GODDARD, Keith Hamilton
| Service Number: | 422655 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 22 May 1942 |
| Last Rank: | Flight Lieutenant |
| Last Unit: | Not yet discovered |
| Born: | WOOLLAHRA, NSW, 2 June 1923 |
| Home Town: | Not yet discovered |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Not yet discovered |
| Memorials: | Ballarat Australian Ex-Prisoners of War Memorial |
World War 2 Service
| 22 May 1942: | Enlisted Royal Australian Air Force, Flight Lieutenant, 422655 | |
|---|---|---|
| 6 Dec 1945: | Discharged Royal Australian Air Force, Flight Lieutenant, 422655 |
Typhoon Pilot
One of WW2's most effective but dangerous aircraft, the Hawker Typhoon was instrumental in helping to drive back the German Army after D-Day. Keith Hamilton Goddard was one of the surviving pilots of this over-powered fighter-bomber, which due to the enormous horsepower of its Napier Sabre engine could deliver over 1000 kgs of bombs and rockets at low level and high speed against German armor and railway traffic.
This great power and high takeoff weight also made the Typhoon extremely dangerous to fly, with very high losses due to non-combat accidents.
Keith successfully prosecuted many low-level attacks against German forces in France, until he was shot down at low level in March 1945 by anti-aircraft fire from a German flak train. He was extremely fortunate to bail out and land in a forest which broke his fall, although breaking his legs on impact. He spent the remainder of the war in a German military hospital.
He had a long career post-war as a Sandringham pilot flying passengers from Rose Bay in Sydney to Lord Howe Island, Vila and Espiritu Santo in what is now Vanuatu, and various aviation and Consular Corps activities.
He was survived by his 4 daughters and wife Pamela, my aunt.
Submitted 2 November 2022 by Simon Crane