Service Numbers: 417275, 417265
Enlisted: 28 February 1942, Adelaide
Last Rank: Flight Sergeant
Last Unit: No. 463 Squadron (RAAF)
Born: Kangaroo Island, SA, 7 October 1917
Home Town: Tarlee, Clare and Gilbert Valleys, South Australia
Died: Air Combat Operations NW Europe, North West Europe, 27 January 1944, aged 26 years
Memorials: Adelaide WW2 Wall of Remembrance, Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Riverton & District War Memorial Pool Memorial and Flagpole, Runnymede Air Forces Memorial, Tarlee & District Honour Roll WW2
28 Feb 1942: Involvement Leading Aircraftman, SN 417275, Aircrew Training Units, Empire Air Training Scheme
28 Feb 1942: Enlisted Aircraftman, SN 417275, Adelaide
27 Jan 1944: Involvement Flight Sergeant, SN 417265, No. 463 Squadron (RAAF), Air War NW Europe 1939-45
Item details for: A9301, 417275
Item details for: A8231, 2/BARRETT DOUGLAS GEORGE
Item details for: A705, 166/5/414
Item details for: AWM65, 212
National Archives Australia
For sources and more details, click here
Descendants of :
George William Read BARRETT was born 13 Aug 1889 in Hawker, SA and died 09 Jan 1958 in Riverton, SA. He married Jane TURNER 03 Mar 1915 in Wisanger, Kangaroo Island, SA. She was born 24 Nov 1883 in Smiths Bay, Kangaroo Island, SA and died 21 Nov 1974, daughter of George TURNER and Mary Amelia ROPER.
Children of George William Read BARRETT and Jane TURNER:
i. Wilfred BARRETT was born 29 Oct 1915 in Wisanger, Kangaroo Island, SA
ii. Robert Owen BARRETT was born 05 Oct 1916 in Wisanger, Kangaroo Island, SA and died 20 Oct 2012 in Riverton, SA
iii. Douglas George BARRETT was born 07 Oct 1917 in Wisanger, Kangaroo Island, SA and died 27 Jan 1944 in Waltersdorf, Germany
iv. Roland Wilfred BARRETT was born 31 Dec 1918 in Mintaro, SA and died 06 Nov 1992
v. Lois Mary BARRETT was born 29 Jul 1927 in Riverton, SA
Last updated : 5 June 2021
The Australian War Memorial in Canberra will this afternoon commemorate the service and sacrifice of Kangaroo Island resident Flight Sergeant Douglas George Barrett at the Last Post Ceremony.
Pictured back row left, Douglas Barrett died January 27, 1944 on bomber operations over north west Europe.
The Last Post ceremony is held at 4.30pm every day in the Commemorative area of the Australian War Memorial.
Each ceremony shares the story behind one of 103,000 names on the Roll of Honour.
To date, the Memorial has delivered more than 3800 ceremonies, and it would take more than 280 years to read the story behind each of the 103,000 names listed.
On November 25, 1943, Douglas Barrett was posted to No. 463 Squadron, RAAF, part of Bomber Command’s No. 5 Group, which conducted night-time bombing raids over Germany.
On the night of January 27, 1944, during Barrett’s 7th sortie with his squadron, his aircraft went missing during a raid on Berlin.
An investigation later revealed that Lancaster JO-L was caught in heavy anti-aircraft fire and exploded in mid-air, the wreckage crashing 16 km south-west of Berlin.
None of the seven crew members survived.
Douglas Barrett was 26 years old.
11 July 2025 (Facebook)