Royal Air Force ensign flown at RAF Station Binbrook : 460 Squadron RAAF

Pale blue wool bunting RAF ensign with Union Jack in the upper left canton and a dark blue, white and red RAF roundel set into the fly. The hoist is of white canvas and has a length of sisal rope threaded through it with brass fittings at each end for attachment to halyards on a flag pole. The back of the hoist is marked in black ink at the bottom 'No. 460 SQDN R.A.A.F.', and also bears a black texta inscription, added post-war, 'SQDN/LEADER C.C. GARDNER D.F.C. AND BAR'. There is a woven manufacturer's name tag adjacent to the writing.

416423 Squadron Leader Clarence Gardner DFC and Bar was born on 17 July 1915 at Streaky Bay South Australia. Known as 'Clarrie' to his friends he enlisted into the Royal Australian Air Force on 23 June 1941 in Adelaide. After basic flight training in Australia he travelled via South Africa to the United Kingdom for further training. After successfully completing his training and a heavy bomber conversion course he graduated and was posted to 460 Squadron RAAF flying Avro Lancaster bombers out of Northern England. Gardner and his crew flew in fourteen of the sixteen raids of the Battle of Berlin in 1943-1944. He also flew in the Nuremburg raid of 30 March 1944, when Bomber Command suffered the greatest loss of any raid, with 96 bombers shot down and 697 airmen killed or captured. In March 1944 he completed his first tour with 31 night bombing raids over occupied Europe and Germany. For this achievement he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for numerous attacks on major German targets. He later received a Bar to the Distinguished Flying Cross after completing his second tour of 17 operations as 'A' Flight Commander with 460 Squadron RAAF. Gardner and his crew flew several missions as part of Operation Manna between 30 April and 7 May 1945, dropping food supplies to starving civilians in north western Netherlands which was still under German occupation. He was discharged from the RAAF on 29 October 1945. Two of Gardner's brothers served during the Second World War; one in the Army and other in the RAAF. The Gardner brothers continued the family tradition of wartime service, four of their uncles having served during the First World War, two of whom died during the war.