Skippy
Squadron was formed in 2002 by the volunteer Qantas aircrew and ground staff
who operated and supported military charter flights in the prescribed area
of operations during the Vietnam war, maintaining the commitment established
by our predecessors during the Second World War. Members are eligible for
the award of the Australian Active Service Medal 1945-1975 with Clasp
Vietnam, and the Vietnam Logistics & Support Medal. Members have been
involved in the Anzac Day march since 2003.
On January 30th 2007, a Commemorative
Plaque was dedicated during a ceremony at the Australian War Memorial to
honour those civilian aircrew and ground staff who, under the control of the
RAAF, operated unarmed aircraft in Papua New Guinea and over the Indian and
Pacific Oceans during the Second World War.
The Plaque is installed in the
Sculpture Garden on the Western side of the Australian War Memorial in
Canberra. It is the first and to this date the only Plaque approved by the
AWM to be dedicated to civilians. It was funded by a grant from the
Australian Government’s Saluting Their Service commemorations
program. It is the culmination of an idea originally proposed by retired FSD
(CSM nowadays) Alan Kitchen in 2006. A committee was then set up and worked
tirelessly through 2006. That committee consisted of the following Skippy
Squadron members; Alan Kitchen, Russ Curley, Rohan McCardell, Maurie
Rutherford and Ted Haslehurst.
Alan and
Russell, particularly, put in many hours setting the Canberra agenda. Alan
organised the two-night package and was responsible for all logistics
outside the AWM. Russell negotiated with government departments and AWM
officials for ten months before the final approvals were in place; the last
two being the CASA fly-past approval and the DVA grant. On behalf of all
past and present Qantas Staff I would like to sincerely thank the committee
members for their dedication, commitment and perseverance without which this
project would never have succeeded.
On 29 June 1943, the vital
Australia-England air service, severed on 14 February 1942, was restored
when a Catalina flying-boat took off from the Qantas base at Nedlands, on
the Swan River at Perth, Western Australia. This was the first of 271
flights crewed by QEA aircrews from Perth to Koggala (Sri Lanka) and return,
carrying essential mail and priority personnel.
At the conclusion of the Dedication
Ceremony a PBY Catalina, similar to the type flown by Qantas during the war,
made two passes over the gathering; the second MUCH lower than the first.
Even the Chief of the Defence Force, Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston, and
Sir Richard Kingsland were suitably impressed.
Hudson Fysh: “What a job our crews
did! Not the least risk they ran was that they were in Qantas uniform and
had no proper status in the international law of war as did the Mercantile
Marine, though I tried for this and often referred to our crews as the Air
Mercantile Marine. We were operating over Japanese-patrolled territory, and
should one of our aircraft have been shot down and the crew taken prisoner
they would probably have lost their heads, as the aircraft often carried war
material and war personnel. They might have been classed as gun-runners.”
For over two years, these now famous
‘double-sunrise flights’ operated safely and without major incident.
Airborne up to 32 hours, the first ten hours without single engine
performance, they also flew unarmed and unprotected in a hostile
area in total radio silence and, in total, carried 858 passengers and more
than 93,900 kgs of mail.
Despite several representations,
there has been no official recognition for the crews who operated these most
perilous flights until this plaque was installed at the AWM.
The Historical Aircraft Restoration
Society (HARS) provided the aircraft and crew for this historic fly-past.
Without the dedication of volunteers such as these, and organisations such
as HARS, so much of our civil aviation history and heritage would be
lost forever.
Qantas has had a long
relationship with the Shell Company of Australia dating back to 1926 and,
according to Sir Hudson Fysh in ‘Qantas Rising’, is Qantas’ oldest
business associate. Shell has supplied Qantas’ fuels and lubricants in times
of peace and war, and its personnel were together with Qantas staff in many
instances and areas, enduring enemy air attacks and bombing raids during the
Second World War. Shell very generously donated the fuel and other products,
enabling the Catalina fly-past, a moving and appropriate tribute,
which provided an emotional and tangible link with the past.
Loss of Corio and three
crew; On January 30th 1942 the flying boat Corio was
approaching Koepang, Timor, en route from Darwin when it was attacked by
seven Japanese Zeros and shot down. Captain Koch, wounded in the arm and
legs, and four others swam for three hours before reaching land where they
were rescued three days later. Of the 18 on board, 13 were killed.
Loss of Circe and four crew;
Another flying boat Circe, was believed shot down enroute to Broome
on 28th February 1942. Circe and Corinthian
departed Tjilatjap at dawn within minutes of each other. Circe was
last heard of when she transmitted a brief radio message 322 kms out from
Java. Despite concerted and prolonged search efforts, nothing was ever found
of the aircraft or the 20 who were on board.
An Honour Board once hung in public
view just inside the Hunter Street entrance to Qantas House in Sydney. At
the time of writing this article the board is stored in the back room of the
Qantas Heritage Collection which is located above gate 13 Terminal 3 at
Sydney Airport and is seen by very few staff and even fewer members of the
public. Except for the museum’s staff, hardly anyone notices the names or
understands what they represent.
According to Sir Hudson Fysh in
'Qantas at War', a total of 14 Qantas Empire Airways staff were killed
while serving with the company during the war. In addition to the seven crew
mentioned above, two perished when their DH-86 aircraft fell from cloud and
crashed shortly after take-off from Belmont (BNE) en route to Darwin on
20/2/1942; a further two died when the flying boat Camilla crashed
into the sea during bad weather near Port Moresby on 22/4/1943; and three
were killed on 26/11/1943 when their Lockheed Lodestar "Bully Beef Bomber"
aircraft crashed into a hill about 16kms from Ward's Strip, Port
Moresby. Surprisingly, no Qantas personnel were killed during the bombing
raids on Singapore and Darwin or the air attacks on Broome, although they
were there at the time. Qantas lost 12 aircraft during the war, including 3
that the RAAF had requisitioned
About 27 members of Skippy Squadron
were in Canberra for the dedication. Steve Gower AO, Director of the
Australian War Memorial, opened proceedings. The Australian Government was
represented by the Chief of the Defence Force, Air Chief Marshall Angus
Houston AO AFC. Sir Richard (Dickie) Kingsland AO, CBE, DFC was one of
the VIPs in attendance. In 1941
Dick Kingsland was posted to New Guinea, commanding No. 11 squadron flying
twin engine Consolidated Catalina's - a remarkable, if slow, aircraft - that
could remain airborne for over 30 hours. The Plaque was unveiled by Ted
Haslehurst (Plaque Committee) and Ms Sue McAlister, niece of Purser Lionel
Hogan who was killed 28 February 1942 on Qantas flying boat Circe.
Anyone interested in further
information regarding Skippy Squadron can contact Alan Kitchen
alankitchen@optusnet.com.au
Material from ‘Skippy Squadron - Second World War to
Vietnam’ is used with permission of the author.
