Throughout World War 2, the Royal Australian Air Force
sent many volunteer aspiring members of aircrew for training in
This group, which started with a complement of 26 men,
became members of No 35 Observers Course, at No 2 Air Observer and No 16 Elementary
Flying Training School,
Their story was described by one of their number, Don
Charlwood, who after flying with Bomber Command, wrote two outstanding
classics of the Bomber War, No Moon Tonight and its sister volume Journeys
Into Night. These two books taken in conjunction give a view into
wartime flying which is unparalleled in their frankness and appraisal of the
effects of flying operations on young members of aircrew.
Both Don's books are available
from the Australian publishers,
Burgewood books.
These two books, in my opinion, rank as equals to W/Cdr
Guy Gibson's Enemy Coast Ahead and Paul Brickhill's The Dam Busters.
The Twenty Men of Don's course almost all went on to
become Navigators with Bomber Command, and I can't express in words how much
I have come to admire these men, and their uncountable brothers in aircrew,
for their deeds in the dark nights over Germany. I am sure that all those
whose props have stopped turning are in the finest of company, and "seated
far above the salt."
In chronological order, with + signifying
a fatality and pow
meaning taken Prisoner of War:-
Killed on the night of 13th/14th September 1942, with
No 27 Operational Training Unit,
The aircraft was a Vickers Wellington Mk 1c, serial number
L7815, codes unknown.
Operation :
Pilot : Fletcher, W (Bill)
J P Sergeant RAAF+
Crew : Sergeant Joe A Turnbull
RAAF {nav}+, Sergeant F W Lewis+, Sergeant J G Milne
RAAF+, Sergeant F Thompson+
Details: Took off from
Max Bryant (see later) witnessed the incident,
and wrote in his diary that "At about 2350 … there was a shout that an
aircraft was coming in with an engine on fire … he seemed to do a steep turn
on his one engine, and then suddenly the [wingtip] light dashed straight into
the ground. There was a loud crash … and immediately a great cloud of
flame burst into the air, leaping skyward and there were bright flashes as
flares and ammunition blew up. About 2400 hours there was a terrific
explosion as the rest of the bombs went. In this, four
ground crew lost their lives. "
Several new streets in Fradley
were named after the airmen who were killed, including Joe Turnbull.
Some of the graves appeared briefly on the Australian documentary "Wings
Of The Storm".
Killed on the night of 17th/18 January 1943, with No
12 Squadron, Wickenby.
The aircraft was an Avro Lancaster Mk 1, serial number
W4789, codes PH:E.
Operation :
Pilot : Morphett, Doug C
Flight Sergeant RAAF+
Crew : Sergeant L E Austin+,
Flight Sergeant Col McD Miller {nav} RAAF+, Sergeant J Corke+, Sergeant
J K Bond RAAF+, Sergeant D B Pollitt+, Sergeant
W R Maunder+
Details : Took off from Wickenby at 1626. Lost without trace; all crew remembered
on the Runneymede Memorial to those of No Known Grave. Col Miller was
a graduate of
Thanks to Mike Garbett for
confirming the serial of this aircraft.
Wilf Burrows
Also killed on the night
of 17th/18th January 1943 with No 12 Squadron, Wickenby.
The aircraft was an Avro Lancaster Mk 1, serial number
W4372, codes PH:G
Operation :
Pilot : Withell, E B Sergeant RNZAF+
Crew : Sergeant J S Hunter+,
Flight Sergeant Wilf G Burrows {nav} RAAF+, Flight Sergeant A F Neale RAAF+, Sergeant R B
Mullinger RAAF+, Sergeant A Mitchell+, Sergeant L H Richardson+
Details : Took off from Wickenby at 1634. Presumed lost over
the sea. Sergeant Mitchell buried
Keith Webber
Killed on the night of 21st/22nd
January 1943 with No 103 Squadron, Elsham Wolds.
