Background
Dunstan was born in Bendigo, Victoria on 5 November 1922.
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Roberts Dunstan
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He was noted on his return to Australia after the war as a one-legged air gunner who had served with Royal Air Force Bomber Command. He joined the Australian Imperial Force aged 17 on 3 June 1940. After training he was sent to the 2/8th Field Company, a field engineer unit, in North Africa as a reinforcement.
In January 1941, near Tobruk, he was wounded in the knee and had his leg amputated.
After resting in Egypt he was returned to Australia and medically discharged. Not happy with his short service, Dunstan attempted to join the as an air gunner.
In 1942 he trained at Portuguese Pirie and, promoted to Sergeant at the end of his course, he embarked for Europe. Dunstan was assigned to Number.
460 Squadron Royal Australian Air Force at Royal Air Force Binbrook, Lincolnshire, England as a Lancaster rear gunner.
He flew his first operation on 11 June 1943 to Düsseldorf. During one raid on Kassel on 22/23 October 1943, the plane in which he was flying was hit by two incendiary bombs dropped by another Lancaster, which was off course. The damage caused by this accident cut off the oxygen supply to Dunstan and the other gunner, Flight Sergeant Hegarty.
As a result of the oxygen starvation that both men suffered, neither saw the approach of an enemy night-fighter, whose attack badly damaged the Lancaster, one cannon shell passing through the rear-gunner"s turret.
The aircraft managed to return home and make a crash-landing at Bisham, the crew escaping unhurt. Dunstan soon completed a full tour of 30 operations and returned to Australia in August 1944.
He was discharged from the on 2 October 1945. Dunstan received some attention from the media as a one-legged air gunner who had completed a full tour of 30 missions.
He wrote about his experiences in a book, The Sand and the Sky, and took a job as a journalist and film critic with the Melbourne Herald.
Between 1956 and 1982 he served as a Liberal Party member in the Victorian parliament representing Mornington. He also held the posts of Minister of Water Supply and later the Minister of Public Works. Dunstan died in Melbourne on 11 October 1989.
Achievements
Membership
He later served as a member of parliament.
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Born
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Died
October 11, 1989 (aged 66) -
Nationality
Australia -
Political Party
Liberal Party member