STONE, Derrick Robert
| 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 |
World War 2 Service
| 3 Feb 1936: | Enlisted Royal Australian Air Force, Flight Lieutenant, 3406, No. 30 Squadron (RAAF) | |
|---|---|---|
| 3 Sep 1939: | Involvement Flight Lieutenant, 3406 | |
| 12 Oct 1943: | Honoured Mention in Dispatches, New Britain | |
| Date unknown: | Enlisted Royal Australian Air Force, Flight Lieutenant, 3406, No. 30 Squadron (RAAF) |
Help us honour Derrick Robert Stone's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography 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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