Harold Allan GOODING

Harold Allan GOODING Update Details

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GOODING, Harold Allan

Service Numbers:	V20631, 418040
Enlisted:	4 July 1939
Last Rank:	Warrant Officer
Last Unit:	No. 24 Squadron (RAAF)
Born:	Dimboola, Victoria, Australia, 6 May 1920
Home Town:	Antwerp, Hindmarsh, Victoria
Schooling:	Not yet discovered
Occupation:	Labourer
Died:	Flying Battle, Balikpapan, Borneo, 5 July 1945, aged 25 years
Cemetery:	Labuan War Cemetery A. 15.
Memorials:	Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Dimboola Memorial Secondary College Roll of Honor WW2, Sunshine Cenotaph

World War 2 Service

4 Jul 1939:	Enlisted Australian Military Forces (WW2) , Trooper, V20631, 19 Machine Gun Regiment AMF
3 Sep 1939:	Involvement Warrant Officer, 418040
24 Apr 1942:	Enlisted Royal Australian Air Force, Warrant Officer, 418040
1 Jan 1945:	Promoted Royal Australian Air Force, Warrant Officer, No. 24 Squadron (RAAF)

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Biography contributed by Chris Buckley

Warrant Officer Harold Allan Gooding (Service No:418040) initially enlisted in the Militia on 4 July 1939 and was a Private (Service No:473080) attached to 26 Machine Gun Regiment when he enlisted in the ACMF on 6 November 1940 and served as a Trooper (Service No:V20631) attached to 19 Machine Gun Regiment. On 24 November 1942 he enlisted in the RAAF as an Aircraftman II at No 1 Recruiting Centre Melbourne and during that year was attached to No 4 Initial Training School (ITS) Victor Harbour, No 1 Elementary Flying Training School (EFTS) Parafield and No 6 Service Flying Training School (SFTS) Malalla. In February 1943 he was promoted to T/Sergeant (remustered as Airman Pilot) and attached to No 1 Air Observsers' School (AOS) Cootamundra, 1 Reserve Personnel Pool (RPP) Townsville and No 41 Squadron. In 1944 Airman Pilot Gooding was attached to No 1 Operational Training Unit (OTU) Nhill and No 7 OTU Tocumal, No 2 Embarkation Depot (ED) Bradfield Park and on 17 February was promoted to Flight Sergeant attached to No 24 Squadron. WO Gooding was qualified to fly Avro Anson, B24 Liberator, Tiger Moth, Dornier 24K, Douglas DC3 and PBM Mariner aircraft. On 5 July 1945 WO Gooding was reported as 'Missing believed killed on routine air ops Balikapan Borneo' (NAA). The accident report (NAA) stated '1010 hours aircraft A72-196 was hit by enemy light anti aircraft fire, No 3 engine caught fire, aircraft exploded in mid air, no personnel were seen to bail out .... Aircraft reported to be burning fiercely, army patrol penetrated to within 150 yards of the crash but were unable to penetrate further due to enemy resistance .... The aircraft was destroyed and there were no remains of bodies. The instruments had been removed and a letter in Malay was attached to the wreckage stating there were no survivors' (NAA; 1945).

Third of six children, Harold was born in Dimboola, Victoria in 1920 to Jame Gooding (b1879 in Tea Tree Gully, South Australia) and Laura Agnes Williams (b1888 in Horsham, Victoria). James was Farmer in 1912 when he and Laura married in Dimboola. They lived in Dimboola and Antwerp via Dimboola where they raised their family and James was a Farmer.

Harold was working in Antwerp via Dimboola as a Labourer when he enlisted in 1939. In January 1945 in Dimboola, Harold married Betty Gwen Bond (b1921 in Dimboola, Victoria). Following Harold's death in 1945, Betty remarried.

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