Men of Bomber Command - Who Am I ?

[K4KittyCrew]

Ok, thought you all might like a different type of challenge.

I will keep posting CLUES / details of this person until a member recognises 'who it is' by the details listed.
Good Luck !
John
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

WHO AM I ?

I was born in 1919

In July 1938 I entered the training school at Point Cook.

In 1940, I joined Bomber Command in Britain and was soon dropping propaganda leaflets on occupied France. His first flight in command of a Lancaster bomber squadron was to Kassel, a well-defended city in Germany.

By early 1944 I had been promoted to Wing Commander of a bomber Squadron but I still continued to fly operations and had flown 34 ops by D-Day 1944.

WHO AM I ?

[ME453]

Some of the dates fit Rollo Kingsford-Smith but I'm not 100% certain about it.

[AlanW]

At the moment, I'm inclined to agree about Kingsford-Smith.

[K4KittyCrew]

Continuation ............ WHO AM I ?

By early 1944 I had been promoted to wing commander of 463 Squadron RAAF, the Australian Lancaster bomber unit based at Waddington, Lincolnshire. That May the prime minister, John Curtin, visited Waddington and announced that I had been awarded the DFC. On D-Day I flew over the Normandy coast. My DSO, for conspicuous gallantry, followed in August.

In early 1945 I took command of 627 Squadron, a Pathfinder force flying Mosquitoes, a highly manoeuvrable aircraft that dropped marker flares ahead of heavy bombers. In July I was reunited with my brothers, John and Peter in Sydney. Peter had been a prisoner of war in Stalag 3. In 1946 I led the RAAF component of the Australian contingent to the victory celebrations in London.

I joined the aircraft company Hawker de Havilland in 1949, becoming managing director and chairman. The company imported Dove aircraft by sea and packed in wooden boxes, until I flew them out, accompanied by my wife.

I was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia in 1985 for helping to develop high-technology exports, and the French Government awarded me a campaign medal in 1994, the 50th anniversary of D-Day.

My name is .............

[PAFG]

Well done Max, I think you get first choice in the cookie jar again ...

Richard

[K4KittyCrew]

Well done Max, I think you get first choice in the cookie jar again ...

Richard

Yes, you are correct there Richard .............. Max has the 'run of the jar' back off from Alan.
Here are a couple of photos, along with the full detail of .............

WHO AM I?

ANSWER ................ Wing Commander Rollo Kingsford-Smith RAAF, DSO, DFC, AM

Footnote - ( My favourite book about Bomber Command - Lancaster Men by Peter Rees .............. much of the book evolves around the real life stories of this gentleman ......... a fascinating read )

https://www.google.com.au/url?sa=t&rct= ... 0276,d.aGc

[ME453]

Rollo wrote an autobiography which was published privately and in very limited numbers, I consider myself lucky to have been loaned a copy by a mutual friend Thelma Wheeler whose husband Doug was a navigator in 463 squadron and a good friend of Rollo's. There's an excellent extract from this book on Peter Johnson's 467/463 squadron website. Rollo died shortly before I visited Australia in 2010 though he graciously looked over and commented on some writings of mine about Bomber Command operations in 2006/7. I was honoured to meet his wife Grace when visiting Thelma at her home in Bowral.

The photo shows Thelma and Rollo at a BC commemoration ceremony: