Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

William George Ronald Binnie was born on the 1st of December 1915 to William Dunn Binnie and Agnes Marguerite Marie Binnie in Annerley, Queensland. He worked as a commercial traveler for Martin Wilson Brothers Pty Ltd and served ten months in the 26th Battalion before enlisting in the Royal Australian Air Force, on the 27th of June 1941.

After basic training and officer selection, William was posted to 1 A.O.S from the 28th of May 1942 to the 20th of August 1942, 1 B.A.G.S from the 26th of September 1942 to the 26th of November 1942, 5 O.T.U 12th of December 1942 to the 1st of March 1943 and then finally 30 Squadron on the 15th of March 1943.

At 30 Squadron, William was involved in various ariel sorties, an extract from Flying Officer Binnie’s flying log reads –

·         18 March 1943 – Strafe Moresby – Madang – Finschafen – Moresby

·         24 March 1943 – Strafe Wards – Mubo – Wards

·         4 April 1943 – Strafe Wards – Heaths – Wards

·         23 April 1943 – Strafe Wards – Komiatum – Wards

·         8 May 1943 – Strafe Stripe and Ships Wards – Madang – Wards

·         11 June 1943 – Strafe Boana

·         25 July 1943 – Armed Recce – Attacked 150 Ton Ship, left burning

·         14 August 1943 – Armed Recce – Goodenough – C.Kwoi – Ring Ring - Goodenough

·         9 September 1943 – Carrying out armed Recce of road skirting New Britian – Reported missing on operations.

(page 13 from WW2 records NAA Website)

The fate of Flying Officer Binnie and his crew is detailed in this extract from his Second World War record, page 5 –

“On the 9th of September 1943, whilst carrying out an armed reconnaissance of the road skirting the South Coast of New Britain, Beaufighter A19-132 was hit by ack ack fire and a large hole was seen in the wing by the accompanying aircraft. A19-132 headed out to sea, losing height and was finally ditched about 30 miles off the coast. All three occupants were seen to emerge, but no dinghy and the aircraft sank in a few seconds. The aircraft dropped ab extra Mae West and reported the occurrence to base. An aircraft was sent out from Vivigani at dusk and arrived in the area of the crash an hour later. The pilot thought he saw three objects in the water and dropped a dinghy. A flight of Beaufighters and Bostons arrived over the area at light the following morning. Three officers were discovered in a few minutes of arrival but were later lost from view. They were discovered again at 1230 hours and a number of dinghies were dropped and all occupants climbed aboard. Food, water and clothing had been dropped and all occupants were alive. A patrol was carried out until dark. A search next morning revealed two empty dinghies on the shore of New Britian and it is considered that the occupants were washed ashore in the dinghy and probably safe. In the crew were F.O J.R Newman and passenger Capt T. F Gill of the New Guinea Air Liaison Group. The occupants were taken prisoner and executed. Their names appear in the records of the War Crimes Tribunal held postwar in the Admiralty Islands.”

Brother William George Ronald Binnie was initiated into Northern Travelers’ Lodge No. 384, holdon under the United Grand Lodge of Queensland, on the 17th of February 1940.

References –

·         NAA Website

·         VWMA Website

Courtesy of Samual Cox

RAAF 30SQN Beaufighter A19-132 was hit by Japanese anti-aircraft fire and forced to ditch into the ocean off Palmalmal Plantation on the south coast of New Britain on 9 September 1943 - all crew were seen in dinghies the next day but they did not survive.  They have no known grave and are all are listed on the Rabaul Memorial in New Britain.

Captain Thomas Fergusson Gill SX4550 of Number 1 Australian Air Liaison Section - army observer

Flying Officer John Robert Newman 404733 and Flying Officer William George Ronald Binnie 43192 - crew