Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Flying Officer Bernard Ashdown (Service No:297491) enlisted in the RAAF on 18 June 1945 and was a Flying Officer attached to 75 Squadron Air Training Corps when he was Discharged on 11 March 1948.

The third of four children (sons), Bernard was born in 1926 at Northampton WA to Hubert Stanley Ashdown (b1891 in London, England) and Florence Charlotte Thomas (b1894 in Albany, WA). Hubert (a Railway Clerk) immigrated in 1912 arriving in Fremantle on board the Orama and was working for WAGR as a Railway Clerk at Katanning when he and Florence married in Albany WA in 1915. Hubert worked for WAGR for fifty four (54) years as a Clerk and Station Master - living with his family at Koolanooka, Beenup, Northampton, Northam, Wagin, York, Yarloop, Wokalup, Brunswick Junction, Kellerberrin, Merredin and Geraldton before settling in Perth. In June 1917 Hubert enlisted in the AIF (Private; Service No:14612) and was Discharged as Medically Unfit in November of that year.

Bernard was working as Sheetmetal Worker in Perth before his enlistment in the RAAF - older brothers Stan and Maxwell also served in the RAAF. Bernard returned to Perth and employment as a Sheetmetal Worker and in 1948 married Nancy Edith Collis (b1927 in Guildford, WA). Bernard and Nancy settled in Perth where they raised their family and Bernard was a Sheetmetal Worker and by the late 1960s was a Manager. Nancy died in 2018.