LEST WE FORGET
Sergeant John Edward BAARTZ
Service No: 404325
Born: Brisbane QLD, 1 October 1920
Enlisted in the RAAF: 16 August 1940
Unit: Ferry Training Unit, RAF Station Honeybourne
Died: Aircraft Accident (Ferry Training Unit Hudson aircraft V8995), Honeybourne, 10 March 1942, Aged 21 Years
Buried: Eversham Cemetery, Worcestershire
CWGC Additional Information: Son of George Edward and May Baartz, of Hamilton, Queensland, Australia
Roll of Honour: Brisbane QLD
Remembered: Panel 118, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
On 10 March 1942, Hudson V8995 took off on a non-operational day fuel consumption test. The aircraft crashed at 1045 hours outside the eastern boundary at RAF Honeybourne. It was considered that the Pilot attempted to turn while the climbing speed was too low, and that this was probably due to the flaps being down and the pilot having insufficient time to trim the aircraft. All the crew members were killed.
The crew members of V8995 were:
Sergeant John Edward Baartz (404325) (Observer)
Sergeant Thomas Francis Dale (1310440) (RAFVR) (Wireless Air Gunner)
Flying Officer Hubert Dainton Freakes (73709) (RAFVR) (Pilot)
Sergeant Ernest Watson (990724) (RAFVR) (Wireless Air Gunner)
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, 163/90/248