518

G.G.M. McCARTHY.
2. (centre aligned)

which was stationed there. From here, as a member of the crew of a Sunderland flying boat, he carried out 17 operational flights, including 12 anti-submarine patrols over the Western Mediterranean and along the Spanish Coast and over the Eastern Atlantic. On one of these flights 6 Spanish airmen were rescued. His aircraft also acted as a naval escort on two occasions and on three as escort to convoys proceeding through the Mediterranean. During September 1942, the Squadron returned by air to the United Kingdom to be re-equipped with Catalina Flying Boats, and when so re-equipped, returned to Gibraltar. As a member of the crew of a Catalina flying boaat, F/Sgt. McCarthy carried out a further 45 operational flights, comprising 17 anti-submarine sweeps over the Atlantic, 27 flights as escort to convoys and 1 air/sea rescue flight searching for a Wellington bomber forced down in the Atlantic. On the 5th June 1943 F/Sgt. McCarthy returned by air to the United Kingdom on posting to No. 4 (Coastal) Operational Training Unit, Invergordon, as an instructor.

F/Sgt. McCarthy was a member of the crew of a Sunderland aircraft which was seen to crash in the sea approximately 4 miles north of Portsoy, Banffshire, Scotland, between 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. on the 12th October 1945. All the crew, including F/Sgt. McCarthy were classified as missing, believed killed. The bodies were recovered from the sea and all the crew were reclassified as killed. F/Sgt. McCarthy was buried at Rosshire Cemetery, near Alness, Ross-shire, on the 18th October 1943.

5/15/503 AS2
1273 hrs. as air crew.

Mrs. C. McCarthy (M) (right aligned)
Lindsay Road (right aligned)
WAIPUKURAU (right aligned & underlined)