Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

2017_Josh_Loxton_James_Oliver_Cass.pdf

https://vwma.org.au/collections/home-page-stories/battle-honours

Howard_Hendrick_by_Sophie_Lipman.pdf

William Leonard East What task is this that so unnerves me now? When pity should be dead, and has been dead. Unloose that sheet from round the pierced brow; What matter blood is seen, for blood is red, And red’s the colour of the clammy earth. Be not so solemn,-There’s no need to pray; But, rather smile, - yea, laugh! If pure, thy mirth Is right. He laughed himself but yesterday. That pay-book? Take it from him. Ours a debt No gold can ever pay. That cross of wood About his neck? That must remain, and yet He needs it no, because his heart was good. We’ll house him ‘neath those broken shrubs; dig deep. He’s tired. God knows, and needs a little sleep.

Late on the night of 26 April 1944, 25 Lancasters from No 460 Squadron headed for Essen in the middle of the Ruhr. Almost over the target, Vic, our bomb aimer took over and began the familiar, "Left, left, steady, right, steady, bomb doors open, steady, right, steady, bombs gone, steady for photo". When the 14,000 lbs of bombs fell away the aircraft leapt upwards as it was relieved of the weight. A moment later, with the bomb doors still open and the aircraft steady on course, the plane rocked as a shower of bombs hit us from a Lancaster just over our heads. Fortunately, the 4,000 lb bomb missed us or we would have been blown to Kingdom Come. We were hit by a shower of incendiaries which immediately knocked out one engine and badly damaged another so that it was useless and the propeller could not be feathered, greatly increasing the drag on one side of the plane. A third motor was hit but kept going on reduced power. Another incendiary damaged the starboard fuel tank but did not set it alight. Yet another smashed the hydraulic system which operated the bomb doors, undercarriage and flaps. By a miracle no one was hit. The Lancaster had started to dive away to port and the pilot and engineer struggled and brought the plane under control. With limited control and lack of speed giving us a much reduced airspeed, the skipper opted for a direct flight to base, even though we would be on our own across Germany. Losing altitude as we approached the Dutch coast we decided on the long sea crossing hoping to maintain enough height to make England. As we crossed the sea in the early hours of the morning the aircraft gradually lost height. With the bomb doors wide open, the bomb inspection covers had blown off and an icy gale whistled through the cabin. On two motors and the third propeller uselessly windmilling adding to the drag, we could go no faster than 140mph. At 0345 we crossed the darkened coast of Lincolnshire at 1500 feet and turned for the short leg to Binbrook. In sight of the base beacon the third motor stopped. Bob, at once, feathered the engine and we began to lose what little altitude we had. We were now down to 600 feet above the Wolds. Bob called up flying control and asked for an emergency landing. To our incredulity and disgust, we were refused and told to go away to an emergency airfield in East Anglia. Because we were arriving at the same time as the rest of 460 squadron aircraft flying control didn't want the runway blocked by a crashed aircraft. Bob Wade, with an understandably temper outburst at this callous unconcern by flying control for a Lancaster in such dire straits, told flying control with a few Australian adjectives included ignored the instructions and continued the approach telling Harry to operate the emergency lever to lower the undercarriage. Just imagine coming in on a wing and a prayer. One motor, one wheel, and one ambition to get down in one try. ( a wartime song 'Comin' In On a Wing and a Prayer') The only difference in this picture is that 460 squadron Lancs had Rolls Royce in line motors. Only the right wheel came down and when an attempt was made to retract it, it remained down. With one engine working, one propeller windmilling, the bomb doors open, no flaps and one wheel up and one wheel down, and too low to bail out our only option was to ride the Lancaster to the ground. Not wanting to block the runway, after telling control he was coming in whether they liked it or not, Bob lined up some 300 yards to the right. Even though it was very dark off to the side of the runway, he began the short final approach with no flaps to maintain lift at our low speed and holding the right wing low to counter balance the dead engines. The Lancaster "B2" touched down on one wheel and ran along the grass at about 100 mph while Bob fought in the dark to keep the left wing up as long as possible. Gradually the wing sank lower and as the speed dropped shut off the last throttle. Suddenly the left wing tip touched the ground and immediately the aircraft ground–looped violently, spinning across the grass and finally coming to rest in the middle of the runway, right in the path of another Lancaster which was on the point of touching down. As our aircraft came to rest there was a wild scramble to get clear in case the damaged fuel tank caught fire. First man out got stuck in the escape hatch but was quickly shoved out by those following. Scrambling down the fuselage we ran for our lives. In the glow of the searchlight, the fire truck and ambulance raced across the grass, but we did not hear them because of the shattering roar of the engines of the Lancaster which had just touched down. Faced with a wrecked Lancaster in the middle of the runway, the pilot gunned his motors to emergency power and slowly struggled over our heads to safety. As the roar of the climbing aircraft died away, even though I was about 40 yards away, I knew Bob was still alive as I could hear him cursing and swearing as he turned off the switches. Arthur Hoyle, 460squadronraaf.com

