LEST WE FORGET
Sergeant Arthur Ronald ROSS
Service No: 433226
Born: Teralba NSW, 25 January 1925
Enlisted in the RAAF: 27 February 1943
Unit: No. 2 Operational Training Unit
Died: Aircraft Accident (No. 2 Operational Training Unit Kittyhawk aircraft A29-22), near Mildura, 26 March 1944, Aged 19 Years
Buried: Mildura Public Cemetery, Victoria
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Donald and Amy Theodora Ross, of Hurstville, New South Wales
Roll of Honour: Hurstville NSW
Remembered: Panel 112, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
Remembered: Hurstville War Memorial, Hurtsville NSW
On 26 March 1944, Kittyhawk A29-22 flown by Sergeant Ross was flying towards Gol Gol Bombing and Gunnery range to carry out an air to ground gunnery exercise, when at 1215 hours it collided with Spitfire A58-123 about 10 miles north of the Mildura aerodrome. Both Pilot Officer Inger in A58-123 and Flight Lieutenant Eric Blair Tainton (Instructor) (402009) (Discharged: 30 October 1945) in another Spitfire were proceeding to the air to ground gunnery range, when Flight Lieutenant Maurice Arthur Blake (407404) (Discharged: 8 October 1945) in a Kittyhawk and Sergeant Ross his No. 2 made an attack on the Spitfire aircraft. Both Spitfire pilots broke to the left and Sergeant Ross in A29-22 collided with Spitfire A58-123 flown by Pilot Officer Inger, the port main plane of the Kittyhawk striking the Spitfire just behind the cockpit, and the propeller of the Kittyhawk chewed the starboard wing tip off the Spitfire. The Kittyhawk went out of control and crashed and the Spitfire returned to base badly damaged.
The Pilots were:
Pilot Officer Frederick John Inger (O31424) (Pilot Spitfire A58-123) Uninjured, Discharged from the RAAF: 2 December 1968
Sergeant Arthur Ronald Ross (433226) (Pilot Kittyhawk A29-22)
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, 166/36/226; A9845, 25
Register of War Memorials in New South Wales On-Line