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Ronald Lavender Baker
NZ391337 (prev A391337); born Nethem, Surrey, England 29 Mar 1920; to NZ in 1920; Wgtn Coll; apprentice fitter & turner - NZR, Lower Hutt. NZ Army/TF 3 yrs 8 mths; RNZAF Civil Reserve Pilot/Wgtn Aero Club Dec 38, [flew 11 hrs prior RNZAF], RNZAF Levin/GTS as Airman Pilot u/t 20 Nov 39, 1EFTS 16 Jan 40, 1FTS 11 Mar 40, Pilots Badge [wef 7.5.40] & Sgt 28 Jun 40, att RAF & emb for UK 12 Jul 40, 1 Depôt 27 Aug 40, 6OTU (Hurricane) 11 Sep 40, 79 Sqn (Hurricane - 63 ops) 7 Jan 41, 247 Sqn (Hurricane - 23 ops) 22 May 41 [att battleship HMS Prince of Wales 'for a short cruise' 22 Oct-4 Nov], emb for Gold Coast West Africa 5 Nov 41, Fighter Defence Flt at Takoradi (Hurricane) 10 Nov 41, ferried Hurricane to Egypt via Nigeria & Sudan 18-23 Nov 41, Cairo Houseboat 23 Nov 41, HQ ME Pool 25 Nov 41, 107MU 27 Nov 41, 73 Sqn (Hurricane - 117 ops) 21 Dec 41, inj when a/c crashed after e/f on t/off during scramble 5 Feb 42 [& HQ ME (hosp/sick leave?) until 20 Mar, sick leave 9-17 May, hosp 27 May-19 Jun], Comm 5 Jul 42, 71OTU (fighters) as instr 4 Nov 42, emb for UK c.23 Mar 43, Uxbridge/NES c.30 Jun 43, 57OTU (Spitfire) 29 Jul 43, 485 Sqn RNZAF (Spitfire - 3 ops) 9 Oct 43, kao 20 Oct 43. Eernegem Communal Cemetery, West Flanders, Belgium. Son of Albert Victor & Sarah Christina Baker (née Tod), Wgtn; h of Margaret Gwenda Baker (née Hughes), Khandallah, Wgtn. Note: credited with 2 e/a dest, 1 prob & 3 dam [or 2 dest, ¼ shared dest, 2 prob, 3 dam?]. [OHT3 & phot. TWN 10.7.40 & 5.1.44].
Wed 20 Oct 1943
FIGHTER COMMAND
Rodeo 263 - sweep over Lille and Vitry, France
485 Squadron, RNZAF (Hornchurch, Essex - 11 Group)
Spitfire LF.IX JK762 - took off at 0905 as ‘Blue 4’, being one of two which failed to return. The missing Spitfires were brought down during an engagement with enemy fighters over Belgium near Ostend, both crashing near Eernegem, 12km SE of Ostend. Both pilots are buried at Eernegem. A third Squadron member, Plt Off F Transom, RNZAF, nursed his badly damaged machine back to England, where he was obliged to abandon it. On parachuting safely to earth he was then collected by a Tiger Moth, which crashed on its way to Hornchurch, slightly injuring him.
Pilot: NZ413510 Fg Off John Gordon THOMSON, cvsa, RNZAF - Age 21. 560hrs. 21 ops.
The CWGC register entry for Thomson credits him with an mid rather than a cvsa.
485 Squadron, RNZAF (Hornchurch, Essex - 11 Group)
Spitfire LF.IX EN559 - took off at 0905 as ‘Blue 2’, and lost as described in the above entry. (Note: While post-war casualty documents record the Spitfire serials for Thomson and Baker as shown, the Squadron ORB features them in reverse order.)
Pilot: NZ391337 Fg Off Ronald Lavender BAKER, RNZAF - Age 23. 204th op.
This was Baker’s third op with the Squadron, the others being undertaken with 79, 247 and 73 Sqns, RAF.
79 squadron
247 squadron
73 squadron
485 squadron (NZ)
Died 20 October 1943
Age 23
Eernegem, Belgium.
CAUSE OF DEATH Killed in Action.
CEMETERY Eernegem Communal Cemetery, Ichtegem, West Vlaanderen, Belgium Eastern side