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/212244666/edmond-wilson_george-letch

Godlee.pdf

MORLEY.pdf

https://anzacportal.dva.gov.au/resources/australian-women-and-war

https://vwma.org.au/collections/home-page-stories/the-first-conscription-referendum

https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/R1708691

Lt_Walter_Henry_Shiers___J_Grasser.pdf

SINK THE ‘TERGESTEA’ from an article published HERE - https://www.key.aero/article/38-squadrons-wellington-torpedo-bombers The afternoon of October 26 was fine, with good visibility and little cloud. Three crews of Wellington torpedo-bombers, the leader Flt Lt Wiggins in HX633, Plt Off R H Bertran in HF595, and Sgt Viles in HF912, were briefed on a desperate attempt to stop the Tergestea reaching the safety of Tobruk harbour. Flt Lt Wiggins, 25, was from Middleton, South Australia, where he had worked as an auctioneer. He had enlisted in the RAAF in November 1940, and after going through the Empire Air Training Scheme, was posted to 38 Squadron in North Africa. The unit’s Wellington bombers were armed with two torpedoes each, while some were radar equipped to locate and attack targets at night from very low level. It was a role described by Wiggins as ‘not for the faint-hearted’. That description was particularly apt for the mission on that fateful afternoon in October 1942. To evade interception by German fighters and keep below enemy radar, the plan was for the three aircraft to first fly due north out to sea for about 60 miles, trying to keep as low as 100ft. Then they were to turn west and fly approximately parallel to the coast until they reached position some 60 miles northeast of Tobruk. At that point the formation was to turn onto a southwest heading and fly directly towards Tobruk to take the enemy air defences by surprise. By making their attacking runs out of a darkening sky, it was hoped to catch the Tergestea before it could dock. At 1540hrs Flt Lt Wiggins led the trio of aircraft into the air and brought them down towards the waves as they sped north out into the Mediterranean. If their raid was successful, it would paralyse Rommel’s Panzerarmee Afrika. THE LAST CHANCE Helped by excellent work from his navigator, Wiggins spotted the Tergestea only a few miles from Tobruk. In the first dusk attack ever attempted by 38 Squadron, the three aircraft headed straight for the vessel a tanker/freighter carrying cargo that included 1,000 tons of petrol, and 1,000 tons of ammunition. Wiggins’ bombers came in with fading light behind them, whereas their target stood out against the sun setting in the west. There were many destroyers escorting the tanker, but they were taken completely by surprise. It was not until the aircraft were beginning their run less than two miles from their target that frantic signaling took place from the escorting warships to the tanker. Ignoring the flak, Wiggins held his strike force dead on course. It was the last chance for the RAF to sink the tanker before it reached Tobruk harbour and its anti-aircraft defences – a second bombing run without the element of surprise, and in the dark, would almost certainly be unsuccessful. All three Wellingtons dropped two torpedoes each at a distance of around 500- 600 yards from the target. Of the six torpedoes launched, three ran well, striking the Tergestea and causing an enormous explosion. After dropping his salvo Wiggins chose to take his climbing aircraft straight over the top of the Tergestea attracting the greatest concentration of anti-aircraft fire from the escort destroyers. Despite his bomber suffering multiple hits, Wiggins was able to maintain his escape flight beyond the range of the defending guns. Plt Off Bertran banked his Wellington away to starboard and received lighter anti-aircraft fire. The RAF crews observed a huge column of black smoke, surging up from the Tergestea to an estimated 3,000ft. After releasing its torpedoes, Sgt Viles’ aircraft was seen to stagger, probably from receiving fire from the destroyers, and was last observed breaking away to port. Both Wiggins and Bertran completed their return flights safely to base by 2200hrs. A search sortie that night reported that there was no sign of Viles’ Wellington nor of the Tergestea, which must have sunk. Nothing remained of the convoy except for the tanker Proserpina, now settling low in the water and still burning after the earlier attack. ROMMEL LEFT POWERLESS The same evening, unaware of the attack on the Tergestea, Rommel wrote to his wife Lucia that the loss of the Proserpina made the supply situation critical. The next day, after hearing of the confirmed loss of Tergestea and its fuel supplies, Rommel wrote to Lucia again – in near defeatist mood he doubted he would survive. Starved of fuel, running out of other supplies, and powerless to withstand the Eighth Army’s renewed attack in Operation Supercharge, Rommel ordered a general retreat on November 4

