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Leslie ‘Les’ Frederick Freeth was born on the 7th of June 1913 in Cowell, South Australia. Les grew up in a farming family with his four brothers and two sisters. His father farmed a property near Cowell. When Les was four years old, the family moved to share farm a property in the Kimba district, at Kelly. When Les was four and a half years of age, he attended the Kelly school. The school was built by local farmers and opened in 1917. Les was one of the first students to attend the school. The first teacher was seventeen years old. He left school when he was thirteen years old, grade seven. Les said he had a lot of fun at school, where he and his mates would spend their time running around the scrub and building hideouts (Woolford, 1989, pg. 7-8).

In 1928 when Les was fifteen, his father was allotted a scrub block in Pinkawillinie, also in the Kimba district. This block had no water supply. Les and his brothers helped their father clear trees with axes, they worked hard for no pay as their parents could not afford to pay them. The land produced enough feed to run horses, the horses were then used to help log the scrub. The family did not move to the block for two years until they had made a serviceable home, by enclosing an existing government shed with pine logs and clay. The 1930s were difficult because of droughts, and the depression led to low stock and grain prices. However, the farming enterprise survived and eventually a prefab home was built (Rogers, 1994, pg 37-38; Woolford, 1989, pg. 18).

Les was a keen tennis player, many homes had their own dirt courts and they would take turns to play at each other’s homes. In 1932, a tennis association was formed at Buckleboo for local competition between the surrounding districts, including Pinkawillinie. The courts were dirt, and the lines were marked with white wash. Les also enjoyed football. In 1920, Kimba formed a football association, Les played for Buckleboo. He continued his love for tennis and football after the war (Woolford, 1989, pg. 16).

Les had an interest in music. He grew up with a mother who was a very talented pianist. She had the first piano in the district. His family would hold many dances for their neighbours on the cement floor in their kitchen. Les saved up and bought a piano accordion and tried his hand at playing. He played at hundreds of dances and wore out four accordions (Woolford, 1989, pg. 20).

On the 7th December 1941, Pearl Harbour was attacked by Japan beginning the Pacific War. Japanese forces threatened the Australian mainland for the first time (Wikipedia, 2019). Les was twenty-eight years old when he decided to join the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), he wanted to help Australia fight during WWII (see figure 1). Les had to catch a bus from Kimba to Port Augusta, and then a train to Adelaide to do his medical examination. After passing his medical exam, he made his way home to wait for a call-up. He received a letter that requested he report to Adelaide for his enlistment on the 17th March 1942 (Freeth, 1987, pg. 8a). 

Les joined the RAAF as an aircraft mechanic. He was initially ranked as an Aircraftman, AC1, and was eventually promoted in rank as a Leading Aircraftman, LAC. He was first sent to Melbourne for six months to do his Rookie’s Recruit Drill course. Drill training included fitness, use of firearms, bayonet fighting, anti gas and parachute fitting (National Archives of Australia, 2020, pg. 88). Les went on to complete his Flight Mechanic’s course, also in Melbourne. Les was sent to Mildura for two years where he completed his Fitter 2E course (Woolford, 1989, pg. 23). A Fitter 2E’s job was to repair and maintain aircraft engines (Cull and Galea, 2017).  He spent most of his time working on Kittyhawks, a fighter plane that was commonly used during WWII (see figure 2). He used to do a lot of engine changes on Kittyhawks and knew them very well. He also worked on Spitfires and Wirraways. Les was posted to join the 77 Squadron in the Pacific. He was sent to Bradfield Park, Sydney, for five weeks to do a jungle training and a hardening course in preparation for heading into the fight zone. He said the course was hard, but he got through it. After completing the course he went to Townsville to await his posting to the Pacific (Woolford, 1989, pg. 40-41).

