Flying Officer Arthur Peter Spencer MILLIGAN

​454 RAAF Squadron

Service Number: 141561 (RAFVR)

Killed in Action:  29 Nov 1943

Buried:  Alamein Memorial, Egypt

Rank: Flying Officer

Posting at Death: 454 Squadron

                   RAF HQ

 

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Crew - FA602:

Pilot:  Ken Adamson - Flying Officer

Navigator:  Art Milligan - Flying Officer

WOP/AG: Gordon Marland - Flight Sergeant

WOP/AG: Fred Pritchard - Flight Sergeant

 

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'The following information has been used with permission from Mark Lax the author of the book "Alamein to the Alps".

 

November 1943

 

"The final loss for the month was Flying Officer Ken Adamson and crew of FA 602 on their operational sortie.  Briefed to carry out a photo recce of shipping routes along the Eastern coast of Greece and the islands of the western Aegean, the crew made a sighting report after which nothing further was heard.  While Squadron members could only speculate on cause and wait for notification from the Red Cross, the aircraft was in fact shot down by a Me-109F west of the island of Cos.

 

November was to be put down as a 'hard month', with the loss of four valuable crews, all killed in action.  The allies too had suffered a reverse of fortune with the German recapture of Cos, Leros and Samos and with their loss went Chrchill's grand plan to force a push into Greece and the Balkans.  The month was spent almost entirely on  Aegean reconnaissance, while December would see the year out with further recces and anti-submarine work and unfortunately, four more losses.  The first two went within a week and would greatly shock the squadron."