Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Lavington Edmund John Frederick CHINNERY was born on 7th September, 1911 in Goodwood in South Australia

His parents were Archibald George CHINNERY and Melinda Myrtle Dineen COCKER

On 26th January, 1935 Lavington married  Ruva Arna YOUNG in South Australia & had two children

He had previously served with the St Peters College Cadet Corp when he enlisted on 10th October, 1942  with the RAAF- Rank Air crew 2

Lavington died on 13th May, 1944 in Belgium & had been a rear gunner in a Halifax Bomber (LV919) that was shot down (see attached story for more details )

He was originally buried in a temporary cemetery in Fort 3, Antwerp & later re-interred  in Schoonselhof Cemetery, Antwerp, Belgium - Grave reference Coll grave IVa E 33-34 - he is also commemorated on the Australian War Memorial, the Roll of Honour in Magil, SA and has a Memorial Plaque in Magil cemetery

He was awarded an Air Gunners Flying Badge on 22nd July, 1943

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Australian War Memorial - Last Post & Story

Jack Chinnery was the youngest son of Archibald & Melinda Chinnery, born 7th Sept 1911.  He grew up on his fathers winery in Magill, Adelaide and attended St Peters College where he was a prefect & served with the college Cadet Corps.  After school he first worked for George Wills & Coy before joining his father & older brother in the family winery (A.G. Chinnery & Sons)  He married Ruva Arna Young in the early 1930s and went on to have two children, John born 1936 and Jacey born in 1938

Jack enlisted in the Air Force Reserve in Feb. 1942 and was accepted for active service with the RAAF in October of that year.  He then underwent an extended period of training at bases around Australia, including those at Ballarat, Parafield, Victor Harbour and Port Pirie.  He was granted a commission on 21st July, 1943

Chinnery was sent to the United Kingdom under the Empire Air Training Scheme in which countries of the British Commonwealth established a joint pool of trained aircrew to reinforce the British Royal Air Force for service in Europe.  As a part of this process Chinnery was posted to no 466 Squadron of the RAF and commenced flying  operations in Halifax bombers against German occupied Europe. On 12th May 1944 Flying Officer Chinnery was one of a crew of 7 in Halifax LV919.  They took off at 9.51 pm to bomb railway & transport yards in the occupied Belgian town of Hasselt. They never returned

It was later determined that the Halifax in which Chinnery was the rear gunner had been shot down about 20 miles north east of Antwerp shortly after midnight on 13th May. The crash was attributed to Luftwaffe night fighter pilot Heinz Wolfgang Schnaufer.

Although there were some reports of crew members being made prisoners of war, it was eventaully determined that all seven men had been killed in the crash.  Jack Chinnery and his 6 crewmates are now buried together in Schoonselhof cemetery

We now remember Flying Officer Lavington Edmund John Frederick Chinnery and all of those Australians who have given their lives in the service of our nation.