He embarked to the Pacific Islands on the 3rd August 1944. Les joined up with the 77 Squadron on the 12th September 1944 on Noemfoor Island, and was located there for around eight months (see figure 3). Les was part of the ground crew to keep the fighter aircrafts flight ready (Wikipedia, 2020; Freeth, 1987, pg. 8b). During this time, the 77 Squadron bombed Japanese positions on the Vogelkop Peninsula in October, and Halmahera in November. The squadron then shifted to Morotai Island on the 13th of April 1945 (see figure 3). From there, the squadron conducted attacks over the Dutch East Indies (Wikipedia, 2020). Les spent around six weeks with the squadron on Morotai Island (Freeth, 1987, pg. 8b). On the 30th June 1945, the 77 Squadron moved to Labuan Island at the entrance of Brunei Bay (see figure 3) (Wikipedia, 2020). They were part of the 81 Wing invasion of Labuan Island and Brunei. The squadron attacked Keningau and Sapong, North Borneo (Odgers, 1952). The squadron remained on Labuan Island even after the hostilities ended on the 15th August 1945 (Wikipedia, 2020). Les left the squadron and Labuan on the 30th October 1945 as part of the demobilisation plan. He arrived back in Australia on the 8th November 1945 (Freeth, 1987, pg. 8b). During the war, the tally for the 77 Squadron of aerial victories, were seven aircraft destroyed with possibly four other aircrafts destroyed. Eighteen of their own pilots were killed (Wikipedia, 2020). Les arrived back in Adelaide and was discharged from the RAAF on the 23rd November 1945 when he was thirty-two years old (Freeth, 1987, pg. 8b). 

When Les arrived back home to Pinkawillinie, he spoke of being very cold after living in the tropics (Freeth, 1987, pg. 8b). The heat, humidity and heavy rains would have made the conditions difficult to live and work in. Others spoke of millions of insects everywhere, including mosquitoes, flies, ants and fleas, as well as leeches and other parasites carrying diseases. The terrain of the Pacific Islands; would have been challenging with the vast mountain ranges, dense jungles and muddy swamps (General MacArthur and Staff, 1994, pg. 42-43). 

During the Pacific Theatre Japanese soldiers were well known for fighting to the death rather than being captured by the enemy. They were brutal soldiers. Their superiors would beat them for disobedience. They were told to die rather than survive in shame as a prisoner. The Japanese military was resistant to innovation. Their leaders believed that their fighting spirit could make up for their inferior equipment. The famous Zero fighter, which at the beginning of the war was an agile aircraft, was never updated, and by 1944 it was no match for the American Hellcat. Japanese pilots could not communicate in the air. They had no air-sea rescue because pilots were regarded as expendable. Towards the end of the war, Japan had lost many fighter pilots. Their newly trained fighter pilots were poorly trained and had only clocked in an average of forty hours of flying, compared to American pilots with an average of three-hundred flight hours. Many rookie pilots were trained to be Kamikaze pilots and to hit a target. The planes could fly double their range as they didn’t have to refuel. Kamikaze pilots began to attack warcraft, including ships, improving the accuracy and success rates of invasions. The planes were polished to a high gloss, resembling a flying coffin (Bering, 2009). 

During Les’ time in the RAAF, his father became unwell. There were many official letters requesting for Les to be discharged so that he could return home to help his father run their farm. The letters began to be written in early January 1945 when he had already spent three years in the RAAF. The letters were written by his father, his father’s doctor and Les himself. The letters described Les’ father being unwell with a heart condition that he was unable to do any manual work. The letter explained the continuing drought conditions in the Kimba district and the need for water to be carted for the stock. They were planning to sink a large dam to carry the stock through the dry months of the year. Stock needed to be hand-fed, along with other manual tasks including fencing. The dry season also meant that they were afraid to commence seeding. Some of the letters continued even after the war had officially ended on the 2nd September 1945. His request to be discharged was always refused (NAA, 2020, pg. 30).

After almost four years in the war, Les was discharged on the 23rd of November 1945, and received a gratuity pay which he used to buy a tractor (Freeth, 1987, pg. 8b). Les later met Joyce Sheila Barns from Port Lincoln, and married in 1950 when he was thirty-seven years old. They bought and moved to the farm next door to their home place. There already was a good quality home on that property. He finished clearing the land with tractors and continued to crop and graze cattle and sheep. During that time Les’s father died in 1949, at the age of sixty-five. His mother continued to live in her home, with one of Les’s brothers who never married, until she died in 1964, at the age of eighty. Les and Joyce went on to have three children, eight grandchildren and ten great-grandchildren so far. Les and Joyce moved into Kimba to retire in 1985. Joyce died in 1995. Les died in 2008 when he was ninety-four years old (Woolford, 1989, pg. 23, 28, 30).

