LEST WE FORGET
Flight Lieutenant Francis Reginald BARKER DFC
Service No: 403148
Born: Surabaya, Java, 6 April 1921
Enlisted in the RAAF: 9 December 1940 (at Sydney NSW)
Unit: No. 107 Maintenance Unit RAF
Awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC), 1 October 1943
Died: Aircraft Accident (No. 107 Maintenance Unit Typhoon aircraft R8891), Egypt, 7 August 1944, Aged 23 Years
Buried: Heliopolis War Cemetery, Cairo, Egypt
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Harry Reginald and Doris Eugenie Barker, of Elwood, Victoria, Australia
Roll of Honour: Tatura VIC
Remembered: Panel 118, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
DFC Citation (for service with No. 145 Squadron RAF): “Flying Officer Barker has always displayed great eagerness to engage the enemy in combat. This officer has destroyed two and shared in the destruction of three enemy aircraft. His reliability and determination together with his powers of leadership have been a great asset to his Squadron.” (London Gazette 1 October 1943, page 4357)
During a non-operational air test on 7 August 1944, Typhoon R8891 flown by Flight Lieutenant Barker crashed at approximately 1200 hours, 2.5 miles north of the Cairo-Suez Road, Egypt, and he was killed. It appeared from the wreckage that the aircraft for some unknown reason was flying low and flew into rising ground.
References:
Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour On-Line Records (RAAF Casualty Information compiled by Alan Storr (409804))
Commonwealth War Graves Commission On-Line Records
Department of Veterans’ Affairs On-Line WWII Nominal Roll
National Archives of Australia On-Line Record A705, 166/5/643
Bibliography:
Ilbery, P.L.T. (Peter Leslie Thomas) (422957) Hatching an Air Force: 2SFTS, 5SFTS, 1BFTS Uranquinty and Wagga Wagga, Banner Books Maryborough QLD 4650, 2002