Page 74 - Memorial Groves

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John Knox Thomson (1937-39) John Irwin Vetter (1930-36) Flt Sgt David Julius Irwin (Jock) MacCleod Charles Ian Cox

John attended Hale School between 1937 and 1939 from John attended Hale School from South Perth between 1930 (1938-39) (1937-38)
Lake Mears, near Dangin. and 1936. His school report lists him as having average ability,
having a poor attitude and being only fair at games. G.R.S., RAAF Charles attended Hale School from
He joined the Royal Australian Air Force after the outbreak Died on Active Service: Rosedale, Victoria Katanning in 1937 and 1938. His
of the war and was eventually posted to No 20 Squadron, After the outbreak of war, he joined the Royal Australian Air 24 February 1945, aged 22 school records describe his ability
a unit which was to operate Catalina aircraft on long-range Force and trained as a flight mechanic. He was eventually as good, with excellent application.
operations out of Darwin. posted to No 11 Squadron which operated Catalina flying Jock attended Hale School from Kalamunda in 1938 and 1939. After leaving Upon leaving school he joined the
boats on the long range patrols into enemy held territory to school he studied law at the University of Western Australia while a resident at staff of the Commonwealth Bank and
He lost his life on 28 January 1945. the north of Australia.
St George's College. after the outbreak of war he joined
the Royal Australian Air Force and
Laid by Mr Tom Hoar, a former Deputy Headmaster On one such operation the aircraft was forced down by He joined the Royal Australian Air Force on 8 May 1943 and after qualifying as trained as a pilot.
of Hale School and himself a navigator with No 43 Japanese aircraft. The crew were held in a native hut on the a pilot he was posted to the General Reconnaissance School at Rosedale in
Squadron which operated Catalina aircraft out of island of Ambon. While there they managed to carve their Victoria. He was killed in a training flight on 24 February 1945. He was 22 years Subsequently he was posted to 35
Doctor's Gully in the port of Darwin during the war. names and details into the roof timbers and they remained of age. Transport Squadron and then later
undiscovered by their captors until later in the war.
into 200 Flight of the air force, which
Dedicated by Hale School and placed by Mr Tom Hoar, a former Deputy was associated with the highly secret
He and his fellow crew members, though prisoners-of-war, Headmaster of Hale School. operations of "Z" Force Special Unit
were executed at Ambon on the 6 February 1945. John was 24 which operated behind enemy lines
years of age.
Mr Hoar also served in the Royal Australian Air Force during World War II and to the north of Australia.
was also, like Jock MacCleod, a resident at St George's College while studying
Placed by his boyhood friend, Haleian Hew Mellor (1933-36).
at the University of WA. He was posted as 'Missing in
Action' on 25 March 1945 when
the Liberator bomber aircraft he
was flying disappeared while on an
operational flight supporting "Z"
Force operations.

Today the John Vetter Memorial Prize is awarded annually to the Year 11 Today his name is on the "Z" Force
memorial on Garden Island and also
on the Labuan memorial in Borneo.
boy at Hale School who shows noteworthy application in both his studies and
Laid by his brother, Haleian Dr Fred
extra-curricular activities. Cox (1939-40).