When the war officially ended Les received a number of medals (see figure 5). The 1939-1945 Star. This medal was awarded for his service between 3 September 1939 and 2 September 1945 in WWll. Les was awarded the Pacific Star for his entry into operational service in the Pacific Theatre of Operations between 8 December 1941 and 2 September 1945. Les was also awarded the War Medal 1939-1945 for 28 days of full time service in WWll.  The Australia Service Medal 1939-1945 was awarded to Les for his service for at least 18 months in WWll. The Australian Service Medal 1945-75 was awarded to Les for his service in non-warlike operations after WWll ended. This medal has a SW Pacific clasp (Australian Government: Department of Defence, 2020).

Throughout Les’ time serving in WWll, he was always willing to fight for Australia to stop Japan’s attempt at invading our country. Les was prepared when he enlisted to put his life on the line to help his country who was in need. Les always knew what hard work was. He cleared new farmland with just an axe, his backbreaking toil and strength of character. 

Part B

Throughout Les’ time as an aircraft mechanic, he worked hard, both physically and mentally. Growing up, Les learnt the art of resourcefulness and later used that skill during his time as an aircraft mechanic. Spending his time as a war time aircraft mechanic resulted in him facing many challenges. These challenges included adapting to the hot and humid climates and the masses of insects. He struggled being away from his family especially when his father became very sick. Les’ crew worked tirelessly under the difficult conditions on the Pacific Islands, with the aim to keep planes in the air. On the islands, Les would keep planes in action by scavenging for parts from wrecks, and fabricating or making changes to fit different planes that he and his crew worked on. He worked long hours repairing and maintaining the aircraft of the 77 Squadron. Many years later it became known that one of the pilots preferred to fly an aircraft that was maintained and repaired only by Les himself, displaying Les’ outstanding knowledge of aircraft mechanics. Les was said to be good at his job. The RAAF would not discharge him, even after the many attempts that his ill father had tried in order to bring him home. After the war had officially ended he was very proud of what he had achieved during his time as a Leading Aircraftman and his service to Australia. Les demonstrated courage throughout his time serving in the war, with the large amount of courage it took to even enlist. Les had no knowledge of what he would be assigned to do, where he would go and more importantly if he would even make it back home in one piece. 

References

Australian Government: Department of Defence 2020, Campaign Medals World War Two, viewed 5th May 2020, <https://www.defence.gov.au/Medals/Imperial/WWII/>.

Bering, H 2009, The Brutal Pacific Theater, Hoover Institution, viewed 14th May 2020,  <https://www.hoover.org/research/brutal-pacific-theater>.

Cull, B. and Galea, F 2017, 249 at Malta: RAF’s Top-Scoring Fighter Squadron, Fonthill Media.

Freeth, L 1987, The Life Story of Les Freeth. 

General MacArthur and Staff 1994. Reports of General MacArthur: The Campaigns of MacArthur in the Pacific, CMH Pub. 

Kittyhawk n.d., How the old WW2 “Kittyhawk” plane was lifted from a swamp, English Russia, viewed 20th May 2020, <https://englishrussia.com/2016/08/11/how-the-old-ww2-kittyhawk-plane-was-lifted-from-a-swamp-22-photos/>.

Map of Indonesia 2004, Indonesia – the United Nations, United Nations, viewed 20th May 2020, <https://www.un.org/Depts/Cartographic/map/profile/indonesi.pdf>.

National Archives of Australia (NAA) 2020, Leslie Frederick Freeth, viewed 7th May 2020, <https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=4573313>.

Odgers, G 1952, Across the Parallel – The Australian 77th Squadron with the United Stated Air Force in the Korean Air War,  William Heinemann, Australia. 

Rogers, H 1994, In the Wake of History, 1801-1994, Openbook Pub., Adelaide.

Wikipedia, 2019, History of the Royal Australian Air Force, viewed 5th May 2020, <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Royal_Australian_Air_Force>.

Wikipedia 2020, No. 77 Squadron RAAF, viewed 12th May 2020, <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._77_Squadron_RAAF>.

Woolford, B 1989, The Life Story of Les Freeth.