Australian Soldiers, Memorials and Military History

227 page autobiography by Air Commodore Lyall Robert Klaffer entitiled "Fighter Pilot". Manuscript details the authors personal history before enlistment. Accounts post-enlistment are divided into chapters based on posting: Enlistment in Citizens Air Force; Flying training at Point Cook; Flying training at RAAF base East Sale; No.3 Squadron; Central Flying School; No. 77 Squadron Japan; 24 City of Adelaide Squadron; Officer Training school Rathmines; No.2 Operational Conversion Unit; No.75 (F) Squadron Malta; ADC to the Governor-General of Australia; No.2 (F) OCU RAAF Williamstown; Central Flying School RAAF Base East Sale; RAAF College Point Cook; No.3 Fighter Combat Instructors Course; Air Armaments School; RAAF Base Williamstown; RAAF Staff College Point Cook; Air Force Headquarters; Central Flying School; No.16 Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron (US) South Carolina; Headquarter Operational Command; No.1 Squadron Amberley; Base Squadron Amberley; Air Base Butterworth, Malaysia; Air Force office, Canberra. Accounts of active service during the Korean War. Training, conversion and posting experiences through the rest of his career including his role as ADC to Governor-General Field Marshal Sir William Slim. Personal photographs included throughout.

NAA Service Record 403187 FSGT Llewelly GREY

https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Gallery151/dist/JGalleryViewer.aspx?B=5523054&S=1&N=34&R=0

The following from Iain Bramley's research Forename Surname Rank Unit / Formation Date Up Down Mission Pilot Aircraft Type & Number J A G Browne Sgt No 49 Squadron 24th May 1942 n.a. n.a. Posting into 49 Squadron as WT/Air Gunner n.a. n.a. J A G Browne Sgt No 49 Squadron 15th August 1942 12:54:00 AM 5:04:00 AM Dusseldorf Sgt Roy Gould Lancaster W.4113 J A G Browne Sgt No 49 Squadron 17th August 1942 10:26:00 PM 3:01:00 AM Osnabruck Sgt Roy Gould Lancaster W.4113 J A G Browne Sgt No 49 Squadron 8th September 1942 10:44:00 PM 3:37:00 AM Frankfurt Sgt Roy Gould Lancaster R.5896 J A G Browne Sgt No 49 Squadron 10th September 1942 8:40:00 PM 1:40:00 AM Dusseldorf Sgt Roy Gould Lancaster R.5916 J A G Browne Sgt No 49 Squadron 13th September 1942 11:22:00 PM 3:24:00 AM Bremen Sgt Roy Gould Lancaster R.5812 J A G Browne Sgt No 49 Squadron 14th September 1942 8:31:00 PM 12:48:00 AM Wilmeshaven Sgt Roy Gould Lancaster L.7493 J A G Browne Sgt No 49 Squadron 17th September 1942 8:38:00 PM 1:15:00 AM Krupps Works, Essen Sgt Roy Gould Lancaster R.5912 J A G Browne Sgt No 49 Squadron 18th September 1942 7:52:00 PM 4:25:00 AM Mining off Swinehunde Sgt Roy Gould Lancaster R.5912 J A G Browne Sgt No 49 Squadron 20th September 1942 7:38:00 PM 4:10:00 AM Munich Sgt Roy Gould Lancaster R.5912 J A G Browne Sgt No 49 Squadron 17th October 1942 12:09:00 PM 10:08:00 PM Schneider Steel Works, Le Creusot (Daylight) Sgt Roy Gould Lancaster W.4773 J A G Browne Sgt No 49 Squadron 21st October 1942 5:33:00 PM 1:20:00 AM Munich Sgt Elliott Cole Lancaster W.4245 J A G Browne Sgt No 49 Squadron 24th October 1942 12:20:00 PM 9:22:00 PM Milan (daylight) Sgt Roy Gould Lancaster R.5912 J A G Browne Sgt No 49 Squadron 21st December 1942 5:33:00 PM 1:20:00 AM Munich Sgt Elliott Cole Lancaster W.4245 J A G Browne Sgt No 49 Squadron 16th January 1943 4:52:00 PM 11:41:00 PM Berlin Sgt Elliott Cole Lancaster ED.428 J A G Browne Sgt No 49 Squadron 17th January 1943 4:58:00 PM 1:22:00 AM Berlin Sgt Elliott Cole Lancaster ED.428 J A G Browne Sgt No 49 Squadron 31st January 1943 2:26:00 AM 7:15:00 AM Hamburg (crashed at Reepham Crossing on return) Sgt Elliott Cole Lancaster ED.428