Vincent_John_Stephen_Jordan_-_SA_Police_Gazette_1933.jpg

https://vwma.org.au/collections/home-page-stories/hill-60-gallipoli

P_WELLS.pdf

http://aircrewremembered.com/coleman-gerald.html

http://stories.anmm.gov.au/ae1/commemorating-ae1/

NOACK.pdf

https://www.aif.adfa.edu.au/showPerson?pid=324943

https://vwma.org.au/collections/home-page-stories/vietnam-first-track

https://www.cwgc.org/find-a-cemetery/cemetery/2087121/ijsselmuiden-(grafhorst)-general-cemetery/

https://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=sabmd&id=I344331

2017_Laura_Stephens_Vernon_Hocking.pdf

http://www.2nd2ndpioneerbattalion.com/historyFRAMESET.html

Jack_Lattas_Adelaide_Botanic_HS_Mervyn_Douglas_Graham.pdf

https://vwma.org.au/collections/home-page-stories/a-wwi-selfie

George Mitchell .. the culminating point ‘Backs to the Wall!’ Backs to hell, and old ‘Nick’ reaching out with his pitchfork. We could not hear our own rifles above the din, only knew by the recoil that we had fired. I could feel the sidelong glances from the men, and the unspoken thought, ‘How are you going to get us out of this mess?’ ‘Poor blighters, my job is to keep you here till you are done for, not get you out.’ On three sides, they closed in, only the way to company headquarters was open. Suddenly a runner dived in and I read the message, ‘Retire immediately.’ Down the bank once more and out on the lower plain, futile bullets pecked the ground as I trudged. What did it matter? Only a question of today, tomorrow, or the next day! To my delighted eyes, there stretched a well-sited, newly dug trench lined with capable looking Australians. Eager questions assailed me ‘Where is he, when is he coming?’ ‘Massing over the hill’ I replied, ‘here in about twenty minutes.’ ‘We’ve got him now, we’ve got him!’ Sorted out my platoon and led them to the extreme left where there was a gap. A roar of small-arm fire came from the right, a 13th brigade battalion, the 49th, swept forward into the gap. We watched as they swung along with irresistible momentum, the ranks thinned as they went, here and there groups shot and stabbed. Ahead of them ran field grey figures, the gap is closed by good Australian bayonets! No further attack came from Fritz. Down came their gunfire on us, the worst I ever experienced. Big shells punched the rocking earth with appalling fury, smoke rolled in clouds, had a bad attack of wind-up, and the taste of death was in my mouth. If I live through this, I thought as I lay in a heap, I will never be any good anymore. Ten shells a second, I calculated, landed on our hundred yards of front. Slowly the fire died away, the 2nd Division came up and relieved us, we assembled our weary few and marched back." George Mitchell, MC, DCM, "Backs to the Wall", 1937

Pte_Leslie_Herbert_Lockwood_-_Yr_9_St_Francis_de_Sales_College.docx

Lawrence_Lampard_and_his_brother_Frank_Lampard_OAM.pdf

http://www.rafupwood.co.uk/156squadron.htm#156losses

https://vwma.org.au/collections/home-page-stories/corporal-frank-mclean-mm-a-proud-great-grand-daughter-honours-his-service-in-singapore

https://www.gmct.com.au/deceased/1597139

2010_Govor_Latvian_Anzacs.pdf

https://vwma.org.au/collections/home-page-stories/the-price-of-peace-at-last

https://books.google.com.au/books?id=DIwBAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA1971&lpg=PA1971#v=onepage&q&f=false

C_REYNELL.pdf

H_GOODING.pdf

https://vwma.org.au/collections/home-page-stories/the-road-to-damascus

B_GABEL.pdf

https://www.dailyadvertiser.com.au/story/7651147/new-mural-paying-tribute-to-riverinas-air-force-contribution/

baldwin.pdf

https://vwma.org.au/collections/home-page-stories/the-pow-death-ships

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/56477905/francis-joseph-allen

https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/104976019

http://aircrewremembered.com/holland-alan-james.html

Lloyd_Evelyn_Wigg___J_Nguyen.pdf

https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/page/1085947

Leane.pdf

https://vwma.org.au/collections/home-page-stories/adelaides-war-memorial-oak