The aircraft was an Avro Lancaster Mk 1, serial number
W4335, codes PM:F
Operation :
Pilot: Laing, Sergeant E V (Ted) RAAF (406693)+
Crew : Sergeant Keith R
Webber {nav} RAAF (411562)+, Sergeant Douglas G
Williams {b/a} RAAF (411566)+, Sergeant F L Boyd RAAF {w/op} (412101)+, Sergeant
A M (Tony) Willis {f/e} (925963)+, Sergeant Stanley C Brewer {m/u} (1600029)+,
Sergeant R Taylor {r/g} (648472)+
Details : Took off from Elsham Wolds at 1743. Shot down by night fighter (Fw Theodor Kleinhenz, III/NJG1)
on outward trip at 19:30, crashed 1935, 10 miles from Enschede.
Crew all buried in the
Keith Webber's grave is tended by a local family, who
wrote to his mother in 1946.
Killed on the night of
7th/8th February, 1943, with 44 Squadron, Waddington. The "cheerful pessimist" of No Moon Tonight.
The aircraft was an Avro Lancaster Mk 1, serial number
W4832, codes KM:U
Operation :
Pilot : Skinner, D Flight
Sergeant+
Crew : Sergeant J Hunter+,
Sergeant Harry Waddell RAAF {nav}+, Sergeant G T
Vincent+, Sergeant A Knight RAAF+, Sergeant A Howells+, Sergeant R Walton+
Details : Took off from Waddington
at 1802. Shot down at 2030, crashing into the sea off the French coast.
Flight Sergeant Skinner is buried in
Harry and George Loder worked
together pre-war.
Killed on the night of 3rd/4th March, 1943, with No 12
Squadron, Wickenby
The aircraft was an Avro Lancaster Mk 1, serial number
W4855, codes PH:D
Operation :
Pilot : Simmonds, K R
Crew : Sergeant L Burnett+,
Flight Sergeant D Kerr RAAF+, Flight Sergeant Ian V Heatley RAAF {nav}+, Flight Sergeant
H H Brien RAAF+, Sergeant R V M Davenport+, Flight
Sergeant A J Marfell RAAF+
Details : Took off from Wickenby at 1858. Crashed near Rotenburg,
where on March 6th all were laid to rest. Since 1945 their remains have
been taken to
Survived a crash landing on the night of 22nd/23rd March
1943, with No 460 Squadron RAAF, Breighton
The aircraft was an Avro Lancaster Mk 1, serial number
W4879, codes UV:D
Operation : St Nazaire
Pilot : White, D E Sergeant
RAAF
Crew : Sergeant B Knilands RAAF, Flight Sergeant W R K (Bill) Charlton RAAF
{nav}, Flight Sergeant F H Ward DFM RAAF, Flight Sergeant A
K Parker RAAF, Flight Sergeant A K Smith, Flight Sergeant R H Baker RAAF,
Sergeant N R Simpson
Details : Took off from Breighton at 1858. Badly shot about by a Ju88 intruder
and crash landed 0025 at
Killed on the night of 29th/30th March 1943, with No
460 Squadron, Breighton
The aircraft was an Avro Lancaster Mk 1, serial number
ED391, codes UV:E
Operation :
Pilot : Charlick, D H V Flight Sergeant RAAF+
Crew : Sergeant P Perry+,
Sergeant Tom H McNeill RAAF {nav}+, Flight Sergeant
E N Cooper RAAF+, Flying Officer F J Falkenmire
RAAF, Sergeant W P D Chapman+, Flight Sergeant G V Hampton RAAF+
Details : Took off from Breighton at 2145. Shot down by a night fighter (Lt
August Geiger, III/NJG1) and crashed 0446 at Lievelde,
4 km NNE of Lichtenvoorde, where those who died
are buried in the
See the entry for Blue Freeman
Killed on the night of
14th/15th April, 1943, with No 35 Squadron, Graveley.
