Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Ian Dunne was determined to join the Royal Australian Air Force as his elder brother, Wing Commander R A Dunne DFC, had. His first step was to join the new formed Air Training Corps, No 1 Wing 14 Squadron, as one of the original members in Victoria in July 1942.

On 23 April 1943 at the age of 18 years 6 months, Ian enlisted in the RAAF as an aircrew trainee and by the 9th September of that year he had been posted to No 8 EFTS (Elementary Flying Training School) Course 42 at Narrandera just across the border in New South Wales to commence his flying training. All went well such that by December 1943 Ian had completed his basic flying training accumulating some 60 hours on the Tiger Moth.

RAAF Command made the decision to send Ian as part of a draft of other aircrew trainees to Canada under the Empire Air Training Scheme. In January 1944 he was embarked on the US troopship USS Hermitage for San Diego and from there by train to Calgary, arriving there on 8th February 1944.

He was assigned to Course 102 at No 3 SFTS (Service Flying Training School) doing most of his training on the twin-engined Cessna Crane over the Canadian prairies. Ian would eventually accumulate some 210 hours on the Crane before being award his “wings” on 11 September 1944. Almost twelve months to the day since Ian had started his flying training.

Under normal circumstances he would expect to have travelled across Canada to the port of Halifax and thence by Atlantic convoy to the UK. Because of his twin-engine experience Ian would most likely be assigned to either Bomber Command or Coastal Command. By this stage of the war Royal Air Force has a surplus of pilots and the decision was made to return Course 102 back to Australia. Ian again travelled by a US troopship, the USS Monterey, arriving home in mid-January 1945.

After some months waiting for RAAF personnel authorities to decide what to do with him, Ian was posted to No 6 SFTS at Mallala, just north of Adelaide, in mid-May 1945. It was from here Ian was discharged from the RAAF on medical grounds in September 1946.

Ian would return to the Air Training Corps in South Australia in February 1955 and where he would continue to serve for the next 24 years before finally retiring in 1979 with the rank of Squadron Leader.

Ian Dunne was a young man typical of his generation who took their obligations to their homeland seriously and were prepared to serve their country for the duration of the war, however long that might have been. Many of them continue after the war in some public service capacity, helping mates with relationships that would last a lifetime, as well as upcoming generations of young men and women. They gave freely of their service and asked for nothing in return.