Awarded the following Battle Honours: Beaufort - 1945 Borneo - 1945 Busu River - 1943 Defence of Alamein Line - 1942 Defence of Scarlet Beach - 1943 Defence of Tobruk - 1941 El Alamein - 1942 Finschhafen - 1943 Gusika - 1943 Labuan - 1945 Qattara Track - 1942 Sanyet el Miteirya - 1942 Siki Cove - 1943 Tell el Makh Khad - 1942

AWM Collection History of Fort Scratchley by R.S. Mort

https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/LIB100013707

National Archives Australia - Service Record

https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=3018044

Australian War Memorial - Australian Red Cross Wounded and Missing Files - Charles Henry Alexander

https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/R1504223

"Anzaka" hero in the Latvian army - Eduards Ābelskalns / Ābelkalns

https://laikraksts.com/raksti/raksts.php?KursRaksts=10756

AIF project - Charles Henry Alexander

https://aif.adfa.edu.au/showPerson?pid=2348

Edward Abelscaln - Russian ANZACS

https://russiananzacs.net/Abelscaln

Early Latvian Settlers in Australia edited by Aldis L Putnins

2010_Govor_Latvian_Anzacs.pdf

Lancaster Mk I tail number NA 533 Squadron Code AF-P collided with another aircraft, Lancaster Mk 1 Tail number HK555 Squadron Code KO-E from No. 115 Squadron. The Navigator of Beck's aircraft POFF Bartlett was the only survivor of the 14 crew.

