STEWART, Leslie
| Service Number: | 418197 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 25 April 1942 |
| Last Rank: | Pilot Officer |
| Last Unit: | No. 21 Squadron (RAAF) |
| Born: | Ivanhoe, Victoria, Australia, 6 August 1922 |
| Home Town: | Brighton, Bayside, Victoria |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Not yet discovered |
| Died: | Prisoner of War - Executed, New Guinea, 31 March 1944, aged 21 years |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" Lae Memorial, Lae, Morobe Province, Papua New Guinea |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Ballarat Australian Ex-Prisoners of War Memorial, Lae Memorial, Melbourne Cricket Club WW2 Honour Roll |
World War 2 Service
| 3 Sep 1939: | Involvement Pilot Officer, 418197 | |
|---|---|---|
| 25 Apr 1942: | Enlisted Royal Australian Air Force | |
| 25 Apr 1942: | Enlisted Royal Australian Air Force, Pilot Officer, 418197 | |
| 5 Mar 1944: | Involvement Royal Australian Air Force, Pilot Officer, 418197, No. 21 Squadron (RAAF), Air War SW Pacific 1941-45 |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by David Barlow
Flight Sergeant James Richards 418466 (Pilot) and Flight Sergeant Leslie Stewart 418197 (Navigator / WAG) in 21SQN RAAF Vultee Vengeance A27-82 made a forced landing on the water 5 miles east of Madang after the aircraft was hit by anti-aircraft fire while attacking enemy positions on the 5th of March 1944 - the body of Flight Sergeant Richards was not recovered and he is commemorated on the Lae Memorial
Further investigation post war confirmed that Flight Sergeant Stewart 418197 was captured by Japanese troops after he survived the crash and was executed at the Kempei Tai Headquarters compound at Amron north of Madang, New Guinea on the 31st of March 1944 - as his body was not located he is also commemorated on the Lae Memorial
Flight Sergeant McDonald 418154 who survived the ditching of Vengeance A27-276 on the 24th of February 1944 was executed at the same time (Flight Sergeant McAllister 23352 from A27-276 was KIA)
Click images to start slideshow.