LEST WE FORGET
Warrant Officer Clyde Leonard KING
Service No: 425674
Born: Maryborough QLD, 7 November 1921
Enlisted in the RAAF: 25 April 1942
Unit: No. 25 Squadron, RAAF Station Pearce WA
Died: Aircraft Accident (No. 25 Squadron Vultee Vengeance aircraft A27-295), Burakin area WA, 27 August 1944, Aged 22 Years
Buried: Unrecovered
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Thomas Orpen King and Harriet May King, of Runcorn, Queensland.
Roll of Honour: Unknown
Remembered: Panel 5, Sydney Memorial, Rookwood NSW
Remembered: Panel 102, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
Four aircraft from “B” Flight set out individually on a cross-country flight PEARCE-CORRIGIN-BURAKIN-PEARCE. Three details completed the flight, despite in place unfavourable weather conditions. The fourth, Vengeance A27-295 of “B” Flight, Crew Warrant Officer Allan Jack Ingram (413773) (Pilot) (1) and Flight Sergeant Clyde Leonard King (425674) (Nav W) failed to return to base. This detail departed PEARCE at 0825 hours. At 1055 hours and again at 1100 hours, SOS signals were received from this aircraft. It was obvious, however, that the signals sent in reply from base were not being received by A27-295 (O for Oboe). D/F (direction finding) plots indicated that the aircraft was over BURAKIN at this time. One Beaufort piloted by Flight Lieutenant J. HOBBS was despatched to search the BURAKIN area.
No. 25 Squadron Operations Record Book A50 Entry dated 27 August 1944
One of the searching Beauforts, piloted by F/Lt. HUMPHRIES found a parachute in position 32’08S 119’18E (just east of the rabbit-proof fence). About the same time, W/Off INGRAM, the pilot of A27-295 had reached a farm house, 1 mile north of MURRAY ROCK and about 15 miles from the position where he had made a successful parachute landing five days before.
No. 25 Squadron Operations Record Book A50 Entry dated 31 August 1944
Despite one of the most extensive searches in WA history, no trace of Warrant Officer King has ever been found.
(1) Warrant Officer Ingram was discharged from the RAAF on 16 January 1946.
References:
Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour On-Line Records
Commonwealth War Graves Commission On-Line Records
Department of Veteran’s Affairs On-Line WWII Nominal Roll
National Archives of Australia On-Line Record A9845, 223
Bibliography:
This aircraft accident and the ensuing search is the subject of the book by Page, C. (Charles) Vengeance of the Outback: A Wartime Air Mystery of Western Australia, Shire of Yilgarn WA, 2001