Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

RAAF Crest

Aircrew of No. 40 Squadron RAF don their flying equipment before boarding their Vicker Wellington B Mark X at Foggia Main, Italy, for the last night bombing operation undertaken by the type. Six Wellingtons accompanied a force of Consolidated Liberators making an attack on the marshalling yards at Treviso on the night of 13/14 March 1945. The crew are, (left to right): Sergeant R Turner of London, (tail Gunner) Flying Officer A Merrick of Birmingham, (navigator) Pilot Officer P Faulkner of Te-Kuiti, New Zealand, (bomb-aimer) Pilot Officer J Burnett of Kensington Park, South Australia, (pilot) Flight Sergeant Radcliffe of Liverpool, (wireless operator/air gunner) Date between circa 1943 and circa 1944

Private Edwin Bavister joined the 25th Battalion of the Australian Infantry on 28 December 1915 and was killed in action in France on 18 July 1918. His memorial is at the war cemetery in Villers-Bretonneux, France. He was a grocer at Dinmore and 25 years old when he died.

3940 Cecil George LARSEN shortly after enlistment

AWM Photograph P07344.002

"Australia Remembers" plaque. Inscription: Jack Deacon, Army, 1941-1946. City of West Torrens

Brian Grasby's Basic Training Course at Mt Brecon, Victor Harbor, SOuth Australia

429369 FO Richard Rodney (Rod) Young, 463 Sqn RAAF. FO Thomas wrote on the back of the image "Out for a ride in the sunny English Country in summer. At Church Broughton, Derbyshire, July 1944".

Flying Officer Gwynne THOMAS and Flying Officer Rodney YOUNG, cycling near Church Broughton in Derbyshire in July 1944. Five months later, on the night of 6/7 December, the men were serving aboard Lancaster PB290 JO-K as Wireless Operator and Pilot respectively, when it failed to return from a raid on railyards at Geissen Germany

Gilbert Pate's grave in Lezennes Communal Cemetery near Lille - "He fought and died a hero in the battle of the skies".

Gilbert Pate shortly after qualifying as a Wireless Operator wearing his brevet for his craft

Grave of 425413 FSGT Alistair Dale Johnston, the Wireless Operator of 467 Squadron Lancaster PO-B for 'Baker' on 10/11 May 1944

'Jack' Purcell having recently completed his qualification for Navigator in mid 1942 before embarking for the UK.

Distinguished Conduct Medal, 1914/15 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal.

FSGT Brian Grasby's grave at Hellemmes-LIlle Communal Cemetery interred with two other crewmates and other aircrew lost on the Lille raid.

These plaques are placed at the base of elm trees lining Prescott Terrace (N) and Alexandra Ave (W) 87 of them

Burnside Memorial to the Fallen at Rose Park SA

1617 Richard Abel, 47th Battalion, and his sons 1619 Richard James Abel and 1618 Sydney Clement Abel. Father and Sons all volunteers.

Burnside Memorial to the Fallen at Rose Park SA

Close up study of this superbly detailed statue. Aficionados who look closely enough (at the actual statue) may detect an intriguing anomaly

Studio portrait of 2304 Private (Pte) Albert Dunster, 39th Battalion. A farmer prior to enlisting on 29 June 1916, Pte Dunster embarked for overseas service in October 1916. He was wounded on 30 April 1917 and died later that day. Pte Dunster is buried at Trois Arbres cemetery, Steernwerck, France.

Sergeant Nancie Dod on arrival in Lae New Guinea 1945

Richard FETHERSTON - Postcard to work colleagues in Australia

Richard FETHERSTON - Postcard to work colleagues from Cairo

Richard FETHERSTON - Postcard to Work Colleagues in Australia

25243 FOFF John Francis Tucker, No. 467 Sqn RAAF

7083 Private Robert William Thompson, with his motherless little children prior to Embarkation

Flying Officer David Payne Croston, 463 Squadron.

Flying Officer Robert McKerlie Croft

NF462502 Gunner Norma Vesta MEAKIN's headstone at Rookwood War Cemetery

Portrait of Pilot Officer (later Flight Lieutenant [Fl Lt]) 404487 Thomas John O’Donohue DFM, of 159 Squadron RAF, an Australian flying with the RAF in India. He had previously served with No 460 Squadron, RAAF in England, and took part in an air raid on the Matford Works at Poissy, France. Fl Lt O’Donohue was lost on operations over Burma on 29 February, 1944 and has no known grave.

