Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Lorna Jean Koch was born at Booleroo Centre 19 November 1920, the second of six children to August Charles and Jessie May (nee Piggott) Koch. August and Jessie farmed section 39, Hundred of Willowie.

Lorna stated her occupation as home duties when she enlisted with the WAAAF at No. 5 Recruitment Centre on the 11 March 1942. She was 21 years old and mustered as Aircraftwoman.

On the 11 April 1942 she was posted to No. 6 Service Flying Training School (No. 6 SFTS), at RAAF station Mallala, South Australia  which was set up for intermediate and advanced instruction of pilots under the Empire Air Training Scheme (EATS). She was remustered to mess steward on 11 September. Her application acknowledged her ability to serve anywhere and that she could ‘rough it’.

Lorna was based at Mallala until April of 1944 when she entrained to Laverton, Victoria. It is not recorded as to what her role was while she was stationed there, however she was then transferred to Nowra on the south coast of New South Wales 27 May 1944. Here she was remustered as a Dental orderly and despatched to 3 School of Technical Training, located at Ultimo, Sydney. She completed her training in early March of 1945, and then transferred to Point Cook, Victoria. Lorna was based there until the 26 November 1945 when she was discharged after the cessation of hostilities.

Lorna started nursing training at Mt Gambier Hospital in 1946 and graduated in 1949. She then trained for her Midwifery Certificate at the Queen Victoria Hospital and nursed in various hospitals both city and country.

Lorna became engaged to Ben Penwell, a Methodist Minister who was stationed at Wilmington. She was at home on her parent’s farm when she took ill. She died on the 27 February 1962 on the way to hospital, aged 41 years of age. She is buried at Booleroo Centre Cemetery, South Australia.