LEST WE FORGET
Flight Lieutenant Donald Hemphill RUTTER
Service No: 410262
Born: Melbourne VIC, 5 January 1922
Enlisted in the RAAF: 5 December 1941
Unit: No. 247 Squadron (RAF)
Died: Air Operations: (No. 247 Squadron Typhoon aircraft SW526), Germany, 5 April 1945, Aged 23 Years
Buried: Hanover War Cemetery, Niedersachsen, Germany
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Hubert and Beulah Alice Rutter, of Riverton, Western Australia
Roll of Honour: Eltham VIC
Remembered: Panel 129, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
Brother of Flying Officer David Rutter (833). Their sister June, a civilian, was also killed during the War when she fell from a train at Collingwood, Victoria, on 19 December 1940.
On 5 April 1945, Typhoon SW526 flew as Yellow 2 in a formation of aircraft detailed to carry out an armed reconnaissance of the Cloppenberg/Ahlhorn road. Arriving in the target area a large truck was seen and Red and Blue sections went down to attack. Red 1 called up on the radio and warned all pilots to be careful of a high-tension cable stretched across the road. Yellow Section went down to attack and Yellow 1 (Warrant Officer Lesley) stated that after his attack he looked around for his Number 2 but could not see him. He called up to contact him by radio but there was no reply, and then flew an orbit searching for him but could see no sign. The entire Squadron then orbited the area but there was no sign of Yellow 2 and no wreck burning on the ground was seen. A small amount of heavy and some medium light anti-aircraft fire was encountered. SW526 failed to return to base and it was clatter learned that Flight Lieutenant Rutter had been killed.
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, 166/36/276
Bibliography:
Page, C. (Charles) Wings of Destiny: Wing Commander Charles Learmonth DFC and Bar and the Air War in New Guinea, C. Page, 2008