LEST WE FORGET
Warrant Officer Ronald John Henry ADCOCK
Service No: 414875
Born: Herberton QLD, 1 December 1921
Enlisted in the RAAF: 6 December 1941
Unit: No. 152 Squadron (RAF)
Died: Air Operations: (No. 152 Squadron Spitfire aircraft MD397), Burma, 18 August 1944, Aged 22 Years
Buried: Unrecovered
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Leslie and Esther Maud Adcock, of Herberton, Queensland, Australia
Roll of Honour: Herberton QLD
Remembered: Column 443, Singapore Memorial, Singapore
Remembered: Panel 118, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
At 0905 hours on 18 August 1944 Spitfire MD397 took off together with 3 other Squadron aircraft to carry out a “Rhubarb” over the Thetkagyin and Kalemyo areas, Burma. MD397 flown by Warrant Officer Adcock was flying No. 2 to Flying Officer Francis as No1.
Whilet strafing some 3 miles down river south of Kalemyo, in position 23.08N 094.05E, Adcock became separated from his No 1. At 1010 hours the pilots of the accompanying aircraft heard Adcock radio “Have hit tree. Trying to make base. Don’t think I can do it”. At 1015hours Flying Officer Francis saw a thick cloud of smoke on the west bank of the river, and then saw the wreckage of a Spitfire crashed and burning. There was no sign of the pilot.
In 1946 a RAF search party found the wreck of a Spitfire some 1.5 miles north of Kampale, Burma in position 23.12N 094.05E. The aircraft was identified as MD397, but there was no sign of a grave near the wreck. The Town Clerk of Chinsaing stated that “he had to go with 2 Japanese officers to the scene of the crash. The aircraft had struck a tree and wreckage was scattered over a wide area. The pilot’s body was beside the wreckage. The Japanese ordered me to bury the body on the spot, but due to air raids it was only possible to cover the remains with grass and leaves. Since then the area had been flooded by monsoons and it was unlikely that the remains would ever be found.” It was later recorded that the remains of the missing pilot had been unlocated after searches.
References:
Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour On-Line Records (RAAF Casualty Information compiled by Alan Storr (409804))
Commonwealth War Graves Commission On-Line Records
Department of Veterans’ Affairs On-Line WWII Nominal Roll
National Archives of Australia On-Line Record A705, 166/3/266