ERNST, George Joseph
| Service Number: | 9346 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 26 February 1940, Laverton, Vic. |
| Last Rank: | Flight Sergeant |
| Last Unit: | No. 42 Squadron RAAF |
| Born: | Branxton, New South Wales, Australia, 9 October 1910 |
| Home Town: | Boonah, Scenic Rim, Queensland |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Saw Mill Labourer |
| Died: | Flying Battle, Batavia, Batavia, Java, Netherlands East Indies, 14 October 1944, aged 34 years |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" |
| Memorials: | Ambon Memorial, Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour |
World War 2 Service
| 3 Sep 1939: | Involvement Flight Sergeant, 9346 | |
|---|---|---|
| 26 Feb 1940: | Enlisted Royal Australian Air Force, Flight Sergeant, 9346, No. 42 Squadron RAAF, Laverton, Vic. |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Mari Walker
Son of George Patrick and Mary Ann Ernst, of Teviotville, Queensland, Australia.
Flt/Sgt GJ Ernest enlisted on 26 February 1940. He saw service with 11 Squadron and several other units before being assigned to #42 Squadron. On 14 October 1944 Flt/Sgt Ernest was one of 9 members of the crew of a Catalina A24-90 which took off from Darwin at 1635 hours on a mission to Macassar, Indonesia. This aircraft failed to return to its base. The other aircraft engaged on the mission did not see A24-90 but in the early hours of the morning, about 5 miles off shore near Macassar, a burst of anti-aircraft fire was observed and shortly afterwards an object appeared to strike the water and burst into flames. Later reports indicated that three members had survived and been taken prisoner by the Japanese and later executed. Flt/Sgt Ernest was not amongst the survivors and was later listed as killed in action on 14 October 1944. His name is memorialised on the Australian War Memorial and the Ambon Memorial.
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