LEST WE FORGET
Warrant Officer John Henry HEDGER
Service No: 418114
Born: Caulfield VIC, 24 April 1921
Enlisted in the RAAF: 25 April 1942
Unit: No. 3 Squadron
Died: Air Operations: (No. 3 Squadron Kittyhawk aircraft FX750), Italy, 6 September 1944, Aged 23 Years
Buried: Ancona War Cemetery, Italy
CWGC Additional Information: Son of John Edward and Ivy Ruth Hedger, of Albert Park, Victoria, Australia
Roll of Honour: Unknown
Remembered: Panel 98, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
On 6 September 1944, Kittyhawk FX750 flown by Warrant Officer Hedger was in a formation detailed to bomb enemy gun positions on the Italian front. Before reaching the target, he advised his Leader that he was returning to base but did not state a reason. The aircraft made a normal approach but the undercarriage partially collapsed on landing. This caused the port wing to hit the ground and a 500 lb bomb being carried detonated, killing Warrant Officer Hedger.
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, 166/17/736