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Supermarine Walrus pilot, Pilot Officer Bruce Ada, joined the British Pacific Fleet in February 1945 following service in No. 9 Squadron RAAF during 1944 in Papua New Guinea. In Papua New Guinea he undertook aerial survey duties flying from Australian Navy ships and rescues, including a spectacular rescue of a P40 Kittyhawk pilot from the jungles in West Papua New Guinea.

At the end of 1944 No. 9 Squadron was disbanded and Bruce was posted to Rathmine’s Flying Boat base near Sydney where he remained until 23 February 1945. He was then transferred on loan with two other Australian Walrus amphibian pilots (F/Lt Dave Howard and P/O Viv Lohmeyer) to the Royal Navy which was preparing to attack the mainland of Japan. They were sent to Nowra for a crash course on deck landings for carrier air sea rescue work. They flew on to H.M.S. Illustrious, just off Bondi Beach on March 1 and at Manus Island they were transferred to H.M.S. Victorious, an “Illustrious” class fleet carrier with the a Task Force in the British Pacific Fleet. HMS Victorious had two Walrus aircraft, known affectionately by the crew as “Darby” and “Joan”.

The very last day of the war, 10 August, 1945, Bruce flew Walrus W3085 (“Darby”) to rescue a New Zealand flyer. He had to ditch his Walrus after locating the pilot’s raft and running out of fuel. He recalled later that he was within sight of the raft but could not get near it because the aircraft had no fuel. The pilot (Derick Morton) had been picked up by the US submarine USS Peto just before the arrival of the aircraft. The NZ pilot recalled that he did not know about the Walrus until he returned to Sydney because the sub crash dived when it saw the ‘strange’ Walrus coming over the horizon — the sub Captain had never seen an aircraft like this and assumed it must be an enemy aircraft. Derick Morton recalled “ (after he landed in the water). While all this was happening, one of the other pilots (John Middleton) had put out a MAYDAY and the rescue wheels were turning. I was only in the water about 4½ hrs before USS Peto answered, the most welcome sight I have ever seen. Afterwards your Captain told me I had landed ½ mile from a minefield. How lucky can you be? Later I found out the British Navy had sent out an amphibious Walrus aircraft to look for me, but by the time they got to the area, the USS Peto had already picked me up. The Walrus continued looking till it got low on fuel, headed back to the fleet, ran out of petrol on the way, ditched too, and the crew I believe were picked up by a Destroyer. I cost the Navy quite a lot that day!.” (Extract from letter sent to Mike Walsh — USS Peto - dated June 28, 2002)

Bruce became a rescued flyer. He was picked up by a Yankee destroyer, transferred by breeches buoy to several other ships, including the battleship H.M.S. King George 5 and arrived back at base on H.M.S. Victorious, which was 'dawdling along', (heading south) at 26 knots. Flying in the Royal Navy he considered was rougher than the RAN. He flew only with a Navigator as crew and they were usually escorted by a flight of four fighters on rescue missions. Bruce served in the Air Sea Rescue Unit from 17 March 1945 to 19 August 1945. From March to May, the British Pacific Fleet was designated as Task Force 57 and given the task of protecting the American fleet during their attack on Okinawa from crack Japanese fighters transiting from Taiwan through the Sakashima Gunto Islands. The fleet was under constant attack from kamikaze pilots. HMS Victorious took direct hits five times.

On April 17 Bruce effected a particularly hazardous rescue off Miyako Island. According to a report by John Loughlin a Special Staff Correspondent with The Argus, Avenger bomber navigator Sub Lieutenant John Gass of Yorkshire, the only survivor of the aircraft hit by anti-aircraft fire, was “snatched from under the guns of the Japanese shore positions by a Walrus biplane of the air sea rescue unit, piloted by Australian Flying officer Bruce Ada of Drummoyne, Sydney. …John Gass … told me that he had bailed out because the Japanese ‘put a shell under my seat and made it too hot to stay’. Gass came down west of the Japanese town of Hirara and drifetd 2 ½ miles in a fast current with Fireflies overhead. Ada and Sub Lieutenant A.R. Marshall of Yorkshire, flew to the rescue in their clumsy amphibian and cane down in tricky reefs around the tiny islands to which Gass had drifted”. Secretary of the Victorious Reunion Association adds another twist to the tale. He notes that “he (Bruce) had to land in shallow water about half a mile from the survivor and then weave slowly through jagged coral beds. During this time the Japanese fired their A.A. guns which fortuinately did not depress fully and the shells flew overhead. Bruce’s observer was Sub. Lt R. Marshall who hauled the survivor on board. A signal from the fleet to Bruce said ‘Understand Darby bombarded the Japanese with his machine gun.’ Reply, ‘No we threw coral at them.’” A signal from Rear Admiral Denny from HMS Venerable to HMS Victorious on 17th April “we are most grateful for the air-sea rescue for such a fine rescue”.”

From June to August 1945 Task Force 57 joined the American fleet in attacking the Japanese mainland until the Japanese succumbed on 10 August 1945. HMS Victorious did not take part in the formal surrender on 15 August but headed south to Manus Island with most of the British Pacific Fleet. At Manus Bruce transferred from HMS Victorious to HMS Venerable (19 August 1945) and sailed south to take part in the surrender of Hong Kong. The Rear Admiral on Victorious certified his conduct was "to my entire satisfaction." During his time with the British Pacific Fleet he was promoted to the rank of Flight Lieutenant.

Years later, Bruce recalled that “We called this Operation Ethelred (the unready) because no one new the situation in Hong Kong.” The Walrus was the second aircraft to land at Hong Kong’s Kai Tak airfield on August 30 1945 after he had rescued the crew of an Avenger bomber and the Japanese surrender envoy on August 30. The Avenger had crash landed on the beach at Bias Bay and the Walrus was sent to pick them up and bring them to Kai Tak airfield. For the balance of his time in Hong Kong, Bruce and the Walrus conducted aerial surveys of Kowloon, Hong Kong and the New Territories. Bruce returned home to Sydney on H.M.S. Indomitable and was discharged from the R.A.A.F. on 2 November, 1945.

His service in the R.N. was noted and acknowledged. ‘For courage, zeal and determination in successful Air Sea. Rescue Flight Service under hazardous conditions, during offensive operations in the far East .... ‘ the King was graciously pleased to give orders for the appointment of Bruce as a Member of the British Empire'.

This article was also contributed to the BBC Project 'WW2 People's War' in 2005. WW2 People's War is an online archive of wartime memories contributed by members of the public and gathered by the BBC. The archive can be found at bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar.