Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

RI: Clifford Ernest Tuttleby, Death Notice. Death, 06.08.1987, 79. SMH 08.08.1987

Anti Shipping Strike off New Ireland

On 21 October 1943, the two squadrons of Beaufort bombers (Nos 6 and 100) and one squadron of Beaufort torpedo carriers (No. 8) went out in search of two Japanese cruisers which a reconnaissance plane had reported off the east coast of New Ireland. The cruisers were trying to sneak down the east coast. It was a pretty dirty sort of night with a murky haze that made things hard to see.  But a warship, a three-funnel cruiser, was sighted off Cape Narum.  She was travelling towards Rabaul by way of Cape St. George.  As the Beauforts circled to attack, she turned and put up an anti-aircraft barrage.  Flying Officer Tuttleby led the attack, with Squadron Leader Roberts, Commanding Officer of 100 Squadron, as his passenger.  Flying Officer Ray Smith made an accurate run through the barrage and scored a hit “that looked as though it went down the funnel.”  …  A Beaufort reconnaissance later sighted the damaged cruiser in Rabaul Harbour.  She still burned for a day after she reached there, then she was not sighted again.  Subsequent prisoner-of-war information revealed that much valuable equipment had to be dumped and that the cruiser was later towed back to Truk for repairs.  But the attack was not made without loss.  One Beaufort (A9-244) did not return.  Geoff Vincent was the pilot, with Skip Bailey, Allan Brown and (“Hooly-dooly”) Chas Vincent.  The following morning, nine Beauforts took off from Kiriwina in search of them, but without result.  That morning an Allied reconnaissance reported seeing four RAAF men come ashore in a raft on New Ireland to be captured by the Japanese.  It is more than possible that they were Vincent and his crew.  Ralph Finlay and Flight Lieutenant Dudley Reginald Atkins (413940) were awarded the DFC after this action against the Japanese cruiser.