- Died
- 25 September 1944, aged 23
- Fate
- Killed in action
Biography
Gordon Loversidge Bonham was a New Zealander Royal Air Force flight lieutenant, service number 402434, whose wartime career is traced through casualty and official award records. His decorations recorded here include the DFC, gazetted on 25 April 1944. The Gazette citation points to operational service that the Air Ministry judged notable for qualities such as skill, courage, leadership or sustained determination. He died on 25 September 1944, aged 23. He is commemorated or buried at Brookwood Military Cemetery in the United Kingdom. For many RAF casualties the surviving official trail is brief, but the combination of service number, CWGC commemoration and Gazette notices preserves the essentials of his story. Those records show not only the bare fact of his death, but also that his service had been formally recognised during the war itself. His name is therefore carried here with the service details needed to distinguish him from namesakes. This profile therefore keeps to the verifiable outline: who he was, the rank and number under which he served, how his service was honoured, and where he is remembered.
Burial / commemoration
- Cemetery
- Brookwood Military Cemetery, United Kingdom
Operations on this date. 2 raids in this archive were flown on the night of 25 September 1944: Calais · Mannheim. (Cross-reference by date — not in itself confirmation this airman flew it.)
Timeline
-
25 April 1944
Gazetted: DFC
Distinguished Flying Cross -
25 September 1944
Died
aged 23
Awards
-
Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) — gazetted 25 April 1944
1181841 Flight Sergeant Anthony John THOROGOOD, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, No. 227 Squadron. ROYAL NEW ZEALAND AIR FORCE. Distinguished. Flying Cross. Flight Lieutenant Gordon Loversidge BONHAM (N.Z.
