321

404645 W/O. Keith McFarlane MOON.
Parents - Mr. & Mrs. A.W. Moon of Te Uku, Via Frankton Junction.

Keith Moon was born at Hamilton on the 18th October 1921 and received his secondary education at the High School there. He was a member of the 4th Waikato Mounted Rifles. His civilian occupation at the time of applying for enlistment in aircrew on the 20th December 1939 was that of a storeman and driver with Mr. J.A. Lee at Te Uku.

W/O Moon was enlisted at the Initial Training Wing, Levin on the 24th November 1940 and embarked for Canada by the "Empress of Russia" on the 6th January 1941 for training under the Empire Air Training Scheme.

Shortly after arrival in Canada he was posted on the 27th January to No 1 Wireless School, Montreal, Quebec, and then on the 23rd June to No. 4 Bomber and Gunnery School, Fingal, Ontario, where on the 21st July he was awarded the Wireless Operator/Air Gunner badge and promoted to Sergeant. While in the United Kingdom on the 1st April 1942 he was further promoted ot Flight Sergeant and on the 1st May 1943 to Warrant Officer. Meantime on the 26th July 1941 he had proceeded to No. 1 "M" Depot, Debert, Nova Scotia, for embarkation to the United Kingdom.

W/O Moon arrived at No. 3 Personnel Reception Centre, Bournemouth, on the 15th September and was posted on the 29th of the month to No. 1 Signals School, Cranwell, Lincolnshire. Early in January 1942 he proceeded to the Middle East and was held at the aircrew pool, Helwan, Egypt, until posting late in August to No. 70 Operational Training Unit, Nakuru, Nairobi, where he trained on Blenheim aircraft. On the 19th November he was posted to No. 52 Squadron first at Mosul in Iraq and later at Landing Grounds in the Western Desert and then Protvillem, Tunisia. With this Unit he took part in seven operational flights as Wireless Operator Air Gunner of Baltimore aircraft, being four anti submarine patrols and three reconnaissance shipping patrols.

W/O Moon was a member of the crew of a Baltimore aircraft engaged during the 9th April 1943 in a patrol along the North African Coast. The aircraft failed to return to its base and all the crew including W/O. Moon were classified as missing. In due course his death was officially presumed to have occurred on the 9th July 1943.

A Post War casualty search of the area in which the aircraft was reported missing failed to disclose any trace of either the aircraft or the members/