LEST WE FORGET
Sergeant Colin George SAUNDERS
Service No: 413264
Born: Scone NSW, 24 November 1921
Enlisted in the RAAF: 16 August 1941
Unit: No. 14 Squadron, RAAF Station Pearce WA
Died: Aircraft Accident: (No. 14 Squadron Beaufort aircraft A9-174), near RAAF Station Pearce WA, 7 January 1943, Aged 21 Years
Buried: Karrakatta War Cemetery WA
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Samuel George and Dorothy Hilda Saunders; of Willow Tree, New South Wales.
Roll of Honour: Quirindi NSW
Remembered: Panel 100, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
Remembered: Quirindi Town Clock and War Memorial, Quirindi NSW
A9-174 captained by Pilot Officer W.B. DIMELOW preparatory to patrolling sector 5 took off at 0530 hours. Almost immediately after becoming airborne the aircraft flew into a light fog bank off the windward end of the 045 degree runway. The aircraft crashed into timbered country about one and a half miles from the aerodrome boundary. The aircraft was completely destroyed and all occupants fatally injured. One 250 lb (pound) bomb exploded as a result of the fire. The remains of the aircraft were salvaged by No. 17 Repair and Salvage Unit.
No. 14 Squadron Operations Record Book A50 Entry dated 7 January 1943
The crew members of A9-174 were:
Sergeant John Burniston Arnett (403235) (Navigator Bomb Aimer)
Pilot Officer William Bruce Dimelow (408980) (Pilot)
Sergeant Colin George Saunders (413264) (Wireless Air Gunner)
Aircraftman Class 1 John Frederick Taylor (46321) (Wireless Mechanic)
Sergeant Newton George Wilson (29624) (Wireless Air Gunner)
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
Metropolitan Cemeteries Board (Perth) On-Line Records
National Archives of Australia On-line Record A9845, 246
Register of War Memorials in New South Wales On-Line
Bibliography:
Wilson, S. (Stewart) Beaufort, Beaufighter and Mosquito in Australian Service, Aerospace Publications Weston Creek ACT 2611, 1990