This list is a work in progress and is incomplete as it is being compiled from fragmentary records of individual airmen. No. !86 Squadron commenced operations as a Heavy Bomber Unit in October 1944 15 October 1944 First raid of the reformed 186 Squadron. Francis John COOK aircraft lost. 20 October 1944 John Robert FREERS AIrcraft shot down by night fighter on raid to Stuttgart Germany, over Luneville , NW France Wallace Patrick BURTON aircraft lost. Herbert Keith COOMBE aircraft lost Arthur Edward Jarvis STILES aircraft lost George Edward WILLIAMSON. DFC aircraft lost 11 January 1945 152 Lancasters of No 3 Group carried out a G-H raid on the railway yard in the Uerdingen suburb of Krefeld. No aircraft lost. 13 January 1945 158 Lancasters of No 3 Group attacked the railway yards at Saarbrücken. The bombing appeared to be accurate, though with some overshooting. 1 Lancaster crashed in France. 16 January 1945 1138 Lancasters of No 3 Group attacked the benzol plant at Wanne-Eickel. No results known. 1 Lancaster lost. 28 January 1945 153 Lancasters of No 3 Group attacked the railway yards at Cologne/Gremberg in conditions of good visibility. Some of the bombing fell on the target but some overshot. 3 Lancasters were lost and 1 crashed in France. 2/3 February 1945 495 Lancasters and 12 Mosquitos of Nos 1, 3, 6 and 8 Groups to Wiesbaden. 3 Lancasters crashed in France. This was Bomber Command's one and only large raid on Wiesbaden. There was complete cloud cover but most of the bombing hit the town. 5 important war industries along the banks of the Rhine were untouched but the railway station was damaged. 14 Febraury 1945 Dresden raid. 20/21 February 1945. William Charles JAMES aircraft lost. 514 Lancasters and 14 Mosquitos of Nos 1, 3, 6 and 8 Groups attacked Dortmund in Bomber Command's last large-scale raid on this target. 14 Lancasters lost. The intention of this raid was to destroy the southern half of Dortmund and Bomber Command claimed that this was achieved. 22 February 1945 167 Lancasters of No 3 Group in forces of 85 and 82 aircraft to oil refineries at Gelsenkirchen and Osterfeld. A Film Unit Lancaster of No 463 Squadron, No 5 Group, accompanied the Gelsenkirchen force. Both targets were accurately bombed in clear weather conditions. 1 Lancaster lost from the Gelsenkirchen raid. 25 February 1945 153 Lancasters of No 3 Group carried out a G-H attack on the synthetic-oil refinery at Kamen. 1 Lancaster lost. 26 February 1945 149 Lancasters of No 3 Group carried out a G-H attack on the Hoesch benzol-oil plant at Dortmund through cloud. No results were seen but the bombing appeared to be concentrated. No aircraft lost. 28 February 1945 156 Lancasters of No 3 Group in a G-H raid on the Nordstern synthetic-oil plant at Gelsenkirchen. No aircraft lost. 1 March 1945 151 Lancasters of No 3 Group attacked an oil plant at Kamen through cloud. 4 March 1945 128 Lancasters of No 3 Group carried out a G-H attack through cloud on Wanne-Eickel. No results were seen. 6 March 1945 119 Lancasters of No 3 Group carried out a G-H attack through cloud on the Wintershall oil refinery at Salzbergen. 1 lost. 7/8 March 1945 526 Lancasters and 5 Mosquitos of Nos 1, 3, 6 and 8 Groups raided Dessau. 18 Lancasters lost, 3.4 per cent of the force. This was another devastating raid on a new target in Eastern Germany with the usual town centre, residential, industrial and railway areas all being hit. 10 March 1945 155 Lancasters of No 3 Group carried out a G-H attack on the oil refinery at Scholven/Buer. Photographs taken later showed this to have been a very accurate and effective raid. No aircraft lost. 12 March 1945 1,108 aircraft - 748 Lancasters, 292 Halifaxes, 68 Mosquitos attacked Dortmund. This was another new record to a single target, a record which would stand to the end of the war. 2 Lancasters lost. Another record tonnage of bombs - 4,851 - was dropped through cloud on to this unfortunate city. The only details available from Dortmund state that the attack fell mainly in the centre and south of the city. A British team which investigated the effects of bombing in Dortmund after the war says that, 'The final raid … stopped production so effectively that it would have been many months before any substantial recovery could have occurred’. 14 March 1945 169 Lancasters of No 3 Group carried out G-H attacks through cloud on oil plants at Datteln and Hattingen (near Bochum). Both attacks appeared to be accurate but no results were seen. 1 Lancaster lost from the Hattingen raid. Kenneth Barry KEMMIS aircraft lost 4/5 April 1945 327 Lancasters and 14 Mosquitos of Nos 3, 6 and 8 Groups attacked the synthetic-oil plant at Leuna. The target was cloud-covered, the bombing was scattered and only minor damage was caused. 2 Lancasters lost. 186 Squadron lost FOff Beck's aircraft and crew. 9/10 April 1945 591 Lancasters and 8 Mosquitos of Nos 1, 3 and 8 Groups to Kiel. 3 Lancasters lost. This was an accurate raid, made in good visibility on two aiming points in the harbour area. Photographic reconnaissance showed that the Deutsche Werke U-boat yard was severely damaged, the pocket battleship Admiral Scheer was hit and capsized, the Admiral Hipper and the Emden were badly damaged. The local diary says that all 3 shipyards in the port were hit and that the nearby residential areas were severely damaged. 13/14 April 1945 377 Lancasters and 105 Halifaxes of Nos 3, 6 and 8 Groups to Kiel. 2 Lancasters lost. This raid was directed against the port area, with the U-boat yards as the main objective. Bomber Command rated this as 'a poor attack' with scattered bombing. 18 April 1945 969 aircraft - 617 Lancasters, 332 Halifaxes, 20 Mosquitos - of all groups attacked the naval base at Heligoland, the airfield and the town on this small island. The bombing was accurate and the target areas were turned almost into crater-pitted moonscapes. 3 Halifaxes were lost. 20 April 1945 100 Lancasters of No 3 Group bombed the fuel-storage depot at Regensburg accurately. 1 Lancaster lost. This was the last raid in the current campaign against German oil targets which had been waged since June 1944. Much of Bomber Command's effort during this period, sometimes at considerable loss, had been devoted to these oil operations, which had helped not only the Allied ground forces on the Western Front but also those fighting in Italy and on the Eastern Front.

77 Squadron Association

https://docplayer.net/57197404-77-squadron-raf-raaf-airmen-killed-whilst-on-active-service-with-77-squadron-raf-world-war-ii.html

Distinguished Conduct Medal

https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/R1534610

RAF Scampton Web Page - no longer Active - NOW 'Bomber County'

https://www.bcar.org.uk/scampton-history

NAA Service Record LTCOL W Fowler-Brownswoth

https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=4019464

George William Firmin’s Commonwealth War Graves Commission record

http://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/1460558/FIRMIN,%20GEORGE%20WILLIAM

CHERPITER John Commonwealth War Graves Commission record

http://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/1459085/CHERPITER,%20JOHN