Date of birth:

May 23rd, 1921 (Alexandra/Otago, New Zealand)

Date of death:

January 24th, 1945 (Vuren, The Netherlands)

Buried on:

Commonwealth War Grave Vuren

Service number:

416864

Nationality:

New Zealander

Flight Lieutenant John Davis (Jack) Lunn grew up in Alexandra, New Zealand. He was the eldest child of Joan and John Lunn and brother of Mark, Jim, Bert, Joan and Mara. Jack was educated at High street school in Dunedin and Alexandra District High School before beginning work at the National Bank in Alexandra in 1937

Jack played football for his schools and the Alexandra Football Club. He was a member of the Alexandra Defence and Miniature Rifle Clubs, competing with success in their competitions. Jack also competed at annual meetings of the Otago Rifle Association at the Pelichet Bay Range. He took a deep interest in Scouting and was an Assistant Scout Master in the Alexandra Scout Troop, and an active member of the Alexandra Swimming club.

In 1941 he voluntarily joined the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF). Jack trained in Canada, and afterwards joined the No 195 Squadron RAF and then the No 257 Squadron RAF flying the Hurricane and the Typhoon

On January 24th 1945 at 1500 hours while flying a Typhoon (PD 464), Jack crashed after taking off from Deurne airbase in Belgium. The mission was to attack enemy targets near Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Rotterdam was however covered by a thick layer of mist. An alternative target was then chosen – a railway bridge, south-west of Utrecht, the Netherlands. While on return from this goal, the formation of aircraft was attacked by heavy flak from anti-aircraft guns, causing Jack’s plane to crash near Vuren in the Netherlands.

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• Photo 1: Family of J.D. Lunn
• - Family of J.D. Lunn
  - For Your Tomorrow, A record of New Zealanders who have died while serving with the RNZAF and Allied Air Services since 1915. Errol W Martyn Volume Two: Fates 1943-1998
  - The New Zealand Banker dated September, 1945
  - E-mail, NZDF Archives Enquiries, dated 20-06-2011
  - Commonwealth Wargraves Commission
  

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