Ronald Wilford Parry was born in Bundaberg on 14 September 1924 to parents Louisa and Eric Parry.
Streets of Remembrance
Parry Street in Svensson Heights was named after Flight Sergeant Parry in July 1951, and his service has been commemorated through Council’s Streets of Remembrance program.
The Streets of Remembrance program sees the badge under which local veterans served added to the signs of Bundaberg Region streets named their honour.
Ronald Wilford Parry, Royal Australian Air Force, Service Number: 434265
Information on Flight Sergeant Parry’s life and service is from the Australian War Memorial and National Archives of Australia.
Ronald Parry's life and service
He attended Bundaberg South East State School and Bundaberg High School, and then began an apprenticeship in house painting and decorating at Bundaberg Technical School.
He played representative school football and was an amateur bicycle racer, coming second in the Queensland Championships in 1942, as noted in an early RAAF report.
At age 17, on 29 July 1942, he enrolled as a cadet in the Royal Australian Air Force and was initially posted to the No. 3 Wing 61st Squadron.
On 6 November 1942, he was able enlist in the RAAF, having reached the minimum age of enlistment.
During his RAAF career, he became air crew in November 1942 and airman pilot in July 1943, gaining the rank of Flight Sergeant.
His initial flight training was conducted at No. 5 Elementary Flying Training School in Narromine, NSW, before moving to No.5 Service Flying Training School in Uranquinty, NSW, followed by further training in Evans Head and Mildura.
He undertook Staff Pilot Training at the No.2 Wireless Air Gunners’ school in Maryborough in 1944.
In the last half of 1944, Flight Sergeant Parry recorded 114 flying hours, as Captain of Wackett, Wirraway and Kittyhawk aircraft and second pilot of a DH82 Tiger Moth.
On 20 December 1944, Flight Sergeant Parry was posted to No. 80 Squadron, a fighter squadron that formed in Townsville, Queensland, on 10 September 1943, and which operated in the South West Pacific during World War II.
Just a few weeks into his posting, on 13 January 1945, Flight Sergeant Parry and three other pilots were reported missing while conducting a ferrying flight of four Kittyhawk aircraft from Noemfoor Island to Morotai Island in Papua New Guinea.
Three of the pilots went off course and were forced to land on the then Japanese-held Talaud Islands.
They were captured by Japanese military, made prisoners of war, and were executed on 23 March 1945.
Flight Sergeant Parry and his aircraft were never found, and he was presumed dead.
He was just 20 years old.
With no known grave, Flight Sergeant Parry is commemorated on the Ambon Memorial, in Ambon, Indonesia.
He is also included on the Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour and the Bundaberg Civic Centre Memorial Portico.
Flight Sergeant Parry’s decorations include the Flying Badge, awarded in July 1943, the Pacific Star War Medal and the Australia Service Medal 1939-45.
Australian Heritage Festival
To celebrate the Australian Heritage Festival theme ‘connection’ Bundaberg Regional Council is highlighting the region’s history and its enduring link to aviation great and ex-serviceman Bert Hinkler.
Held from 18 April to 19 May, the National Trust festival celebrates Australia’s rich and diverse stories, strengthens cultural and historical ties and encourages the community to forge new bonds.
Read more stories in the series:
I must sincerely congratulate the Bundaberg Regional Council for the naming and dedication of this featured street sign after WW2 RAAF Flight Sergeant Ronald Parry (434265) .. Listed as MIA with no known grave, this is a remarkable recognition for a ‘son’ of Bundaberg who gave his life to the defence of our Nation and returns the ‘espirit’ of his memory back to the place he called home. The BRC ‘Streets of Remembrance’ project is to be respectfully commended.