John Cashel's Story.
John Cashel Barry was the son of Michael Joseph and Florence Kathleen Barry of Wahroonga, NSW, Australia and was born in North Sydney on 21st August 1922. Prior to the war he was a Junior Salesman and Clerk. He enlisted in the Royal Australian Air Force on 18th July 1942 and was selected for pilot training which he did in Canada before being transferred to UK for active duty. In UK he was assigned to 61 OTU for fighter training in Spitfire aircraft. On 16th September 1944 John was flying Spitfire P8088 at high altitude when the plane dived into the ground from a height of over 20,000 feet killing him instantly. The cause of the crash was determined to be failure of the oxygen supply which would have caused him to lose consciousness. He was 22 years old. He was buried at Chester Blacon Cemetery.
Pilot training in Canada
61 OTU Spitfire
Accident Report 1
Accident Report 2
Accident Report 3