The Australian War Memorial in Canberra will be commemorating the service and sacrifice of Bendigo resident, flying ace and motor racing champion, Group Captain John Raeburn Balmer OBE DFC at the Last Post Ceremony on Tuesday 22 October 2024.
"John Balmer was born on 3 July 1910 in Bendigo to Catherine and Sydney Balmer, who was a prominent barrister and solicitor in the region," Memorial Director Matt Anderson, said.
"John Balmer joined the Royal Australian Air Force reserve as a cadet in 1932, was commissioned in April 1933 and transferred to the permanent forces in November.
"A keen racing motorist, in 1936 Balmer made record-breaking trips from Darwin to Adelaide and from Perth to Melbourne. Two years later, with Richard Kent he drove around Australia in record time, almost halving the previous record of 45 days.
"When war broke out in 1939, Balmer was an instructor with No. 3 Squadron at RAAF Station Richmond, NSW. In 1940, he was promoted to squadron leader of No. 13 Squadron in Darwin.
"In 1941 he was promoted to wing commander of No. 100 Squadron RAAF in New Guinea, commanding the first Australian Beaufort torpedo-bombing squadron.
"In May 1943, Balmer was sent to Britain, where he took command of No. 467 Squadron, RAAF, flying Lancasters. In April 1944, he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.
"Having logged almost 5,000 hours of flying, on 11 May 1944 Group Captain Balmer was killed in action when his aircraft failed to return from an attack on an enemy military camp in Belgium. Another Australian and six British airmen also died in the crash.
"Group Captain Balmer was 33 years old," Mr Anderson said. Balmer's remains lie at Heverlee War Cemetery in Belgium.
The Last Post ceremony is held at 4.30 pm every day except Christmas 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 3,800 ceremonies, each featuring an individual story of service from colonial to recent conflicts. It would take more than 280 years to read the story behind each of the 103,000 names listed on the Roll of Honour.
"The Last Post Ceremony is our commitment to remembering and honouring the legacy of Australian service," Mr Anderson said.
"Through our daily Last Post Ceremony, we not only acknowledge where and how these men and women died. We also tell the stories of who they were when they were alive, and of the families who loved and, in so many cases, still mourn for them.
"The Last Post is now associated with remembrance, but originally it was a bugle call to sound the end of the day's activities in the military. It is a fitting way to end each day at the Memorial."
The Last Post Ceremony honouring the service of Group Captain John Raeburn Balmer OBE DFC will be livestreamed to the Australian War Memorial's YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/c/awmlastpost.
The stories told at the Last Post Ceremony are researched and written by the Memorial's military historians, who begin the process by looking at nominal rolls, attestation papers and enlistment records before building profiles that include personal milestones and military experiences.
HANDOUT images:
https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C10224
https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C10269
https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C10286
https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C254291
