LEST WE FORGET
Warrant Officer Ian Griffiths HARDY
Service No: 420880
Born: Invercargill, New Zealand, 23 March 1923
Enlisted in the RAAF: 6 December 1941 (at Sydney NSW)
Unit: No. 30 Squadron (RAF)
Died: Injuries from an Aircraft Accident: (No. 30 Squadron Thunderbolt aircraft HD298), Chittagong, 17 November 1944, Aged 21 Years
Buried: Chittagong War Cemetery, Bangladesh
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Robert McIntosh Hardy and Gertrude May Hardy, of Mosman, New South Wales, Australia
Roll of Honour: Mosman NSW
Remembered: Panel 123, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
On 17 November 1944 Thunderbolt HD298 flown by Warrant Officer Hardy was returning to
Chittagong from a long range sweep when he asked for permission to land from flying control to make a priority landing. He was apparently having some trouble with the aircraft on the way back.
Flight Lieutenant Carson who had permission to land called Hardy and told him to land in front of him and HD298 made a short touch-down and proceeded to roll slowly down the runway with Carson landing behind. Carson in HD294 had one external tank hung up and made a very poor approach. His landing was further up the runway than normal and his aircraft struck Hardy’s causing the accident. When the aircraft settled down Hardy was taken from the cockpit and on the way to hospital following blood transfusions, he died. Flight Lieutenant Carson suffered shock.
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 166/17/845; A705, 32/4/229