ROBERTS, Alexander Cyffin
| Service Number: | 402007 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 28 April 1940 |
| Last Rank: | Flight Lieutenant |
| Last Unit: | Not yet discovered |
| Born: | Lismore, New South Wales, Australia, 9 October 1916 |
| Home Town: | Not yet discovered |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Not yet discovered |
| Memorials: | Ballarat Australian Ex-Prisoners of War Memorial, Narromine Aviation Museum Memorial Wall |
World War 2 Service
| 28 Apr 1940: | Enlisted Royal Australian Air Force, Flight Lieutenant, 402007 | |
|---|---|---|
| 11 Jul 1941: | Imprisoned Air War NW Europe 1939-45, Captured in Lyons southern France after baling out over St Omer in northern France. Successfully evaded capture from 11Jul until 26Jul. Escaped and returned to England in Nov41. | |
| 27 Jun 1945: | Discharged Royal Australian Air Force, Flight Lieutenant, 402007 |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Paul McGuiness
SGT A.C Roberts departed Kirton at 1350hrs on 6 Jan 1941 with six other aircraft for a 100 + Spitfire offensive fighter sweep over the Dunkirk-St Omer-Calais region to provide cover for light bombers attacking the Lille railway station. The Luftwaffe responded in numbers to the raid and in one engagement over the St.Omer region Robert’s Spitfire was hit hard and could not be recovered. Roberts baled out and landed in fields very close to St. Omer aerodrome but luckily was rescued immediately by French farmers. After leaving the local area Roberts was guided toward Calais with the intent of getting back to the UK by boat. The party could not get close to the well-guarded port however, so his French rescuers arranged for him to travel by bicycle and train south to Lyons. Roberts reached Lyons without much ado but after six days waiting for plans to be finalized he was betrayed and handed over to the Vichy authorities and incarcerated in Saint-Hippolyte-du-Fort near Nîmes. On 31Jul41 he was allowed to send a Red Cross Telegram stating he was ‘safe in France’. After several months of captivity he managed to escape with the help of the famous Belgian Army Officer Albert-Maria Edmond Guerisse of the Belgian and French Resistance (who operated under the name of Patrick Albert O’Leary. Roberts was led over the Pyrenees to Gibraltar, then shipped back aboard HMS Sheffield to No.1 RAF Depot Uxbridge, London where all RAF personnel were posted after a period of captivity. Roberts was the first RAAF Airmen to successfully escape and return to the UK in WW2. He returned to 452Sqn on 12Nov41 but in line with RAF policy was not permitted to fly again over Europe. Accordingly, he was posted to AHQ India where he completed a full tour of operations with 258 and 146 Hurricane Sqns at Ceylon and Dum Dum. On 30Nov43 he volunteered for and was accepted into H.M Special Forces as the Air Liaison Officer for No.3 Column, 77th Indian Brigade of the Long Range Penetration Group (LRPG), Burma Special Forces. After completing his tour Roberts returned to Australia in May 1945 and was discharged from the RAAF on 27th June 1945 with the rank of Flight Lieutenant.