Difference between revisions of "Arthur Matthew Aitken"
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==War Service== | ==War Service== | ||
− | As part of his training, Arthur was sent to the [[No. 4 Initial Training School RAAF]]. He was a member of Course No. 23 "B" Squadron, Flight 11, with training conducted at Victor | + | As part of his training, Arthur was sent to the [[No. 4 Initial Training School RAAF]]. He was a member of Course No. 23 "B" Squadron, Flight 11, with training conducted at Victor Harbour, South Australia. |
Arthur was the pilot of a [[Bristol Beaufort]] from [[No. 14 Squadron RAAF]]. The plane left Busselton at 11:50am to carry out Patrol 'N', a clearing patrol from D'Entrecastreaux Point to Rottnest Island, then on to Pearce Airbase, due there at 4:30pm on 9 Sep 1943. At 2:30pm, the plane reported sighting ''MV Nordnes'' about 45 nautical miles (about 83km) due west of D'Entrecastreaux Point. The ''Nordnes' later reported that the plane appeared to be flying normally. The Bristol Beaufort was nick named "Flying Coffins' as more than 90 crashed due to a faulty assembly of the controls during construction. | Arthur was the pilot of a [[Bristol Beaufort]] from [[No. 14 Squadron RAAF]]. The plane left Busselton at 11:50am to carry out Patrol 'N', a clearing patrol from D'Entrecastreaux Point to Rottnest Island, then on to Pearce Airbase, due there at 4:30pm on 9 Sep 1943. At 2:30pm, the plane reported sighting ''MV Nordnes'' about 45 nautical miles (about 83km) due west of D'Entrecastreaux Point. The ''Nordnes' later reported that the plane appeared to be flying normally. The Bristol Beaufort was nick named "Flying Coffins' as more than 90 crashed due to a faulty assembly of the controls during construction. |
Revision as of 19:32, 18 February 2024
AWM PO 1405.022 No 4 Service Flying Training School | |
Personal Information | |
---|---|
Date of Birth | 9 Jan 1920 |
Place of Birth | Narrogin, Western Australia |
Death | 9 Sep 1943 |
Age at Enlistment | 21 years, 10 months |
Occupation | Accountant |
Address | Orchard avenue, Armadale, Western Australia |
Next of Kin | Father , Mr Hugh Aitken |
Military Information | |
Reg Number | 415570 |
Date of Enlistment | 30 Nov 1941 |
Rank | Flying Officer |
Unit/Formation | No. 14 Squadron RAAF |
Post War Details | |
Fate | Accidental death 1943 |
Monument(s) |
Armadale War Memorial WA State War Memorial Sydney Memorial Rookwood NSW |
Australian War Memorial | Australian War Memorial |
Pre War
Prior to enlisting he was an accountant living with his parents in Orchard avenue, Armadale.
War Service
As part of his training, Arthur was sent to the No. 4 Initial Training School RAAF. He was a member of Course No. 23 "B" Squadron, Flight 11, with training conducted at Victor Harbour, South Australia.
Arthur was the pilot of a Bristol Beaufort from No. 14 Squadron RAAF. The plane left Busselton at 11:50am to carry out Patrol 'N', a clearing patrol from D'Entrecastreaux Point to Rottnest Island, then on to Pearce Airbase, due there at 4:30pm on 9 Sep 1943. At 2:30pm, the plane reported sighting MV Nordnes about 45 nautical miles (about 83km) due west of D'Entrecastreaux Point. The Nordnes' later reported that the plane appeared to be flying normally. The Bristol Beaufort was nick named "Flying Coffins' as more than 90 crashed due to a faulty assembly of the controls during construction.
5 Missing In Lost Aircraft PERTH, Wednesday. — Four members of the RAAF and one Army officer are reported missing as the result of the loss of an aircraft off the coast of Western Australia on September 10. The men are: F/O A. M. Aitken, of Armadale (WA) ; F/O Cedric Sutton Richards, of Middle Park (Vic.) ; F/Sgt. Peter Douglas Hastle, of Mount Lawley (WA) ; F/Sgt. Alexander Emerson, of Camberwell (Vic.), and Captain Harry Donald Kolbigof, of Adelaide.[1]
Pilot of Beaufort A9-317 that took off from Busselton RAAF base on a seaward clearing search from D'Entrecasteaux Point to Rottnest Island. Four crew. Son of Hugh and Minnie Louisa Aitken .
Arthur is commemorated on Panel 5. The Memorial is located in a corner of the Rockwood Cemetery west of Sydney. It is one of several which commemorate men of the Australian Army, Royal Australian Air Force and the Australian Merchant Navy who lost their lives in the south-west Pacific region during the 1939-45 War, and who have no known grave. The men commemorated on the Sydney Memorial were lost in the eastern and southern regions of Australia and in adjacent waters south of Latitude 20 degrees South.
Notes
Information from an ABC story sourced to Pamela Harrison - https://www.abc.net.au/local/photos/2015/09/14/4312085.htm accessed 30 Oct 2019.
- ↑ Trove - The Sun (Sydney) Wed 15 Sep 1953 Page 3.
The story of the disappearance of Beaufort A9-317 is told on pages 18-20 of the October 2023 "Listening Post" published by RSLWA. It includes a photo of Arthur.