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Eric Reginald BARTON DFC 1923-2019

World War II hero

Eric Reginald Barton was born on 30 March 1923 in Sydney, the son of Reginald Francis Barton(1898-1986) and Lillian Gertrude nee Baboo (1896-1992). Reginald had been born in Kew, Victoria in 1898  and Lillian born in Brisbane in 1896. They married in 1921 in Waverley and lived at Coogee. Later they moved to the St George area and then to Cronulla. When Reginald died in 1986 and Lillian in 1992 they were buried at Woronora Cemetery.

Eric Barton joined the RAAF in 1942 at the age of eighteen and completed his training to become a pilot. He flew Lancaster bombers with RAF 186 Squadron and completed 45 missions over German Occupied Europe. During one mission against German battleships in Norway, his aircraft was damaged but, showing great skill, Flying Officer Barton brought his aircraft and seven crew safely home. For this effort, he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) by King George VI.

In April 1945 Eric Barton married RAF nurse Elizabeth Knox in Edinburgh. After the war they returned to Australia and lived in Kogarah and later Cronulla. Eric studied accountancy, held a commercial pilot’s licence and worked in animal health.

He was a founding member of the Bomber Command Association in Australia and Vice-President of the Pathfinder Force Association. The Pathfinder Force (PFF) was a special target finding and marking unit within Bomber Command in Britain during WWII and essential to the bombing campaign against Germany. Members were regarded as elite and wore a special badge. One of the Lancaster bombers used by PFF, known as G for George, is now installed in the Aeroplane Hall at the Australian War Memorial (AWM) in Canberra.

In 2015 Eric Barton was one of the eight WWII veterans chosen to represent Australia at the VE Day commemorations to mark the 70th anniversary of victory in Europe. In Paris, as one of 14 Australian veterans who fought for the liberation of France, he was conferred the rank of Knight of the Legion of Honour by President Francois Hollande for his part in the D Day landings and subsequent liberation of France.

Elizabeth Barton died in 2002 and was cremated at Woronora Cemetery. Eric Barton died on 28 February 2019. His funeral service at the South Chapel of the Woronora Crematorium was attended by RAAF staff from the Richmond air base and Cronulla RSL Sub-branch members who formed a guard of honour. As a further tribute, the Royal Australian Air Force conducted a flypast over Sutherland Shire and the Woronora Crematorium by a C-130J Hercules bomber at 2pm and a second flypast at 2.05pm flying at around 75 metres. The C-130J Hercules is operated by No.37 Squadron at RAAF Base Richmond which has a strong connection with the Bomber Command Association and the Pathfinders. A tribute to him from Air Chief Marshal Sir Angus Huston (Ret’d) was read by his son John.

Colleen Passfield 2019

Click on the underlined name, Eric Reginald Barton, at the heading of this story and you will be taken to his entry in the database.

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