The aircraft was a Handley Page Halifax Mk 2, serial
number HR678, codes TL:N
Operation :
Pilot : Wilkes, R E Pilot
Officer DFM+
Crew : Sergeant T L Brown pow,
Flight Sergeant T G O'Shaughnessy pow, Pilot Officer
Ron Wheatley RAAF {nav}+, Flight Sergeant F Hay+,
Flight Sergeant F W Vincent pow, Flight Sergeant
M A E Bradford RAAF+
Details: Took off from Graveley
at 2128. Shot down from 18,000 feet by a night fighter. Dead buried
Killed on the night of
16th/17th April 1943, with No 460 Squadron, Breighton.
The aircraft was an Avro Lancaster Mk III, serial number
ED711, codes UV:U
Operation : Pilsen
Pilot : White, D E Flight
Sergeant DFM RAAF+
Crew : Sergeant J S Stewart
RAAF+, Sergeant B Knilands RAAF+, WO W R K (Bill)
Charlton RAAF {nav}+, Flight Sergeant F H Ward DFM
RAAF+, Flight Sergeant A K Parker RAAF+, Flight Sergeant A K Smith+, Flight
Sergeant R H Baker RAAF+
Details : Took off from Breighton at 2059. All rest in
In an RAF chapel in
Killed on the night of
11th/12th June 1943, with No 156 Squadron, Warboys.
The aircraft was an Avro Lancaster Mk 1, serial number
ED935, codes unknown
Operation :
Pilot : Lay, Ken L W Flight
Sergeant RAAF+
Crew : Flying Officer J
A Cowley DFM +, Pilot Officer Robert Maxwell Bryant
RAAF {nav}+, Sergeant W J Drake+, Sergeant R E Ratcliff+,
Sergeant D C Bauman+, Sergeant J R Curtis+, Sergeant W Furster+
Details : Took of from Warboys at 2338. Crashed into the
Don adds (21 March 2010) "Something you might
be interested in is that a Dutchman, Dick van Zomeren,
tends Max Bryant’s grave in
Guy
Herring
Dropped back a course for further training, and killed
on the night of 20/21st April 1943, with No 100 Squadron,
The aircraft was an Avro Lancaster Mk III, serial number
ED557, codes HW:Y
Operation :
Pilot : Jones, W A F/L+
Crew : Sgt D R Ling+, F/O
G B Herring RAAF+, Sgt C Walker+, Sgt B W D Cooper+, Sgt A M Hodges+, Sgt
S J Houston+
Details : TO 2157
Jack
Harris
My correspondent Tony Mumford from the Australian Port
Stephens Veterans Network
Killed on the night of
20th/21st December 1943, with No 156 Squadron, Warboys,
on his 45th operation.
The aircraft was an Avro Lancaster Mk 1, serial number
JA674, codes GT:O. There is a photograph of
this aircraft in the air in LANCASTER AT WAR 5, page 26, taken at a time when
the
Operation :
Pilot : Sullivan, Mick A
Flight Lieutenant DFC RNZAF+
Crew : Warrant Officer C W Knox DFC RAAF+, Flight Lieutenant
George B Loder {nav} DFC
RAAF+, Flight Lieutenant R H Wedd DFC RAAF+, Pilot
Officer Eric W Ritchie DFC RAAF {w/op}+, Flight Sergeant G E Mason DFM+, Warrant
Officer W L C Hickling DFC RAAF+
Details : Took off from Warboys at 1715. All buried in
Their regular bomb aimer was Vince Givney
who fell off a vehicle after commissioning celebrations, breaking an arm.
This hospitalised him and he was anyway tour-expired, so he did not fly on
the operation on which the crew were killed.
George Loder, the "Imperturbable"
's Distinguished Flying Cross was, on 5th August 1944, handed to
Harry Waddell and George worked together pre-war.
