HOUGHTON, Ronald Charles Creffield
| Service Number: | 422542 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 22 May 1942 |
| Last Rank: | Flying Officer |
| Last Unit: | Not yet discovered |
| Born: | FAIRFIELD, NSW, 8 May 1924 |
| Home Town: | Ryde, Ryde, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Sydney University (post war PhD) |
| Occupation: | Junior Clerk |
| Died: | 21 April 2024, aged 99 years, cause of death not yet discovered, place of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Macquarie Park Cemetery and Crematorium, Ryde, New South Wales |
| Memorials: |
World War 2 Service
| 22 May 1942: | Enlisted Royal Australian Air Force, Flying Officer, 422542 | |
|---|---|---|
| 25 May 1945: | Honoured Distinguished Flying Cross, Air War NW Europe 1939-45, London Gazette: 25 May 1945 on page 2669 at position 2. | |
| 27 Nov 1945: | Discharged Royal Australian Air Force, Flying Officer, 422542 |
Help us honour Ronald Charles Creffield Houghton's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Maurice Kissane
Ronald Charles Creffield Houghton was born in Sydney in 1924. He had a dull office job as a junior clerk when the Battle of Britain began in earnist in 1940.
Ron wanted to fly Spitfires but he was not old enough. Nor did he know how to fly for that matter, but he was not deterred.
Ron enlisted in 1942. He made the initial cut for RAAF Pilot Training. He did his Elementary Flying in Tiger Moths followed by his Service Flying Training in a Wirraway. Ron was then sent to the U.K. for his adanced flying training.
He was streamed for Bombers not Fighters. Ron was required to take the air war to the heart of the Third Reich. He flew the Handley Page Halifax III in Bomber Command.
Ron had survived 30 Ops in Bomber Command by early 1945. He was taken off ops and could have been retrained as a Heavy Bomber Conversion Instructor.
However, he transferred to Fighter Command to fly Spitfires and Hurricans. His DFC was gazetted in 1945 for his "skill and fortude in operations against the enemy".
By the end of the European War, Ron was a liason officer in General Eisenhowers Ops Center at R.N Portsmith. For he had a unique perspective on both Fighter and Bomber Ops.
Following his discharge at the end of 1945, Ron served in the RAAF Reserve. He then worked for QANTAS. Ron worked his way up to executive level.
After QANTAS, Ron worked for several Asian Airlines before retreating to Academia. Ron then studed for and completed his PhD in Aeronatical Engineering at Sydney University.
He then served as President of the Bomber Command Association of Australia.
Dr Ron Houghton DFC passed away in 2024 at the age of 99 years. A few weeks before what would have been his centenial birthday. Lest We Forget.
Ron's Story published on the Anzac Portal plus his NAA RAAF File is cited. The Macquarie Park Cemetery and Crematorium records confirm 2024 date of death.
Click images to start slideshow.