LEST WE FORGET
Warrant Officer Henry Kenneth YOUNG
Service No: 414148
Born: Longreach QLD, 8 October 1922
Enlisted in the RAAF: 16 August 1941
Unit: No. 615 Squadron (RAF)
Died: Air Operations: (No. 615 Squadron Spitfire aircraft JB383), Myanmar, 29 May 1944, Aged 21 Years
Buried: Unrecovered
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Arthur Albert and Mary Ellen Young, of Longreach, Queensland, Australia
Roll of Honour: Longreach QLD
Remembered: Column 444, Singapore Memorial, Singapore
Remembered: Panel 133, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
At 0500Z hours on 29 May 1944 Spitfire JB383 took off from Patel to intercept Japanese aircraft. Warrant Officer Young was flying No. 2 in a Section led by Flight Sergeant McKay. The Section climbed to 8,000 feet and saw nine aircraft flying in a north westerly direction at the same height.
The Section then climbed to the west to 11000 feet when they were jumped by three Oscars (Army 01) diving down from the 5 o’clock position. Warrant Officer Young in JB383 was last seen taking evasive action by diving down steeply to port. Flight Sergeant McKay called him on radio a few minutes later but there was no response. It was later established that the aircraft crashed very close to the village of Wangu approximately 10 miles south west of Patel, Myanmar. Warrant Officer Young was buried by military authorities on 31 May 1944 and later remains from the site that could not be positively identified were reinterred in the Imphal Military Cemetery, India.
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, 166/45/52