Robert Francis's Story.
Robert Francis Coffey was born in Melbourne, Australia on 11th July 1922 to parents Daniel and Eva. He lived in Carrum, Victoria. Prior to enlisting in the military he worked as a junior assembler and served with the Volunteer Defence Corps for 8 months. He enlisted in the RAAF at Melbourne on 15th September 1942 and was selected for pilot training. He was posted to 7EFTS from October 1942 to March 1943 then 1ITS until June 1943 then 11EFTS until September 1943 when he was assigned to 7SFTS where he remained until January 1944. On 29 January 1944 he embarked on a ship in Australia bound for the United Kingdom arriving on 12th March 1944. He was posted to 5 (P) AFU at RAF Ternhill on 4th July 1944 for advanced training. The purpose of the AFUs was to train pilots who had qualified overseas In flying in UK conditions which were quite different to those that they had trained in overseas.On 4th August 1944 Robert was killed when the Miles Master aircraft serial number W9027 that he was flying in with an instructor F/Sgt Alan Wood crashed near Birmingham.The Accident
On 4th August 1944 Robert and F/Sgt Wood were assigned to undertake a training flight but with Wood at the controls he proceeded to fly to the area where his house and wife were located and undertook unauthorized flying maneuvres during which he made a sharp turn and lost control of of the aircraft which crashed into the ground killing both pilots. The cause of the accident was determined to be the instructor’s disobedience of orders and unauthorized flying.
Robert during training
Robert was 22 years old when he died and he was buried at the RAF Regional Cemetery at Blacon. He is memorialised on the Carrum War Memorial in Victoria
Carrum War memorial
Robert's enscription on Carrum MemoriaL
Miles Master