LEST WE FORGET
Sergeant Ronald James Brownee ROST
Service No: 402170
Born: Coogee NSW, 5 February 1921
Enlisted in the RAAF: 24 June 1940
Unit: No. 18 Squadron (RAF), RAF Station Horsham St Faith
Died: Injuries from Air Operations: (No. 18 Squadron Blenheim aircraft Z7496), Netherlands, 16 July 1941, Aged 20 Years
Buried: The Hague (Westduin) General Cemetery, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Mrs. Ada Harriett Rost, of Manly, New South Wales, Australia
Roll of Honour: Unknown
Remembered: Panel 129, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
At 1517 hours on 16 July 1941 Blenheim Z7496 took off from Horsham St Faith to bomb Rotterdam, Netherlands. Nothing was heard from the aircraft after take-off and it failed to return to base. The aircraft crashed at 1706 hours near Ypenburg airfield (Zuid Holland) between Delft and Den Haag. Two of the crew members were killed and Sergeant Rost lived for a few hours but died in hospital at Delft.
The crew members of Z7496 were:
Sergeant John Hughes (987753) (RAFVR) (Observer)
Sergeant Ronald James Bronwee Rost (402170) (Pilot)
Sergeant Stanley William Winter (653507) (RAF) (Wireless Air Gunner)
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, 163/158/153