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Welcome to the Archive of the
Australian Gold Coast Branch of the Air Crew Association (ACA)

List of Service Profiles and Associated Stories | Acknowledgements | Disclaimer | Contacts | Links

Service Profiles and Associated Stories – 'As It Happened'

Air Crew Association members are current and retired military air crew who have been granted a flying brevet in the British Commonwealth of Nations and Allied Air Forces. Gold Coast members served variously from 1935 to 1986.

Listed Service Profiles provide particulars of members who have voluntarily agreed to publication of the framework of their military flying careers. Associated Stories are told in a separate section entitled As It Happened (AIH) . In the list of Service Profiles, those who have submitted stories have AIH beside their names.

Emulating its members' past nomadic-style Service life, the Gold Coast Branch's only permanency is in the camaraderie (comradely trust) at its heart. That endemic friendship is enjoyed at quarterly luncheons which also involve wives and partners.

We are indebted to the RAAF Museum, Point Cook, Victoria, for the provision of a home for members' voluntary and unverified contributions of Service Profiles and Associated Stories from their flying experiences. In the main, members' anecdotes have been written in the first person in an endeavour to retain the personality of the individual.

Some have been recorded as submitted, others have been written or edited by our archivist, Eric Cathcart, from details provided by members. He has also recorded some general interest and copyright-free stories in his AIH section.

Final drafts of all submissions were approved by members before becoming part of this archival material.

Get Adobe ReaderNote: Associated stories and anecdotes, As It Happened, are provided as PDF files. To view these files, you will need to have the free Adobe Acrobat Reader installed.

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These profiles and stories were donated to the RAAF Museum by the Gold Coast Branch of the Air Crew Association.

See Legend below for explanations of AirCrew Category and Country Served
SERVICE PROFILE AIH PDF AIRCREW CATEGORY DATES OF SERVICE COUNTRIES & WAR THEATRES
ABRAHAMS Bryen – P 1951–58 Aust, Malaya
ALCOCK Ron AIH P/AD 1942–77 Aust, Japan, Malaysia, SW Pacific
ALLEN Vesey – P 1941–46 Aust, Burma, SW Pacific, UK
BARNES Fred AIH P 1943–81 Aust, France, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, SW Pacific, UK, USA
BISHOP Abby AIH N/BA 1943–45 Aust, SW Pacific
BRADFORD Eric – P/ATC 1943–45 Aust, Canada
BRANDLI Roy AIH W/AG 1942–45
1949–79 		Aust, Europe, UK
CATHCART Eric AIH P/ATC 1942–46
1951–75 		Aust, Europe, Malaya/Malaysia, Manus Island (PNG), UK
CORNISH Geoff AIH P 1939–46 RAF Aust, Europe, UK, POW
DRURY Ray – P 1944–80 Aust, Canada, Malaya, UK
EDWARDS Ron AIH P 1940–46 Aust, Egypt, Kenya, SW Pacific, UK
EDWARDS Sandy AIH P 1941–46 RNZAF Europe, NZ, UK
FORREST Jim AIH P 1940–46 RAF
1946–59 RAF Res 		Canada, Europe, Nth Africa, UK
FRY Charles AIH P 1939-46 Aust, Crete, Egypt, Greece, UK, POW
FUGER Jim – P 1941–45 Aust, Europe, UK
FURLONGER Kev – W/AG/ATC 1943–74 Aust, Europe, UK
GUNTON Gerry AIH P 1954–86 Aust, Malaysia, UK
HALES Peter – P 1966–89 Aust, Egypt
HARNETTY Kev AIH P 1943–45
1948–56		 Aust, Malaya/Malaysia
JOHNSTON Pete AIH W/AG 1943–54 Aust, Germany, Japan, Malaya, SW Pacific
JORDAN Sam – N 1941–79 Aust, Malaya, Singapore, SW Pacific, UK
KING Tom – P 1941–45 Aust, SW Pacific
KING-ROACH John – N/W 1943–46 Aust
LACKEY Ray – P 1942–46 Aust, Europe, UK
LAW Russ – P 1950–84 Aust, Korea, Malaya, UK, USA
LUKER John AIH N
–
N/IO 		1942–46 RAF
1946–48 RAF Res
1951–73 RAAF 		UK, Canada, Europe
–
Aust, UK, Vietnam
MAGUIRE Ossie – N/AG 1943–45 Aust, SW Pacific
MARLEY Jack AIH N 1942–46 Aust, Europe, UK
MAY Murray AIH W/AG
DO 		1940–45
1952–58		 Aust, Europe, UK, POW
MEIKLE Angus AIH P 1942–46 Aust, Europe, UK
MORGAN Max – P 1942–46 Aust, Europe, UK
MOXON Glen – N/BA 1942–46 Aust, Europe, UK
NEWLYN Doug – P/ATC 1942–78 Aust, Europe, Malaya, UK
NICHOLSON Ken AIH P 1941–47 RAF Aust, Burma, Ceylon, East Africa, Fiji, Singapore, Sth Africa, Sth Rodesia, UK
O'CONNOR Neil AIH P 1941–46 Aust, Egypt, Europe, Kenya, Rhodesia, Middle East, Nth Africa, Sth Africa, UK
PARKER John – P 1950–70 Aust, Korea, Malayasia, Thailand
PATCH Stan – P 1942–46 Aust, Europe, UK
READ Eric – P 1935–45 Aust, SW Pacific
ROBSON Keith AIH N 1942–46 Aust, Europe, UK
SALISBURY Allan – AEO 1954–75
GS 1951–54 RAAF 		Aust, USA
SARJEANT Bob – P 1941–45 RAF Africa, Canada, UK
SHARP Ken AIH P 1943–50 Aust, Canada, Japan
SMITH Geoff AIH P/ATC 1941–54 Aust, Canada, Europe, UK, POW
SNOW Quentin AIH AG 1942–46 Aust, UK, Europe
SOLIN Don – P/S 1942–46
1951–78		 Aust, Europe, Italy, Nth Africa, UK
TAYLOR Aub – N/W 1942–46 Aust, Europe, UK
TUPPER Pat – P/GP/W 1942–50 Aust, Canada, Europe
VAN EUPEN Rob – P 1941–46 RNZAF Europe, NZ, UK
VIAL Allan AIH N 1941–45 Aust, Europe, UK
WALKER Ken AIH P 1943–45 RNZAF Europe, NZ, UK
WATSON Keith – P 1942–46
RAAF Reserves - 5 yrs 		Aust, Canada, Europe, UK
WHITE Frank – AG 1942–45 Aust, Europe, UK
WHITE Noel L. – P 1943–45 Aust, SW Pacific
WHITEHEAD John – P 1950–82 Aust, Japan, Korea, UK, Vietnam
WILKINSON Jeff AIH P 1940–45 Aust, Canada, SW Pacific, UK
WILLIAMS Glen AIH W/AG 1943–55 Aust, Germany, UK
WILSON Archie AIH P 1939–73 SRAF Europe, Iraq, Middle East, North Africa, Sth Rhodesia, UK, Zimbabwe
WILSON Jim AIH P 1941–75 Aust, Malaya, SW Pacific, USA

