| Accession Number | P04287.005 |
|---|---|
| Collection type | Photograph |
| Object type | Black & white - Film original negative other |
| Maker |
Mackie, William Bruce Copland |
| Place made | Australia: Northern Territory |
| Date made | c 1944 - 1945 |
| Conflict |
Second World War, 1939-1945 |
| Copyright |
Item copyright: Copyright expired - public domain
|
Flight Lieutenant (Flt Lt) Lex Halliday's crew all from 23 Squadron, RAAF, in front of their ...
Description
Flight Lieutenant (Flt Lt) Lex Halliday's crew all from 23 Squadron, RAAF, in front of their United States, Consolidated B-24 J Liberator, christened 'Toddy', with the nose art showing a caricature of an angry Donald Duck throwing a bomb. The aircraft is part of the 531st Squadron, United States Army Air Force (USAAF), 380th Bombardment Group (BG) of the United States 5th Air Force. Identified from left standing: 417189 Flying Officer (FO) Arthur Eric Holloway, 2nd Pilot; 415233 Flt Lt William Frank Cordingley, Bomb Aimer; 406480 Flt Lt Lex Halliday, Captain; 408988 Flt Lt Alan Henry Gawler, Navigator; 120746 Sergeant (Sgt) (later Warrant Officer) Francis Jeffrey Douglas Mathias, Flight Engineer. Front row: 416817 Warrant Officer (WO) Norman Lancelot Alcock, Wireless Air Gunner (WAG); 69660 Sgt Jack Francis Piggott, Tail Gunner; 400634 Flt Lt Charles Edward Liefman, Mid Upper Gunner; Sgt D G Bartell, Nose Gunner; 28639 Sgt John James Hinter, Belly Gunner. Absent: Flt Lt L Badman, WAG. This particular aircraft has a bomb log showing 22 missions. The four US Heavy Bombardment squadrons (528th, 529th, 530th & 531st), that made up the 380th BG were based in the Northern Territory, Australia, from May 1943 to February 1945 and were under Australian (rather than American) operational control. After February 1945 these squadrons rejoined the United States 5th Air Force BGs based on Mindoro Island, Philippines.