EASTON, Donald Murray
| Service Number: | 432498 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 2 January 1943 |
| Last Rank: | Flight Sergeant |
| Last Unit: | No. 61 Squadron (RAF) |
| Born: | Moonee Ponds, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 26 July 1924 |
| Home Town: | Canberra, Australian Capital Territory |
| Schooling: | Telopea Park Primary School, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory |
| Occupation: | Public Servant |
| Died: | Flying Battle, Germany, 21 March 1945, aged 20 years |
| Cemetery: |
Durnbach War Cemetery, Germany Grave 5.C.19 |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Barton St Andrew's Presbyterian Church Roll of Honour, International Bomber Command Centre Memorial |
World War 2 Service
| 3 Sep 1939: | Involvement Flight Sergeant, 432498 | |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Jan 1943: | Enlisted Royal Australian Air Force, Flight Sergeant, 432498, No. 61 Squadron (RAF) | |
| 21 Mar 1945: | Involvement Royal Australian Air Force, Flight Sergeant, No. 61 Squadron (RAF) |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Rosemary Ritorto
"Flight Sergeant Donald Murray Easton (432498)
Royal Australian Air Force
Donald Murray Easton was born on 26 July 1924 at Moonee Ponds, Melbourne. He was the only son of Murray and Alice Easton and a friend of Selwyn De Vis, also listed on Telopea Park School’s Roll of Honour.
Donald Easton was educated at Ainslie Primary School, then enrolled at Telopea Park Primary School on 2 February 1932 when he was six years old. He began high school at Telopea Park Intermediate High School and then transferred to Canberra High School in 1936. He passed the Leaving Certificate and entered the Commonwealth Public Service in the Courts and Titles Branch of the Attorney-General’s Department.
He was a foundation member of the Air Training Corps (No. 43 Canberra Squadron) under Squadron Leader W. G. Woodger. Enlisting in the RAAF in January 1943 at age eighteen, he trained initially at Evans Head, NSW and Mary-borough, Queensland and qualified as a wireless operator and air gunner.
In early November 1943 he left for England where he trained on Wellington and Stirling bombers. He was then attached to 61 Squadron, Bomber Command, RAF based at Skellingthorpe, near Lincoln as a wireless operator on Lancasters. His captain was Flying Officer John Swales of Sydney. The rest of the crew were members of the RAF.
His first operational flight was on 1 November 1944 to Hamburg, Germany. He had over four hundred and fifty flying hours to his credit and twenty-five operations, mostly night raids of up to nine to ten hours flying time each.
The twenty-fifth operation was on 20-21 March 1945 to Bohlen near Leipzig towards the Russian border. The Lancaster was badly ‘coned’ by enemy fire. In an effort to get safely back to base the pilot flew further south to avoid concentrated fire over France but the aircraft exploded over a village near Frankfurt. Donald Easton was twenty. The explosion was not confirmed until nearly two years later.
Donald Easton is buried in the Durnbach War Cemetery, Bad Tolz Bayern, Germany in grave 5.C.19. His name is on Panel 121 on the Roll of Honour at the Australian War Memorial, Canberra.
Information kindly supplied by Esther Davies, archivist at Telopea Park School.
Archives and Heritage Committee"
Source: Church of St Andrew Canberra 2022, The Echo, No. 376, March 2022, Presbyterian Church of Australia, accessed online via free subscription.
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