Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Alan Thomson (1920-2002) was born in Brisbane and grew up at Bundaberg and Brisbane. He was educated at Bundaberg and Ascot State Schools, and then Brisbane Grammar School. As he was not a particularly able scholar, he left school before matriculation and joined the Commonwealth Bank, starting as a junior clerk at the Queen Street branch in Brisbane. In the late 1930s, he enrolled in a weekend flying course run by the Queensland Aero Club at Archerfield, during which he clocked up some three and a half hours flying time (with an instructor).

He joined the RAAF in July 1940 and then attended No. 2 ITS Bradfield Park, No. 6 EFTS Tamworth and No. 3 SFTS Amberley, before being posted to No. 1 B&GS Evans Head, where he spent over a year, clocking up 580 hours flying Fairey Battles. In September 1942 he did a conversion to Kittyhawks at No. 2 OTU Mildura, then in late November 1942 was posted to 76 Squadron, where he spent almost a year. During this period 76 Squadron was stationed at Strauss, Onslow, Bankstown, Milne Bay, Goodenough Island and Kiriwina. He then spent all of 1944 as an instructor at No. 2 OTU Mildura. In early 1945 he attended RAAF Staff School at Mt Martha, then in late May 1945 was posted to 75 Squadron. He was acting C/O of 75 Squadron during the squadron’s move from Morotai to Tarakan in late June 1945, and then in subsequent operations during the Borneo campaign. In late October 1945, some six weeks after the Japanese surrender, he was involved in a landing accident at Tarakan and was later evacuated to Brisbane, where he spent several months in hospital undergoing treatment for burns. He was discharged from the RAAF in April 1946, after which he returned to work in the Commonwealth Bank. Although he never obtained a civilian pilot’s license, in the decades following WW2 he went on numerous flights in light aircraft with friends and local aero club members, during which he would invariably have a turn at the controls, and he of course retained a lifelong interest aircraft and aviation.

My father had a very modest assessment of his contribution to the Allied war effort. He never sought to big note himself and he rarely in fact talked about his wartime experiences. Most of what I know of his wartime record has been gleaned from his pilot’s log book and various official documents.