ERWIN, Kenneth James
| Service Number: | 261863 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 29 August 1940 |
| Last Rank: | Flight Lieutenant |
| Last Unit: | Not yet discovered |
| Born: | Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, 10 June 1918 |
| Home Town: | Kogarah, Sydney, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Not yet discovered |
| Died: | Prisoner of War - Executed, Urai Island, New Britain, Gasmata, New Britain, Pacific Islands, 4 March 1942, aged 23 years |
| Cemetery: |
Rabaul (Bita Paka) War Cemetery, Papua New Guinea Bita Paka War Cemetery, Bita Paka, Rabaul, East New Britain, Papua New Guinea |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Ballarat Australian Ex-Prisoners of War Memorial, Leichhardt War Memorial, Rutherford Royal Newcastle Aero Club Roll of Honor |
World War 2 Service
| 3 Sep 1939: | Involvement Flight Lieutenant, 261863 | |
|---|---|---|
| 29 Aug 1940: | Enlisted Royal Australian Air Force, Flight Lieutenant, 261863 |
Help us honour Kenneth James Erwin's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by David Barlow
Hudson A16-165 took off from 7 Mile Strip in New Guinea on a night-time bombing raid on Gasmata, New Britain with four other aircraft, it did not return along with Hudson A16-101
Aircraft wreckage was discovered on Urai Island, New Britain in 1946 and identified as A16-165
One crew member was taken POW and executed the day of the crash - Flight Lieutenant Kenneth James Erwin 261863
The rest of the crew were killed in the crash:
Pilot Officer, Eric Lyle McLauchlan 405644
Sergeant James Watt Simpson 400570
Sergeant Ian Munro Barwick 5810
(the NAA casualty file for Sergeant Barwick contains a comprehensive report on the search for missing airmen and their fate)