Studio portrait of Lieutenant (Lt) Ronald Tynsdale Challinor, No 1 Squadron AFC, of Beenleigh, ...

Studio portrait of Lieutenant (Lt) Ronald Tynsdale Challinor, No 1 Squadron AFC, of Beenleigh, Queensland. A clerk before enlisting in August 1914, Private (Pte) Challinor was an original member of the 2nd Light Horse Regiment and embarked aboard HMAT Star of England (A15) on 24 September 1914. He was wounded at Gallipoli in early August 1915, and rejoined the regiment two months later. He was promoted to Sergeant, in July 1916. He was selected for officer training in May 1917 and was subsequently commissioned as a Lieutenant (Lt) in August 1917. Following a brief secondment with the 1st Light Horse Regiment, Lt Challinor was seconded in September with the No 1 Squadron, Australian Flying Corps (AFC) for training as an air observer. On 1 May 1918, the Bristol Fighter A7196 in which Lieutenant F.W. Haig and Lt. Challinor were flying was involved in an incident recorded in CEW Bean's Official History. "Two Australian machines sent out on the dawn reconnaissance - Rutherford and McElligot (Observer) and Lieutenants Haig and R.T. Challinor (Observer) - were to drop leaflets on the Beni Sakr Arabs. Near Amman machine gun fire from the ground perforated both of Rutherfords petrol tanks. He was forced to land, and burned his machine. Haig and Challinor alighted alongside to pick up Rutherford and McElligot, and Haig tried to take off again with all three passengers; but one wheel collapsed as they were starting, and the aeroplane toppled over on it's nose. The Australians set fire to it, and then surrendered to Circassian cavalry which had ridden up to them. They were handed over to the German flying corps, and German airmen later dropped on the Australian aerodrome letters from the four officers describing their mishap." This incident was the second time Captain Rutherford had been forced to land under fire, the first in late 1917 resulted in his rescue by Lieutenant F H McNamara in his RE8 aircraft, an exploit for which McNamara was awarded the Victoria Cross. Following their capture in May, Lt Challinor, Captain Rutherford, 2/Lt McElligott and Lt Haig were held at Afion Kara Hissar as prisoners of war until their repatriation on 28 November 1918. Lt Challinor returned to Australia in early 1919.