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SERVICE LEGEND

LEGEND

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Archivist's Acknowledgements

Firstly, I express appreciation to my wife, Eileen, a former World War 2 Women's Australian Auxiliary Air Force member, for her understanding of the drive within me to give free public access to flying details and associated memories of some 'Soldiers of the Sky'. I am also grateful for the forebearance she has shown for the great number of hours I have stolen from our years of mutual retirement.

Within a military organisation, bonds of camaraderie are strong and long-lasting. Military fliers of whichever Service seem to have those bonds even more deep-seated within the psyche of each individual. I am most grateful that so many of our members have chosen to overcome an inborn reluctance to expose their private recollections and emotions to me and to posterity. I have travelled with them through the loyalty to country, apprehension, mutual respect, inter-reliance, humour and pathos of individual experiences and I am a better person for that journey. May all who visit this website mirror my emotions.

Eric Cathcart

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Disclaimer

The information contained on this website does not constitute the views or expressions of the Gold Coast Branch of the Air Crew Association and/or its associated members, the RAAF Museum or Royal Australian Air Force, and no representation is made about the content and suitablility of this information for any purpose. It is provided "as is" in good faith without express or implied warranty. It is the user's responsilility to make their own decisions regarding the accuracy, currency, reliability, completeness and correctness of the information found on this website.

The Gold Coast Branch of the Air Crew Association and/or its associated members, the RAAF Museum or Royal Australian Air Force do not warrant the accuracy of any information that has been provided on this site and in no event shall the Gold Coast Branch of the Air Crew Association and/or its associated members, the RAAF Museum or Royal Australian Air Force be liable for damages of any kind, including (but not limited to) any special, incidental, indirect, compensatory, consequential or punitive damage or any damages whatsoever resulting from the loss of use, data or profits, whether in an action based in contact, product liability, negligence, or any other tortious action or otherwise arising out of or in connection with the use or performance of this information.

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Contacts

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Links

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