Survived a first tour of operations and then volunteered
for the Dam Busters Squadron, 617. Killed on
13th February 1944, with No 617 Squadron, Woodhall
Spa, having gained a DFC.
The aircraft was an Avro Lancaster Mk 1, serial number
DV382, codes AJ:J
Operation : Transit (returning
from Ford, after an abortive attack on the Antheor
Viaduct)
Pilot : Suggitt, W S/L DFC RCAF+
Crew : Pilot Officer Johnnie
Gordon DFC RAAF {nav}+, F/S John Pulford DFM {f/e}+, F/O N J Davidson RCAF+, P/O S G Hall RAAF+,
F/S J P Riches+, F/O J McB Dempster
DFM RCAF+, S/L Tommy W Lloyd DSO+
Details : On returning from
Ford aerodrome after an attack on the Antheor Viaduct,
the weather was very bad and S/L Suggitt (A Flight
Commander) elected to return to Woodhall Spa at
low level. His aircraft hit a tree at Littleton Down, at 836 feet above
sea level the highest point on the South Downs of Sussex. First on the
scene was George Scutt (awarded King's Commendation)
a tractor driver at Duncton Hill Farm. All
crew killed on impact except S/L Suggitt who died
a few days later, without regaining consciousness.
Johnnie Gordon had been married for less than six weeks.
John Pulford DFM had been Guy Gibson's f/e on the
Dams Raid. Also aboard was S/Ldr Tommy Lloyd
DSO, Woodhall Spa's Intelligence Officer. Don Charlwood
21-March-2010 adds "Johnny had a BA Dip Ed"
Alan Cooper in BEYOND THE DAMS TO THE TIRPITZ states
"The Lancasters left Ford the next morning
to return to Woodhall Spa. At about 0830,
Squadron Leader Bill Suggitt reduced height, came
through the clouds and hit the ground … George Scutt
found wreckage everywhere, the aircraft having hit a tree at the top of the
hill which smashed one of the wings, swung it round as it hit the ground where
it disintegrated. All the crew except Suggitt
died instantly. Suggitt was still strapped
in his seat shouting "Turn the engines off". He died two days
later without regaining consciousness."
Paul Brickhill in THE DAM BUSTERS
states "Tommy Lloyd had flown to Ford and interrogated them, and then
the weather worsened and it looked as though they were stranded for a while.
Suggitt thought he could make it to Woodhall Spa all right and offered a seat in his aircraft
to Lloyd, a gallant and revered World War I veteran. The immaculate
Lloyd accepted but insisted on having a shave before take-off. A little
later, spruce and monocled, he climbed into J Jug
with Suggitt and five minutes later the aircraft flew into a hill
and everyone was killed instantly except Bill Suggitt,
who lingered a couple of days before he died."
Jack
Braithwaite
Broke a leg whilst training in Canada and his training
was delayed, then killed with 463 Sqdn, Waddington,
24/25 April 1944, Lancaster LL848 JO:X, Munich.
PILOT : Page, E W Pilot
Officer RAAF (killed). CREW : Sergeant S R
Crate (killed), Warrant Officer 2 T W Fair RCAF (killed), Flying Officer Jack
S Braithwaite RAAF (killed), Flight Sergeant E R Brown RAAF (killed), Sergeant
R Guile (killed), Sergeant G H Noakes RAAF (killed)
DETAILS : Shot down by night
fighter (Oblt Lembeke
of the Fuhrer-Kurier-Staffel) and crashed 1½ miles
south-east of Suizemoos, 8 miles west north-west
of
Ted “Blue” Freeman said : “I
was great mates with this fellow in
Owen
Lloyd
Was repatriated, ill, from
Don completed his
tour of operations with No 103 Squadron, Elsham
Wolds, and after spending some time as an instructor, was suddenly posted
back to
I have heard from Don's family, via email, the last being
news of Blue Freeman's (see lower down) death. On February 1st 2010 I learned
that Don's pilot, Geoff Maddern, had died the day
before, leaving three of the crew "with their props still turning."
