Flying Officer John Leonard Breed
- Rank
- Flying Officer
- Service number
- 415610
- Decorations
- Mentioned in Despatches
- Unit
- Royal Australian Air Force Attached 196 Squadron Royal Air Force
- Cause of death
- Killed in Action
- Place of death
- Norway
- Date of death
- 10 May 1945
- Age
- 24
- Plaque number
- L409
- Dedicated by
- Son and Family on 21 November 2009
- More information
Biography presented during plaque dedication:
Flying Officer John Leonard Breed MID of 196 Squadron was born in January 1921 at West Midland Junction to Leonard and Lila Breed. He had a younger sister.
The family first lived in Maddington where they had a citrus orchard and they later settled in Guildford.
He attended schools at Helena Vale and Midland Junction where he excelled at mathematics. His main sporting activities were tennis and golf, saving money to buy one club at a time.
After leaving school he was a pay clerk at the Western Australian Government Railways at Midland Junction, studying bookkeeping by correspondence.
He enlisted in December 1941 in Perth and trained at Geraldton and Cunderdin before leaving for England where he joined 196 Squadron.
In England he met and married Joyce Mason in June 1944 and their son was born in Hull, Yorkshire in April 1945.
In May 1945, as part of an airborne operation to Norway his plane, a short Stirling LK147 was forced down due to severe weather conditions.
In June 1945 he was awarded a mention in despatches.
Flying Officer John Leonard Breed MID, service number 415610 of 196 Squadron, was killed in action in Norway of 10 May. He was 24.