LEST WE FORGET
Flying Officer Kenneth Edward CLARK
Service No: 435163
Born: Sydney NSW, 23 February 1925
Enlisted in the RAAF: 26 March 1943 (at Brisbane QLD)
Unit: No. 22 Squadron
Died: Air Operations: (No. 22 Squadron Boston aircraft A28-50), off Aroe Island, 25 September 1944, Aged 19 Years
Buried: Unrecovered
CWGC Additional Information: Son of John Henry and Ida Evelyn Clark, of Toowong, Queensland, Australia
Roll of Honour: Unknown
Remembered: Column 8, Ambon Memorial, Indonesia
Remembered: Panel 101, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
On the 25 September 1944, Boston A28-50 was one of four aircraft in a formation detailed to carry out barge sweeps in the vicinity of Aroe Island. The aircraft took off from Noemfoor Island, and when returning up the west coast off Taberfane, the pilot of A28-50 called the attention of his Commanding Officer Squadron Leader Colin Errol Woodman (169) (Discharged: 18 October 1945) in A28-60 to a float plane in the water. A28-50 then went down to inspect the area and was followed by A28-60. The pilot of A28-60 saw A28-50 nose down slightly from 150 feet in the turn, which was apparently normal at first, although no attempt at recovery was seen, and A28-50 struck the water with its nose and port wing and disintegrated. A28-60 searched the area for some time, during which anti-aircraft fire was observed falling in the water, but the only objects seen were an inflated dinghy, petrol tank and small pieces of wreckage. There was no sign of the missing crew members.
The crew members of A28-50 were:
Flying Officer Kenneth Edward Clark (435163) (Navigator)
Flying Officer John Edward Warren (402424) (Pilot)
References:
Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour On-Line Records
Commonwealth War Graves Commission On-Line Records
Department of Veterans’ Affairs On-Line WWII Nominal Roll
National Archives of Australia On-Line Record A705, 166/7/650