1944. Dead for France. Blanc Mesnil”.
Max was interred in the Clichy Northern Cemetery in the War Cemetery section with his crew mates and is commemorated by the family at the Waikerie Cemetery and on the Australian War Memorial on the Roll of Honour.
FRANCIS Street in WAIKERIE is named after him. He is listed on the WAIKERIE 1939-1945 Honour Board and Max is also commemorated on the main memorial and with a tree and plaque here in the WAIKERIE War Memorial Gardens.
