Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Neil was the eldest of the four children of Edward Ross “Nigger” Stringer and Alma Victoria (nee Reid) Stringer of Mundoora. At the time he enlisted Neil was 18 years of age, Lyall 16, Estelle 11 and Ashley 9 years.

With the permission of his mother Neil enlisted in the Royal Australian Air Force at 5 Recruiting Centre, North Terrace, Adelaide on 29th April 1942.

 1 RECRUIT DEPOT, SHEPPARTON, VICTORIA

Two weeks later, on 29th April, he was posted to 1 Recruit Depot at Shepparton, Victoria. This was a RAAF recruit base set up to train ‘rookies’ to become ‘Airmen’, to learn the basics of learning to march, salute, drill with weapons and aircraft identification.

1 ELEMENTARY FLYING TRAINING SCHOOL, PARAFIELD, SOUTH AUSTRALIA

A month later, on 28th May 1943, Neil was posted to 1 Elementary Flying Training School at Parafield, South Australia where  initial pilot training was provided. As an aircraftman (lowest rank in RAAF) and mustered as a ‘general hand’ Neil would have been performing general duties at the base. From 19th June until 24 June Neil was granted 6 days pre-embarkation leave and no doubt would have returned to the family farm at Mundoora.

 2 EMBARKATION DEPOT, RAAF BRADFIELD PARK, SYDNEY, NSW

Now at the end of his training Neil was posted to 2 Embarkation Depot at RAAF Bradfield Park near Sydney on 27th June 1943. Here, before going to operational theatres of war,  he was appropriately kitted, given final medical examinations and inoculations for the many diseases prevalent in the tropics. From Sydney it would be a 4 day train trip to his next posting at Townsville.

 1 RESERVE PERSONNEL POOL, RAAF AITKENVALE, TOWNSVILLE

Posted here on 12th July 1943, Neil would spend a week waiting for a final posting to a unit in the North Queensland operational area.

 26 OPERATIONAL BASE UNIT, IRON RANGE, NORTH QUEENSLAND

Neil was posted to 26 Operational Base Unit on 19 July 1943. 26 Operational Base Unit was based at Iron Range airfield which was the base for the United States Army Fifth Air Force and the United States Air Force 35th Air Base Group. The units main task was to maintain wireless communications as well as the administration and maintenance of the base. During this posting Neil was granted special leave from 28th August until 8th October, a total of 42 days. There is no reason given for this special leave and it is not known where he spent this time. If he had returned to Mundoora half of the time would have been spent travelling. Did he go home for shearing?  On 29th October, after his return to Iron Range,  Neil was promoted to Leading Aircraftsman.

It was while he was based  at Iron Range that Neil applied for and was granted 60 days special leave without pay from 15th November 1943 to  13th January 1944. A 31 day extension from 18th January 1944 to 17th February 1944 was also granted. As the reasons for this leave were investigated by the Provost Marshall in Adelaide we must assume that Neil was  required at home to provide manpower for the harvest on the family farm at Mundoora.

6 SERVICE FLYING TRAINING SCHOOL, MALLALA, SOUTH AUSTRALIA

Neil took up his posting  at Mallala on 12th March 1945. In May he took 7 days leave entitled to him for service in the tropics.

During this time Neil’s father was unwell and incapable of working on the family farm. He applied to the authorities for the early discharge of Neil. The application was granted and Neil was posted to 4 Personnel Depot where he was discharged from the Royal Australian Air Force on 24th September 1945 (12 days after the official end of World War 2).