NUMBER:

RAAF 401308

BATTALION / UNIT / SHIP:

RAAF 420 Squadron

PLACE & DATE OF BIRTH:

Korumburra 10 June 1921

NEXT OF KIN:

Christopher Grabham, his father

PLACE & DATE OF ENLISTMENT:

1 February 1941 in Melbourne

LOCATION ON ENLISTMENT:

Kongwak

OCCUPATION:

A surveyor with the Shire of Korumburra

PLACE & DATE OF DEATH:

8 June 1942 off Dieppe France

LOCATION OF GRAVE/MEMORIAL:

His name is on the Runnymede Memorial near London.

RELATIONSHIP TO WOORAYL SHIRE:

Arthur was the son of Christopher and Helen Grabham of Kongwak. 

 MILITARY/OTHER HISTORY:

He was born in the Korumburra Bush Nursing Hospital on June 10th 1921 and grew up on the family dairy farm at Kongwak. He had three brothers Chris, Ted and Reg and two sisters, Nancy and Marg. Arthur attended Kongwak State School and then went on to Leongatha High School.  There he completed Leaving Certificate (Year 11) and was the school captain in 1939. After leaving school he was a surveyor with the Shire of Korumburra for two years.

His name is on the cenotaph in Coleman Park Korumburra, the Leongatha Memorial and the memorial at Leongatha Secondary College (formerly Leongatha High).  

Arthur joined the Air Force on February 1st 1941 and trained at Somers and Mt Gambier. He travelled by sea to the USA and Vancouver before crossing Canada by rail. After extensive training in Canada he headed to England and action against the Germans.  In England he trained in map reading and simulation bombing. Before his first operational flight Arthur had completed 187.5 hours of day and night flying and was a qualified air gunner, air observer and bomb aimer. Arthur only completed one operational flight before the one that claimed his life. He was reported missing over Dieppe, France on 8 June 1942, aged 20. As he has no known grave, he is remembered on the memorial in Runnymeade, Surrey.