LEST WE FORGET
Flight Sergeant Ian Clarke DUNN
Service No: 404927
Born: Laidley QLD, 11 December 1914
Enlisted in the RAAF: 6 December 1940
Unit: No. 12 Squadron (RAF), RAF Station Binbrook, Lincolnshire
Died: Air Operations: (No. 12 Squadron Wellington II aircraft Z8579), Netherlands, 3 July 1942, Aged 27 Years
Buried: Laren (Barchem) General Cemetery, Gelderland, Netherlands
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Robert and Elizabeth Dunn, of Laidley, Queensland, Australia B.A. (Queensland)
Roll of Honour: Coburg VIC
Remembered: Panel 121, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
At 2335 hours on 2 July 1942, Wellington Z8579 took off from Binbrook to attack Bremen, Germany. The aircraft was shot down by a night-fighter and crashed at 0249 hours at Barchem (Gelderland), 4 km south south east of Lochem, Holland. Three crew members were killed and two were taken prisoner.
The crew members of Z8579 were:
Sergeant Geoffrey Hugh Butler-Williams (402848) (RNZAF) (Observer)
Flight Sergeant Ian Clarke Dunn (404927) (Pilot)
Sergeant David Evans (1313522) (RAFVR) (Front Gunner)
Flight Sergeant K W Hawkins (948556) (RAFVR) (Wireless Air Gunner) PoW
Sergeant S Morris (1073118) (RAFVR) (Rear Gunner) PoW
In a later report Sergeant Morris stated “The aircraft crashed at Lochem, Holland. Sergeant Williams, Dunn and Evans were still in the aircraft when I left. Both Williams and Evans were killed in the engagement with an enemy night fighter when the aircraft exploded. Hawkins was a POW.” Sergeant Hawkins reported “Morris baled out before me, and the other three were still in the aircraft. Morris is a PoW like myself.”
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, 163/104/133