Goldfish Club cloth patch : Pilot Officer A G G Richmond, 230 Squadron, RAF

Embroidered rectangular cloth patch depicting a winged fish in white and yellow over a pair of blue waves, on a black background.

Patch given to allied aircrew who were obliged to use their lifejackets and/or or inflatable dinghies by the emergency equipment manufacturer P B Cow & Co. Due to wartime fabric rationing restrictions, the patches were embroidered on material taken from old dinner suits.

This patch relates to the service of Arthur Gerald Graham Richmond, born 7 September 1914 at Rockhampton, Queensland. A jackeroo and storeman and packer of New Farm, Brisbane, he had completed 12 hours of flying training at Archerfield, Brisbane prior to enlisting with the RAAF on 26 April 1940 at Brisbane. Mustered as an Air Observer and assigned service number 404037, Richmond received initial training in Australia before embarking for overseas service from Sydney on 3 February 1941.

He arrived in the Middle East on 24 March and was attached to 230 (Sunderland) Squadron, RAF, based at Aboukir Bay near Alexandria, Egypt, as a navigator, where he spent 5 months. He then returned to training, spending three months in Rhodesia with 28 Elementary Flying Training School (28 EFTS) and 23 Service Flying Training School (23 STFS) until February 1942 and finally 61 General Reconnaissance School (61 GR) in South Africa (where he met his future wife, Violet) before returning to 230 Squadron on 14 July 1942.

This patch relates to an event (for which Pilot Officer Richmond was awarded the George Medal) on 7 September 1942 when Sunderland W3987, with a crew of eleven flying to Alexandria for an engine change, crashed on take-off at Aboukir Bay, killing 8 members of the crew. The port outer engine had required changing due to a major oil leak, but after a test flight, was considered stable enough to fly to Alexandria. Richmond had control of the aircraft at take off and stated that ‘on reaching about 75 feet swing developed to port and smoke began to fill the cockpit.’ At this point the commanding pilot, 29 year old 400226 Flight Lieutenant Alan Frederick Howell, RAAF, took over the controls, by which time Richmond recalled that ‘it was practically impossible to see anything in the cockpit’ and the plane began to lose height. Witnesses stated the Sunderland ‘hit water at high speed, bounced high into the air and hit water again with port wing first’. An eight foot swell decided their fate, with no recovery possible, and the Sunderland crashed. Although severely lacerated, Richmond saved his wireless air gunner who was trapped in a pool of burning oil with a broken leg, then supervised the rescue of three more crew members.

After recovering at 64 General Hospital, Richmond returned to operations with 230 Squadron (undertaking anti-submarine and escort patrols in the Mediterranean) until he was transferred 461 Squadron, RAAF at Pembroke Dock, Wales on 6 October 1943. On 28 February 1944 Richmond was promoted to Flight Lieutenant – a month later RAAF Overseas Command reported that Richmond was ‘recently married at St Martins-in-the-Fields Church … to Violet Elsie Thorne of Johannesburg who met Richmond while he was training there’. The majority of his work with 461 Squadron consisted of anti-submarine patrols in the Bay of Biscay and convoy patrols. Richmond was the first member of 461 Squadron to fly on D-Day (where his galley primus caught fire and curtailed the mission); he spent June and July 1945 escorting surrendered U-Boats to England. He was discharged on 21 February 1946.

• Laminated Goldfish Club Membership Card : Flying Officer A G G Richmond, 230 Squadron, RAF