The Last Post Ceremony commemorating the service of (403228) Flight Lieutenant Ronald Barnard Sneddon, No. 451 Squadron, Royal Australian Air Force, Second World War.

The Last Post Ceremony is presented in the Commemorative area of the Australian War Memorial each day. The ceremony commemorates more than 102,000 Australians who have given their lives in war and other operations and whose names are recorded on the Roll of Honour. At each ceremony the story behind one of the names on the Roll of Honour is told. Hosted by Richard Cruise, the story for this day was on (403228) Flight Lieutenant Ronald Barnard Sneddon, No. 451 Squadron, Royal Australian Air Force, Second World War.

403228 Flight Lieutenant Ronald Barnard Sneddon, No. 451 Squadron, Royal Australian Air Force
KIA 12 May 1944
Photograph: P00869.028; P00869.017 (group)

Story delivered 25 January 2016

Today we pay tribute to Flight Lieutenant Ronald Barnard Sneddon, who was killed on active service with the Royal Australian Air Force in 1944.

Born on 15 January 1922 in Strathfield, New South Wales, Ronald Barnard Sneddon was the son of Ronald Johnston and Mollie Sneddon. He attended Scots College in Sydney’s eastern suburbs, where he was a member of the school cadets for two years. Shortly after leaving school, Sneddon enlisted in the Royal Australian Air Force as a Pilot Officer on 18 July 1940.

Sneddon trained as a pilot, and in May 1941 he embarked for overseas service. As part of the Empire Air Training Scheme, Sneddon was one of almost 27,000 RAAF pilots, navigators, wireless operators, gunners, and engineers who joined British and Commonwealth squadrons in Europe throughout the course of the war.

He attended training schools in southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) and Palestine, and became skilled at flying Tiger Moths, Harvards, and Hurricanes. Upon completion of his training in May 1942 Sneddon was posted to No. 451 Squadron, RAAF, a fighter squadron based in North Africa and the Mediterranean.

In early 1944 No. 451 Squadron was re-equipped with Spitfire fighters, and in mid-February arrived on the Mediterranean island of Corsica. The island would be the squadron’s base for its next assignment of supporting Allied operations in southern Europe, including the campaign in Italy and the Allied invasions of Elba and southern France.

On 12 May 1944 a German air raid occurred on the Allies’ aerodrome at Corsica, where Sneddon was based as a flight lieutenant. Pathfinder aircraft dropped flares, lighting up the aerodrome and surrounding areas, and followed up with low-level bombing and strafing. Most of the men were asleep in tents at the time of the raid, and some were able to take shelter in slit trenches. Sneddon was hit during the attack, and died of his injuries that night. He was 22 years old.

Sneddon’s body is buried in the British War Cemetery at Biguglia, in northern Corsica. His name is listed on the Roll of Honour on my left, along with some 40,000 others who died serving in the Second World War. His photograph is displayed today beside the Pool of Reflection.

This is but one of the many stories of service and sacrifice told here at the Australian War Memorial. We now remember Flight Lieutenant Ronald Barnard Sneddon, who gave his life for us, for our freedoms, and in the hope of a better world.

Lucy Robertson
Volunteer, Military History Section