Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Jack Ivan PRITCHARD Flight Lieutenant, Royal Australian Air Force, No. 421047 (20/4/1914 – 3/1/1945) Jack Ivan PRITCHARD was born on 20 April 1914 at Wollongong, the first son and second child of George St Kilda PRITCHARD and his wife, Lilian Grace WOOD. Jack did his Infants and Primary schooling at Wollongong District Rural School, then spent one year at the Wollongong Technical School before transferring to Wollongong High School. There he studied for his Leaving Certificate, but he was offered a job with the Public Works Department and because of the Depression he took the job and finished his Leaving Certificate course by private study. After getting the Leaving Certificate in 1931 he transferred to the Public Works Dept. in Sydney and attended evening lectures at the University. In due course he transferred to the Child Welfare Department where one of his jobs was to go to the Lower Mittagong School for Boys to check on things. After a while he transferred again, this time to the Education Department. While working there in the office he continued his university studies and graduated with an M.A. and Dip. Ed. He enlisted in the R.A.A.F., went first to Canada, thence to England. He married Catherine LAMONT of Regina, Canada on 1 May 1944. He was posted to 467 Squadron, which was R.A.A.F., but also had R.A.F. personnel as well. 467 Squadron operated out of Station Bottlesford, Leicestershire, and flew Lancaster heavy bombers on raids over Europe. On 3 January 1945 he was killed when the wings of his plane iced up and the plane became too heavy to rise over the mountains. He was buried in the R.A.F. Regional Cemetery at Blacon, Chester, England, Grave Section A, number 799. After the war Catherine came to Australia and met Jack’s parents, George and Lilian PRITCHARD. She didn’t stay in Australia and it is believed that George gave Catherine advice that she should return to Canada and continue with her life there, which she did. It is not known what happened to her since then.