Roberts Dunstan

Roberts Dunstan
Roberts Dunstan leaning against the rear turret of a Lancaster bomber
Born	5 November 1922 Bendigo, Victoria
Died	11 October 1989 Melbourne
Allegiance	Australia
Service/branch	Second Australian Imperial Force Royal Australian Air Force
Years of service	1940–1945
Rank	Flight Lieutenant
Battles/wars	Second World War
Awards	Distinguished Service Order
Other work	Minister of Water Supply Minister of Public Works

Roberts Christian "Bob" Dunstan DSO (5 November 1922 – 11 October 1989) was an Australian soldier and aviator during the Second World War. He was notable, among other things, for:

Dunstan was born in Bendigo, Victoria on 5 November 1922 and attended Geelong Grammar School between 1934 and 1939.

On 3 June 1940, five months before his 18th birthday, Dunstan joined the Australian Imperial Force.

After training with the Royal Australian Engineers, he was posted as a reinforcement to the 2/8th Field Company, in North Africa.

In January 1941, during the Allied campaign to capture Tobruk, Dunstan was wounded in the knee; the wound became infected and later required the amputation of Dunstan's leg. After recuperating in Egypt, Dunstan was returned to Australia and medically discharged.

After a brief return to civilian life, during which he studied law, Dunstan volunteered for service overseas with the Royal Australian Air Force. In 1942 he trained as an air gunner at Port Pirie. At the end of his course, Dunstan embarked for the United Kingdom with the rank of Sergeant.

He was posted, as a rear gunner, to No. 460 Squadron RAAF, an Avro Lancaster unit at RAF Binbrook, in Lincolnshire. He flew his first operation, to Düsseldorf, on 11 June 1943 . In October he was commissioned as a Pilot Officer.

During a raid on Kassel on 22/23 October 1943, the plane in which he was flying was hit by two incendiary bombs dropped by another Lancaster, which was off course. The damage caused by this accident cut off the oxygen supply to Dunstan and the other gunner, Flight Sergeant Hegarty. As a result of the oxygen starvation that both men suffered, neither saw the approach of an enemy night-fighter, whose attack badly damaged the Lancaster, one cannon shell passing through the rear-gunner's turret. The aircraft managed to return home and make a crash-landing at Bisham, the crew escaping unhurt.