LEST WE FORGET
Sergeant Ronald Thomas HAND
Service No: 28891
Born: Moonta SA, 13 December 1918
Enlisted in the RAAF: 12 March 1941
Unit: No. 31 Squadron, Coomalie Creek NT
Died: Air Operations: (No. 31 Squadron Beaufighter aircraft A19-22), Timor Sea, 23 December 1942, Aged 24 Years
Buried: Unrecovered
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Bertram and Florence Ella Hand, of Unley, South Australia.
Roll of Honour: Unley SA
Remembered: Panel 10, Northern Territory Memorial, Adelaide River NT
Remembered: Panel 102, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
Remembered: World War II Honour Roll, National War Memorial of SA, North Terrace, Adelaide
During daylight hours on 23 December 1942, Beaufighter A19-22 went missing over the Timor Sea. Engine problems were suspected as a possible cause of the aircraft loss. The crew members were:
Sergeant Ronald Thomas Hand (28891) (Navigator Wireless)
Warrant Officer Mervyn Campbell Smith (400047) (Pilot)
References:
Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour On-Line Records
Commonwealth War Graves Commission On-Line Records
Department of Veteran’s Affairs On-Line WWII Nominal Roll
National Archives of Australia On-Line Record A9845, 12
Bibliography:
Parnell, N.M. (Neville M.) Whispering Death: A history of the RAAF’s Beaufighter Squadrons, AH & AW Reed Terry Hills NSW, 1980
Wilson, S. (Stewart) Beaufort, Beaufighter and Mosquito in Australian Service, Aerospace Publications Weston Creek ACT 2611, 1990