BARTON, Leonard Arthur
| Service Number: | 18368 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 30 August 1940 |
| Last Rank: | Leading Aircraftman |
| Last Unit: | RAAF Station Darwin |
| Born: | Rainbow, Victoria, Australia, 13 November 1910 |
| Home Town: | Rainbow, Hindmarsh, Victoria |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Motor mechanic |
| Died: | Killed in Action, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia , 19 February 1942, aged 31 years |
| Cemetery: |
Adelaide River War Cemetery, Northern Territory G.C.1., Adelaide River War Cemetery, Adelaide River, Northern Territory, Australia, Northern Territory Memorial, Adelaide River, Northern Territory, Australia |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Rainbow War Memorial |
World War 2 Service
| 3 Sep 1939: | Involvement 18368 | |
|---|---|---|
| 30 Aug 1940: | Enlisted Royal Australian Air Force, Leading Aircraftman, 18368, RAAF Station Darwin | |
| 30 Aug 1940: | Enlisted Royal Australian Air Force, Leading Aircraftman, 18368 |
Help us honour Leonard Arthur Barton's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by David Barlow
The sustained Japanese air-raid on Darwin on the 19th of February 1942 resulted in the following RAAF personnel from Station Headquarters Darwin being KIA -
Leading Aircraftman Leonard Arthur Barton 18368 - Son of Arthur John and Sophia May Barton; husband of Majorie Barton of Rainbow, Victoria
Leading Aircraftman Phillips Stonham Latham 32932 - Son of Leslie Frederic and Gladys Caroline Latham of Baan Baa, NSW
Aircraftman 1st Class Francis Neaylon 20361 - Son of Joseph Patrick and Olive Myra Neaylon of Woollahra, NSW
Leading Aircraftman Albert Victor Leske Schulz 28222 - Son of Nathanael Reginald Robert and Anna Louise Schulz of South Hummocks, SA
Corporal Robert Frederick Simons 26040 - Son of Frederick Quartermain Simons and Mabel Bessie Simons of Allenby Gardens, SA
Aircraftman 1st Class Stanley George Smith 45738 - Son of Septimus and Eleanor Smith of South Perth, WA
Wing Commander Archibald Robert Tindal 76 of Headquarters North Western Area - Son of Archibald Arthur and Hilda Dorothy Tindal of Armidale, NSW
WGCDR Tindal was hit by cannon fire while manning an AA machine-gun. Possibly the first casualty on Australian soil from enemy air attack.
Biography contributed
Leonard Arthur Barton, Leading Aircraftman 18368, was born on the 13th of November 1910 in Rainbow, Victoria, Melbourne.
Leonard’s father was Arthur John Barton and his Mother Sophia May. Leonard was the eldest of seven children.
Leonard married his wife Marjorie Stewart and they together had 3 children Betty, Robert, and Denis.
He worked as a motor mechanic and fitter for 10 years and even managed to own his own business for 6 years in Taverner street, Melbourne.
Leonard then enlisted in Melbourne on the 30th of August 1940.
First serving at the no.1 Aircraftman depot in Laverton he then was later transferred to the RAAF Headquarters in Darwin on the 16th of March 1941.
He was serving as a fitter in the Driver Motor Transport when the Royal Australian Air Force Base in Darwin was Air raided and bombed on the 19th of February 1942.
The only aerial defence for the Darwin base during the bombing was provided by a squadron of Kitty Hawks the 33rd Pursuit Squadron USAAF which all 4 pilots were killed.
Sadly all 7 Aircraftsman were killed in action on the RAAF Base station in Darwin including, Leading Aircraftman 18368 Leonard Arthur Barton, at the age of 31 years.
From the SA Premier's ANZAC Spirit School Prize Blog. Completed by a student who travelled to Darwin as a winner of the 2022 Premier's ANZAC Spirit School Prize
Click images to start slideshow.