1986 Robert William LAKIN 9 Light Horse Regiment / 54th Battery14th Field Artillery Brigade

3994 Private Frederick William TRENDELL

Informal portrait of the crew of a Lancaster bomber of 467 Squadron RAAF prior to a night mission. Identified, left to right: 1352851 Sergeant (Sgt) Eric Reginald Hill, RAF, mid upper gunner of Weald, Essex; 423311 Flight Sergeant (Flt Sgt) Gilbert Firth Pate, RAAF, rear gunner of Belmore, NSW; 1350279 Sgt Kenneth Harold Tabor, RAF, flight engineer; 425413 Flt Sgt Alistair Dale Johnston, RAAF, wireless operator, of Melbourne, Vic; 400495 Squadron Leader (Sqn Ldr) Donald Philip Smeed Smith, DFC, RAAF, pilot of Melbourne, Vic; 412686 Warrant Officer Royston William Purcell, RAAF, navigator of Werris Creek NSW; 658844 Flt Sgt Jeremiah Parker, RAF, bomb aimer of England. The aircraft pictured is most likely the Lancaster Mark III bomber LM475 (PO-B). This was the usual aircraft flown by the crew listed above which crashed whilst on a mission over Lille, France, on 10 May 1944, of which only the pilot, Sqn Ldr Smith survived. Two weeks prior to this mission, bomber pilots were authorised to wear seat-type parachutes instead of the standard backpack that was stored in the plane and only hooked in case of need. This most likely saved Sqn Ldr Smith's life; on landing by parachute he made his way cross-country through France and Switzerland, and back to England several months later.

Squadron crews of mainly "C" Flight lined up in front of "A2" Aussie, March 1944.

A RAAF crew of a Lancaster Bomber from No 460 Squadron RAAF. Left to right: 408034 Flying Officer (FO) M. W. Carroll DFC of Ferntree Gully, Vic; Sergeant D. G. Champkin, RAF; 414807 Pilot Officer T. J. Lynch of Toowoomba, Qld (back); 404507 Squadron Leader E. G. D. Jarman DFC (Captain) of Yeppoon, Qld (centre front); 404467 Flying Officer (FO) H. R. Harrison of Lismore, NSW; 404503 FO F. G. Jackson DFC OF Lismore, NSW; 411227 FO R. L. Neal of Grenfell, NSW. This crew posed for a painting by war artist Stella Bowen. The crew was posted missing on 28 April 1944, and were later confirmed as lost in action. This and other photographs were used to complete the painting.

Group portrait of instructors and pupils of the 1st flying training course in front of a B.E.2a aircraft in a hangar. Back row: R Williams; T W White. Front row: George Pinnock Merz of Ballarat, Vic; H A Petre; E Harrison; D T Manwell. WIlliams went on to become 'The Father of hte RAAF'. White served in the Middle East and was captured and imprisoned by the Turks for 2 1/2 years before an epic escape. Merz was the first Australian Military aviator killed in action, in Mesopotamia.

Barry Spicers painting of "SqnLdr David Leicester's Lancaster coming home in daylight"

David Leicester DFC and Bar

Vietnam War Memorial, Adelaide, South Australia

Vietnam War Memorial, Adelaide, South Australia

F?O Tanner's crew of JO-T on completion of their OTU course before they were joined by their FLight Engineer relating to the story "The power of understatement - and a wonderful airframe" - and not a small amount of airmanship

LANCASTER AIRCRAFT OF NO. 463 SQUADRON RAAF, AT RAF STATION WADDINGTON, WAITING TO BE BOMBED UP FOR A DAYLIGHT RAID ON GERMAN MILITARY TARGETS IN FRANCE.

The Noonan SA Police Heavyweight Boxing Championship Trophy Belt won by Tom Tobin 1938-1940. On display in Police Headquarters

Newspaper CLippings recording the 1938 bout, the first of three in succession won by PC Tom Tobin

A Spitfire Mk XIV in the colours of No. 91 Sqn summer of 1944

The explosion of the MV Neptuna and clouds of smoke from oil storage tanks, hit during the first Japanese air raid on Australia's mainland, at Darwin on February 19, 1942. In the foreground is HMAS Deloraine, which escaped damage.

Two members of the 14th Light Anti Aircraft Regiment, Gunners Tommy Hill and Neil Cook engage Japanese aircraft during the Darwin Air Raid of 19 February 1942, with a WW1 vintage Lewis Gun, in a work by official war artist Roy Hodgkinson, first published in the WW2 Journal 'Khaki and Green' under the ID of 'B5/B7'.

Australia's first military radio transmission / reception - Station B - a a cave near Waterfall Railway Station

No. 19 Course at ATS Somers Victoria 27 Aug 1941. Reg Bain circled in red.