Ashbolt, Harry Sheperdson (Flight Sergeant, b.1922 – d. 1944)

Collection relating to the Second World War service of 415064 Flight Sergeant Harry Sheperdson Ashbolt, 31 Squadron, Royal Australian Air Force, Australia, 1941-1944.

Wallet 1 of 1 – Consists of one Flying Log Book relating to Flight Sergeant Ashbolt. This log book contains entries dated between 21 September 1941 and 20 April 1944, detailing Flight Sergeant Ashbolt’s training and service with 31 Squadron in Western Australia, New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland and Northern Territory. Entries record information such as dates and times of flights, aircraft types and numbers, certificates of qualifications, assessments and purposes of flights. Purposes of flights include training in gunnery, reconnaissance, bombing, photography, transportation, instruments, cross country, formation flying and operational flights. The final entry in this log book is dated 15 April 1944, when Flight Sergeant Ashbolt failed to return from a strike operation on Soe Village, Timor.

Flight Sergeant Harry Sheperdson Ashbolt enlisted in the Royal Australian Air Forces in Perth, Western Australia on 23 June 1941. From June 1941 to October 1943 he completed training in general flying and specialist gunnery in Western Australia, Victoria and Queensland. He then completed operational training in New South Wales in January 1944. Flight Sergeant Ashbolt served with 31 Squadron in Northern Territory from 21 January 1944. Flight Sergeant was listed as ‘Missing Believed Dead’ after his aircraft failed to return after performing air operations in Timor on 15 April 1944. He is commemorated at the Northern Territory Memorial, Adelaide River War Cemetery, Northern Territory.