On June 19th 2012 I learned that Don had died
the previous day in his local hospital in
Tib was the course senior
in
Tib suffered a coronary
occlusion on Long Reef golf course near
Known for his irreverence and high spirits, Blue survived
his first tour of operations on 103 Sqdn Elsham Wolds, often flying as a spare navigator, and then
a second tour on 467 Squadron, serving as navigator to W/Cdr Bill Brill on
a very torrid tour. Surviving the war with 50 operations to his credit,
he was awarded the DFC and returned to
Although not in good health, in December 1997 he made
a special effort to attend the funeral of course-mate Colin Cooper's funeral.
Interestingly, Blue Freeman is mentioned by F/O Cliff
O’Riordan’s diary (GUNS IN THE SKY by Chaz
Bowyer, pp125-131) as Cliff, a fellow Australian was a pre-war barrister and
KC, defended Blue at a Court Martial on April 21st 1943.
The event’s President was G/Capt Hughie Edwards VC DSO DFC, and Cliff’s skills
at cross-examination secured an acquittal on every charge. Cliff, whose
diary notes that he was defending Blue "since Tom McNeill has
gone" sadly was killed on an operation to
“Blue” Freeman’s son, Tom Freeman says (Apr 01) “You might be interested
that in 1983 he was awarded the MBE for service to Veterans. He spent
a great deal of time after the war assisting veterans and their families.
When Ted returned to Australia he became an instructor in Navigation on LIBERATOR
bombers.......he finished up flying with 99 Sqn
RAAF out of Darwin (Australia) against the Japanese....and hence was awarded
the "Pacific Star"... the only one of the 20 men to have seen combat
in the two theatres of war.
“Also after the war finished, he continued in the RAAF
and flew many missions to
I am saddened to report that Ted "Blue" Freeman
died at 10:15pm on Thursday 10th August 2006. This left Don Charlwood as the
Last of the Twenty Men.
Harry survived 28 operations with 103 Squadron and then
50 more with 156 Squadrons, totalling 78 in Wellington ICs, Halifax IIs and Lancasters. He kept
his promise to keep track of his operations on his boomerang, and at the end
of his operational service was Squadron Navigation Officer.
Phil Sternes adds: "One
of the twenty, Harry Wright actually died on 29 January 1991 aged 70 years
in
In
1983 he self-published a novel based on his war experiences titled “Pathfinders
- Light the Way” which was subsequently republished by William Kimber in 1987 as “Pathfinder Squadron”. The forward was by
Don Bennett of whom he was a great admirer. The language was quite quaint
(especially about relationships) as one would expect of his generation and
I jokingly used to tell him that if it was ever made into a movie, things
would have be “spiced-up” a bit for the modern audience. He was a great mate
of Blue Freeman who gave the eulogy at his funeral and told many a tale of
Blue’s derring do.He made and enjoyed a
couple of trips back to the UK in later life to revisit his old stomping grounds.
As
a staunch anti-communist he was involved in organisations supporting the Vietnam
war and the autonomy of
Bob was one of Ron Pender's flying partners during their
training at
David
Vincent from Australia kindly informs me (June 2012) that "Robert
William Morgan DFM 411585 enlisted on 24 May 1941 (Don Charlwood enlisted
the day before) and stayed on in the RAAF until discharged on 19 July 1946.
Interestingly, his last unit was a Catalina-equipped Air Sea Rescue Flight!
Taken Prisoner of War on the night of 9/10
April 1943. Operation :
Ron and Bob Morgan were flying partners during training.
He is the only one of the Twenty Men to fall, alive, into enemy hands.
Ron died in the 1950s; more information is welcomed.
Tom, a married man with a family, passed out at the top
of the
Colin was born in 1914 and enlisted from
The Commonwealth
War Graves Commission database provides online access to ALL British
& Commonwealth war graves for the First and