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Gerry Atwell

1917 – 1944

Australian rugby league player and soldier

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About Gerry Atwell

Lived 1917 – 1944 (aged 27). Gerry Atwell was a military personnel and rugby league player.

Gerald Joseph Atwell (16 January 1917 – 20 April 1944) was an Australian RAAF pilot whose plane failed to return from a bombing raid over Italy in WWII. He had been a top-grade rugby league footballer who played in the New South Wales Rugby League for North Sydney. He appeared twice for North Sydney in 1940.

Personal life and military career Atwell enlisted in the Royal Australian Air Force on 24 May 1941 in Sydney during WWII. He trained as a pilot and was assigned as such on 30 May 1942, sailing to England in August of that year. Pilot Officer Atwell was attached to No. 614 Squadron RAF in early 1944, flying Handley Page Halifax bombers from Celone Airfield. On 20 April, Atwell took off in Halifax JF108 to conduct a bombing mission against marshalling yards at Mestre. The aircraft assigned to the mission were recalled after the weather deteriorated, but JF108 did not arrive back at base and was considered lost. The bodies of three crew members were recovered; however, Atwell and the other crewmen have never been found. He is commemorated on the Malta Memorial.

Career statistics

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Important facts

Birth century
Also known as
Gerald Joseph Atwell

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Gerry Atwell's

Frequently asked questions

Who was Gerry Atwell?

Australian rugby league player and soldier (1917-1944)

When was Gerry Atwell born?

Gerry Atwell was born on 16 January 1917 in Campsie.

When did Gerry Atwell die?

Gerry Atwell died on 20 April 1944.

What was Gerry Atwell's occupation?

Gerry Atwell was a military personnel and rugby league player.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Gerry Atwell

· Wikidata: Q97451323

· DBpedia: Gerry Atwell

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Gerry Atwell. https://biography.guide/gerry-atwell/

MLA: "Gerry Atwell." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/gerry-atwell/.

Chicago: "Gerry Atwell." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/gerry-atwell/.

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