LEST WE FORGET
Warrant Officer Arthur Joseph HYNES
Service No: 419269
Born: Ballarat VIC, 10 November 1923
Enlisted in the RAAF: 17 July 1942
Unit: No. 601 Squadron (RAF)
Died: Air Operations: (No. 601 Squadron Spitfire aircraft PT648), Italy, 10 November 1944, Aged 21 Years
Buried: Faenza War Cemetery, Italy
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Arthur Eugene and Bridget Mary Hynes, of Ballarat, Victoria, Australia
Roll of Honour: Unknown
Remembered: Panel 124, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
At 1015 hours on the 10 November 1944, Spitfire PT648 took off from Fano airfield, Italy detailed to hit three Field Guns in the Forlie/Faenza area. Each aircraft in the formation carried one 500 lb bomb. The formation arrived over the target area at approximately 1045 hours and formed up to attack. Moderate to light anti-aircraft fire came up from the area. The Formation Leader led the formation down into a bomb dive with Warrant Officer Hynes being No 6. As the Leader was pulling out of his dive he noticed that No. 6 was streaming white smoke and was flying at 300 feet never having pulled out of his bomb dive. The aircraft continued to dive, exploded on impact with the ground and burst into flames. It was considered that PT 648 had been hit by anti-aircraft fire. No parachute was seen to leave the aircraft and Warrant Officer Hynes was killed.
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, 166/18/524