John Yarra

Yarra shot down two more Bf 109s on 18 May, although some accounts report one of these as probably destroyed rather than being a definite aerial victory. He had to crash land again on 20 May. His aerial success continued into June; on the first of the month, he shot down a Bf 109 and a week later damaged two Reggiane Re.2001 fighters. By this time, he was commissioned as a flying officer. He was duly awarded the Distinguished Flying Medal (DFM); the citation, published in The London Gazette, read:

On 16 June, the same day that his DFM was officially announced, Yarra was credited with a Bf 109 destroyed although at the time, he recorded his claim as a damaged aircraft. Two Bf 109s were shot down by Yarra on 21 June and the same day he damaged a Ju 88. Another Ju 88 was destroyed by Yarra on 5 July, and he also claimed two Bf 109s; one as probably destroyed and the other damaged. Two days later he claimed to have destroyed two Re2001s and on 11 July shot down a Bf 109. His time at Malta then drew to a close, his last sortie being made on 14 July. He was transferred back to the United Kingdom for a period of leave.

His brother Robert was also killed while flying with No. 453 Squadron. His death occurred in April 1944 during an operation to Abbeville in France. Another brother served with the Australian Army.

The RAAF's No. 453 Squadron had originally been raised for service in British Malaya and was subsequently disbanded after the Fall of Singapore. It began reforming at Drem in June 1942 with mostly novice RAAF pilots although the senior positions were held by experienced RAF officers. Focus was on training initially and in July the squadron became operational. From August, it began patrolling over the Firth of Forth and then, the following month, the squadron shifted south to Hornchurch, where it became part of No. 11 Group. Yarra joined the squadron at this time as a flight lieutenant and took command of one of its flights. His younger brother Robert was also a pilot with the squadron.

From Queensland, Yarra joined the RAAF in October 1940. Sent to the United Kingdom to serve with the Royal Air Force after his training was completed, he was posted to No. 232 Squadron before proceeding on to No. 64 Squadron. In February 1942, he was dispatched to the Mediterranean theatre to deliver Supermarine Spitfire fighters for reinforcement of Malta's aerial defences. Once on Malta, he flew with No. 185 Squadron and achieved several aerial victories. He returned to the United Kingdom in July and was soon posted to the RAAF's No. 453 Squadron as one of its flight commanders. He was killed while attacking German shipping off the Dutch coast.

Yarra joined the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) in October 1940 and after his initial training, he went to Canada for further flight instruction. Completing his training in August 1941, he was sent to the United Kingdom to serve with the Royal Air Force. He spent a period of time at No. 55 Operational Training Unit, where he learnt to fly the Supermarine Spitfire fighter aircraft and then, holding the rank of sergeant, he was posted to No. 232 Squadron in October. Despite his training in Spitfires, his new squadron operated the Hawker Hurricane fighter. However, the squadron was taken off operations soon afterwards and he was subsequently transferred to No. 64 Squadron, which operated Spitfires from Hornchurch in sweeps and bomber escort missions to France. In February 1942 he was one of several pilots selected to deliver Spitfires to Malta.

John William Yarra DFM (24 August 1921 – 10 December 1942) was an Australian flying ace of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) during the Second World War. He was credited with at least twelve aerial victories.

Born in Stanthorpe in Queensland, Australia, on 24 August 1921, John William Yarra was the son of Alfred and Harriet Yarra. His father, a journalist, was a former soldier who had served in the Australian Imperial Force and had been awarded the Military Medal. He later moved with his family to Grafton in New South Wales and Yarra was educated at Grafton High School. After completing his education, he worked at The Daily Examiner, the same newspaper that his father worked for, as a printing apprentice.