EMERY, Donald Arthur
| Service Number: | 416080 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 29 March 1941, Adelaide |
| Last Rank: | Sergeant |
| Last Unit: | No. 2 Squadron (RAAF) |
| Born: | Adelaide, SA, 22 July 1920 |
| Home Town: | Kensington Gardens, Burnside, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Murraytville State School, St. Peter's College Hackney |
| Occupation: | Clerk - Bank of Australasia |
| Died: | Flying Battle, Aru Islands, Aru Islands, Netherlands East Indies, 7 May 1943, aged 22 years |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" |
| Memorials: | Adelaide WW2 Wall of Remembrance, Ambon Memorial, Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Hackney St Peter's College WW2 Honour Roll, Melbourne Bank of Australasia 'In Remembrance' Honour Roll WW2, No 2 Squadron RAAF Roll of Honour |
World War 2 Service
| 29 Mar 1941: | Involvement Sergeant, 416080 | |
|---|---|---|
| 29 Mar 1941: | Enlisted Adelaide | |
| 29 Mar 1941: | Enlisted Royal Australian Air Force, Sergeant, 416080, No. 2 Squadron (RAAF), Adelaide, SA | |
| Date unknown: | Involvement |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Mari Walker
Son of Arthur Whitman Emery and Anne Dunbar Emery, of Kensington Gardens, South Australia.
Sgt DE Emery enlisted on 29 March 1941. He was born in Adelaide on 22 July 1920 to Arthur Whitman Emery and Anne Dunbar (nee Dorrington).
Serving with #2 Squadron, Sgt Emery was one of 5 crew members in Hudson A16-171 along with five other aircraft detailed to carry out armed reconnaissance of Maikoor and Taberfane in the Aroe Islands. On 7 May 1943, part way through the engagement, A16-171 was attacked by one of the enemy ‘Rufes’ aircraft and failed to regain formation with the other aircraft. The attack continued and the Hudson climbed before diving vertically into the ground where it blew up on hitting the ground. The aircraft crashed into a mangrove swamp area and all five members of the crew were killed.
The crew members of A16-171 were:
Sergeant Donald Arthur Emery (416080) (Wireless Air Gunner)
Flying Officer Duncan Richard Hicks (405161) (Navigator Bomb Aimer)
Warrant Officer Vivian Lugton Jackman (400715) (Pilot)
Flight Sergeant Ian William MacKenzie (404782) (Wireless Air Gunner)
Flight Sergeant Edward Quinn (403203) (Wireless Air Gunner)
Mr. and Mrs. Emery, of West terrace, Kensington Gardens, have received advice that their elder son, Sgt-WAG Donald Arthur Emery, 22, has been missing after air operations since May 7, and is believed to have lost his life. He enlisted in July, 1940.
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