Coming Soon.
STONE, Derrick Robert
Step 1: Personal Details
| Service Number: | 3406 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 3 February 1936 |
| Last Rank: | Flight Lieutenant |
| Last Unit: | No. 30 Squadron (RAAF) |
| Born: | Clifton Hill, Victoria, Australia, 5 December 1914 |
| Home Town: | Malvern, Stonnington, Victoria |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Storekeeper / Clerk |
| Died: | Flying Battle, Rabaul, New Britain, Bismarck Archipelago, New Guinea, 12 October 1943, aged 28 years |
| Cemetery: |
Rabaul (Bita Paka) War Cemetery, Papua New Guinea (CWGC) Grave Reference Location ~ Plot H. Row D. Grave 12. Personal Inscription ~ "IN OUR GARDEN OF MEMORY WE MEET DAILY LOVIN WIFE MARJORIE, BRENDA AND FAMILY". |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour |
Biography contributed by Stephen Bonald
On 17 October 1943, Beaufighter A19-97 was part of a mission departing from Dobadura to strafe Tobera airstrip at Rabaul, Papua New Guinea. The formation of 12 aircraft encountered around 20 enemy Zeros and intense anti-aircraft fire. A19-97 was last seen making a climbing attack two miles east of the target but failed to return to base.
Crew members:
· Flying Officer Edward Burford Morris-Hadwell MID (Navigator)
· Flight Lieutenant Derrick Robert Stone MID (Pilot)
Both men were declared missing on 12 October 1943, in Beaufighter A19-97. Their remains were discovered 57 years later and interred at Bitapaka War Cemetery, East New Britain, Papua New Guinea, on 15 November 2000.
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