| Places | |
|---|---|
| Accession Number | P07020.001 |
| Collection type | Photograph |
| Object type | Black & white - Print silver gelatin |
| Maker |
Unknown |
| Date made | c 1943 |
| Conflict |
Second World War, 1939-1945 |
| Copyright |
Item copyright: Copyright expired - public domain
|
Informal portrait of three members of the RAAF on a London street. Identified, left to right: ...
Description
Informal portrait of three members of the RAAF on a London street. Identified, left to right: 420849 Flying Officer (FO) Dudley Edgar Ball, 428996 Flying Officer Johan Frederick Osterman, and 424454 Flight Lieutenant Leonard John Plasto. Born in Essex, England, FO Ball worked as a mechanical draughtsman prior to enlisting with the RAAF on 6 December 1941 and training as a pilot. While attached to No 2 Gunnery Research Unit RAF in England, FO Ball was killed in an accident on 10 January 1945, aged 24. It was reported that the Mosquito aircraft hit a tree in poor visibility weather during a non-operational flight at East Yorkshire, England. PO Ball was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross on 12 July 1945 for his "skill and fortitude in operations against the enemy."