Ronald Claude Anderson

Sergeant [Wireless Operator/Air Gunner]

Conflict:

WW2

Additional Information:

Son of Frederick Edward Anderson, and of Rose Sophia Anderson (nee Barltrop), of Christchurch, Canterbury, New Zealand.

References:

CWGC

NZ WAR GRAVES

CONTRIBUTED

Public Contributions:

Submitted by: John Dekhane

Relationship to casualty: Researcher (France)

FROM CHRISTCHURCH TO THE SOMME - THE STORY OF SERGEANT RONALD CLAUDE ANDERSON During World War II, countless New Zealand men and women answered the call and helped turn the tide in humanity’s dark...est hour. Thousands of miles from home, they fought against tyranny with outstanding courage and gave everything they had to rescue a world in peril. They asked for no recognition, but history will forever remember them as heroes. Among the brave New Zealanders who went off to war—but never came home—was Sergeant Ronald Claude Anderson. Born on July 30, 1923, in Christchurch, Ronald was the beloved son of Frederick Edward Anderson and Rose Sophia Barltrop. The family lived at 89 Somerfield Street, in a quiet suburb of Christchurch. Ronald was a bright, kind-hearted boy who always had a smile on his face. He received his secondary education at Christchurch Technical College and was a friend to many classmates. During those teenage years, he developed a passion for cricket, rugby, and hiking. After leaving school, he began an apprenticeship at Thos. L. Jones & Sons in Christchurch, and had so many hopes for the future. But in 1941, with the world engulfed in war, Ronald made a life-changing decision. On November 2, 1941, he enlisted in the Royal New Zealand Air Force and soon began training at No. 2 Wireless School in Calgary, followed by No. 8 Bombing and Gunnery School in Lethbridge, both in Alberta, Canada. He was then assigned to No. 467 Squadron, Royal Australian Air Force, where he served as an air gunner and wireless operator. Day after day, Ronald flew into hell for a cause greater than himself. The average life expectancy on bomber crews was incredibly short. Yet Ronald, like so many brave New Zealand airmen, accepted the risk. He knew every mission might be his last, but he also knew that the fate of freedom itself hung in the balance. On the night of April 16, 1943, Ronald took off from RAF Bottesford, a Royal Air Force base in England, at 9:33 p.m., bound for Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia. His mission was to bomb the Skoda armament factory at Pilsen. Sadly, during the operation, something went horribly wrong, and his bomber crashed in the Somme, in Northern France, killing him instantly. Ronald was just 19 years old—with so much life ahead, and so much to give. In a cruel twist of fate, he died in the very region where many New Zealanders lost their lives during the First World War. Back in Christchurch, the news of Ronald’s death broke the hearts of all who knew him. For his parents, Frederick and Rose, their world stopped in an instant. The pain of losing their son was beyond words, a grief so deep it became part of them. His absence left an unbearable silence in their lives—an ache that never faded, one they carried quietly with them until they passed away. Today, Ronald rests peacefully at the Poix-De-Picardie Churchyard in the Somme, France, among 149 Commonwealth servicemen who gave their lives for our freedom. The cemetery, set in the serene countryside, stands as a poignant reminder of the sacrifices made during the fierce fighting to liberate Western Europe. The population of New Zealand in 1940 was just over 1.6 million. Yet around 140,000 New Zealanders stepped forward to serve in World War II, answering the call with an extraordinary determination. Among them, 11,928 heroes sacrificed their lives to defeat tyranny. Each had their own story, and every single one of them deserves to be told and remembered. It is our solemn duty to honour their legacies and ensure their stories are never lost to the fading pages of history. France will never forget Sergeant Ronald Claude Anderson, nor the New Zealand heroes who fought for her, died for her, and now rest in her soil. Their sacrifice lives on—in every free step taken across this continent, in every moment of peace, and in every heart that remembers. Read More

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Casualty

Service Number:

415980

Name:

Ronald Claude Anderson

Rank:

Sergeant

Additional Rank:

Wireless Operator/Air Gunner

Date of Birth:

Not known

Date of Enlistment:

Not known

Armed Force:

Air Force

Unit:

Royal New Zealand Air Force, 467 (RAAF) Squadron

Casualty Details

Cause of Death:

Not known

Date of Death:

17 April 1943

Day of Death:

Saturday

Age at Death:

Conflict:

WW2

Embarkation Details

Embarkation Body:

Royal New Zealand Air Force

Text in italics supplied by Cenotaph Online, Auckland War Memorial Museum

Cemetery

Cemetery:

Poix-De-Picardie Churchyard

Cemetery Reference:

Row E. Grave 17.

Cemetery Location:

France