Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Born in Townsville. I went to primary school Townsville and completed my high schooling at Toowoomba Grammar School. Joined the Commonwealth Bank of Australia in 1941. Volunteered for the RAAF in June 1942. Returned from the war in January 1946 where I was awarded the DFC and married an English girl Anne Brooke-Wright in February 1947 whom I had met on the 460 squadron base. I have 6 children, 23 grandchildren and 7 surviving great-grandchildren. I retired from CBA in 1980 but worked as a business manager for AOG College until 1987. I joined the Gideon’s in 1964 and was the Australian President 1976-78. I helped found the AOG church in Coopers Plains in 1957 and was the Parklands Christian College business manager for 6 years finishing in 2007. I am now writing my memoirs.

Reflections on a journey from schoolyard games to piloting the Lancaster bombers of 460 squadron over Europe during WWII (1943-45)
It is a common theme amongst us World War II war veterans, to imbibe the adage that “The older I get … the braver I was”. This series of reflections that I have prepared is not intended to give credence to that adage, but rather to simply give my account of a unique time in European and Australian history where a squadron of volunteer Australian air-force personal were recruited, trained and shipped to England to assist the then British Empire in its struggle with Nazi Germany.

Sadly, of the few thousand aircrew that were to serve on 460 Squadron, 1,018 of them lost their lives including 589 of my fellow countrymen. I hope that this series keeps alive in some small way the memory of those young men and their supreme sacrifice that was made in the service of their country.

See research links for my story.