Eric Bonar – Aviation Historical Society of Australia

DerekB06/03/202303/06/2023

Aviation Heritage Vol. 54 No. 1 (March 2023) Contents Listing

The latest quarterly edition (March 2023) of the AHSA journal – Aviation Heritage – has recently been posted to members. The full contents are...

1944 Bristol Beaufighter Mk XIc A19-143 operated by 31 (City of Wagga Wagga) Squadron RAAF crashed at Pell Field, Northern Territory on 21 July 1944. The aircraft crashed on take-off on its second flight after a double engine change. It was a ferry flight but starboard engine failed. Pilot FLTLT Archie Campbell Thompson (400400) was killed. Navigator FLTSGT I Hickson was seriously injured, FLGOFF D.B.F. Strachan was slightly injured. Sources: ADF-Serials; aviation-safety.net website

1950 A Douglas C-47 Dakota of No 38 Squadron RAAF flew the first RAAF mission in support of Operation Firedog (the RAF name for the air campaign during the Malayan Emergency) on 21 July 1950, completing a routine courier run to Kuala Lumpur, Ipoh and Taiping. The RAAF involvement came after the British Government asked Australia for a direct contribution of air units to help in defeating a Communist-led insurgency which had broken out in Malaya 22 months earlier. Australia agreed on 19 May 1950 to send a squadron of eight C-47 Dakota transports, and a month later No 38 Squadron arrived at Changi airfield on Singapore Island. Source: 38 Squadron Association