Ignatius Joseph Flynn (1923-1942)
Ignatius was born in Bunbury on 22 February 1923 to parents Dr Ignatius Joseph and Mary Josephine (reference; reference). Known as Joe, he was the sixth son and tenth of twelve children (St George's College Perth Obituary; reference). His siblings were John Michael (1908-1980), Daniel Joseph (1909-1978), Michael Francis Patrick (1913-1997), Francis Ignatius (1915-1974), Leonard (1917-), Mary Teresa (1918-1912), Ursula Mary (1919-2002), Margaret (1921-), Carmel (-1932), Clare Juliana (1926-) and Kathleen (1929-2011) (reference; reference; reference).
As a child, Joe learned to play the violin at the Bunbury Convent (reference). In 1932 when he was ten years old, he took the Trinity College of Music London music examination and passed (reference). Two years later, in 1935, he was awarded honours in the Preparatory Division of the exam (reference). He was also a sportsman, playing Golf and Tennis in Bunbury in 1935 (reference; reference).
Joe then attended Aquinas College in Perth before enrolling in medicine at The University of Western Australia to become a doctor like his father (St George's College Perth Obituary). While studying at The University of Western Australia, he resided at St George's College in 1941 (reference). After a year of studying in Perth, he decided to transfer to Melbourne (St George's College Perth Obituary). St George's Warden of the time, Josh Reynolds, wrote to Newman College in January 1942 recommending Joe to Father Murphy (St George's College Perth Obituary):
"While at St George's, he made himself popular with students and staff by his genial and friendly disposition."
"He was also the runner-up for our College Tennis championship and is undoubtedly a remarkable player for his age."
"His academic work was quite satisfactory, although his biology was inclined to be a little weak earlier in the year, but he mastered his difficulties and secured quite satisfactory passes in the final examinations."
"We are very sorry to lose him, and I have every confidence that he will be a valuable member of Newman should you decide to admit him. I have no hesitation in recommending that you should do so."
Joe was admitted to Newman and continued to pursue his medical studies (St George's College Perth Obituary).
On 9 April 1942, Joe enlisted into the Australian Army in Carlton, Victoria (St George's College Perth Obituary). However, this was only for six months while he was a member of the Melbourne University Rifles unit (St George's College Perth Obituary). He then decided to postpone his studies until after the war and enlisted on 29 October 1942 at Melbourne into the Royal Australian Air Force and was allocated service number 419773 (reference; reference). Joe was a Flight Sergeant in Unit 3 (Pilot) Advanced Flying RAF during the Second World War (reference). Due to the lack of training aircraft in England, Joe was sent to Canada to train under the Empire Training Scheme (St George's College Perth Obituary). Within a year, he had qualified to fly single-engine aircraft (St George's College Perth Obituary).
At this time his brother, John, who had already qualified as a doctor, was serving the war effort in New Guinea (St George's College Perth Obituary).
From Canada, Joe was sent to South Cerney near Cirencester, Gloucestershire, to Number 3 Pilots Advanced Flying Unit (St George's College Perth Obituary). This unit's purpose was to provide advanced training to pilots who had learnt overseas but needed to experience U.K. flying conditions, operations and aircraft (St George's College Perth Obituary). As part of his training, after lunch on 14 July 1944, Joe lost his life in an aircraft accident in an Airspeed Oxford AB719 (reference; St George's College Perth Obituary). According to eyewitnesses, the aircraft spun in from 300 feet, hitting a tree and crashing at 1.30 pm at Upper Hill Farm, Somerford, Keynes in Kent (reference). He was officially recorded as having been Killed in Action at just twenty-one years old. Air training was extremely dangerous, with around ten percent losing their lives during training (reference; St George's College Perth Obituary).
He is buried at Brookwood Military Cemetery, Surrey, United Kingdom (Plot 4, Row O, Grave Number 5) (reference). Joe is also commemorated on panel 122 at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra and the Cenotaph Undercroft at the State War Memorial in Kings Park, Western Australia (reference).
After his passing, the Warden from St George's College wrote to his parents in Bunbury on 11 August 1944, writing "He had such a happy temperament, and he will be a loss to many. Last night, we [St George's College] held a very simple Memorial Service for him in the Chapel, and he has been much in our thoughts during the last few weeks."
Many thanks to Mary Flynn, Joe’s niece, for the family photographs.