LEST WE FORGET
Sergeant Ian Aubrey BAINES
Service No: 400667
Born: Boort VIC, 18 August 1918
Enlisted in the RAAF: 12 October 1940
Unit: Sea Rescue Flight (RAF)
Died: Air Operations: (Sea Rescue Flight Wellington aircraft Z8778), Eastern Mediterranean, 3 August 1942, Aged 23 Years
Buried: Unrecovered
CWGC Additional Information: Son of John and Mary Phoebe Baines, of Boort, Victoria, Australia
Roll of Honour: Boort VIC
Remembered: Column 265, Alamein Memorial, Egypt
Remembered: Panel 118, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
At 1000 hours on 3 August 1942 Wellington Z8778 took off from Landing Ground ‘X’ (Abu Sueir) in answer to a request from Flying Control AHQ, Egypt, to search for a missing Wellington aircraft of No. 104 Squadron (RAF) which had signalled at about 0500 hours that it was force landing in position 30.51N 029.52E. The Captain was instructed to carry out a search of the reported position to a depth of 30 miles. It was pointed out that the area traversed the main Cairo-Alexandria road and also contained a large number of aerodromes. At 1245 hours a snap direction finding bearing by Gianaclis was 135 deg. At 1300 hours a Morse signal from Z8778 read “search had up to that time been unsuccessful but continuing.” At 1642 hours a further attempt was made to contact Z8778 but was not successful. The aircraft had a safe endurance of 8 hours. Extensive searches were made for Z8778 over the next two days but were unsuccessful.
The crew members of Z8788 were:
Sergeant Ian Aubrey Baines (400667) (Wireless Operator / Air Gunner)
Sergeant John Campbell Daley (404014) (Wireless Operator / Air Gunner)
Flying Officer John Thomson Dick DFC (84991) (RAFVR) (Pilot)
Sergeant Robert Selwyn Hughes (1127136) (RAFVR) (Air Gunner)
Flight Sergeant Henry Stephen Impett (918857) (RAFVR) (Navigator)
Pilot Officer Harry Gordon Locke (J/7902) (RCAF) (Second Pilot)
Pilot Officer Roy Campbell Prince (J/9399) (RCAF) (Third Pilot)
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, 163/90/350