Group portrait of recently graduated Bomber Command Wireless Operators from their course at ...

Accession Number P07673.004
Collection type Photograph
Object type Black & white - Print silver gelatin
Maker Unknown
Place made United Kingdom: Scotland, Dumfries and Galloway, Dumfries
Date made 24 January 1944
Conflict Second World War, 1939-1945
Copyright

Item copyright: Copyright expired - public domain

Public Domain Mark This item is in the Public Domain

Description

Group portrait of recently graduated Bomber Command Wireless Operators from their course at Dumfries, Scotland. Three of these men later became Special Duty Operators (SDOs) using radio jamming equipment, code named Airborne Cigar, (ABC), with 101 Squadron (Sqn), RAF. Identified back row: Flight Sergeant (Flt Sgt) Marsh, RAAF; 419480 Flt Sgt (later Flying Officer (FO)) John Earlom Plympton, RAAF; Sergeant (Sgt) Staunton-Smith; 424880 Flt Sgt (later pilot Officer (PO)) Arthur Leslie Plowman, RAAF, of Orange, NSW. Flt Sgt Plowman enlisted at Sydney, NSW, on 9 October 1942 and was posted to 207 Sqn, RAF. He was later killed on operations on 11 November 1944. Centre row: Sgt Bill Kelly, RAAF; Flt Sgt Hardacre, RAAF, later with 101 Sqn, RAF; Flt Sgt Cowell, RAAF, later killed on operations; Sgt Ware, RAAF; 424409 Flt Sgt John Donald Hance, RAAF, of North Sydney, NSW. Formerly a sales clerk, Flt Sgt Hance enlisted at Sydney, NSW on 12 September 1942 and he was posted to 15 Sqn, RAF. He was later killed whilst on flying operations over Germany on 5 November 1944, aged 23 years; 419700 Flt Sgt Ronald Sutton Camier, RAAF, originally of East St Kilda, Vic. Flt Sgt Camier enlisted at Melbourne, Vic, on 12 September 1942 and he was posted to 90 Sqn, RAF. He was later killed whilst on flying operations over North West Europe on 13 August 1944, aged 20 years; 424428 Flt Sgt (later Flying Officer) Adrian Montague Marks, RAAF; Flt Sgt Eric Henry, RAAF. Front row: Flt Sgt Alston, RAAF; Flt Sgt Dutch, RAAF; Flt Sgt Baldwin enlisted at Melbourne, Victoria, on 9 October 1942 and was posted to 17 Operational Training RAF. He was later killed in an accident on 17 March 1944. RAAF; Flt Sgt Rawling, RAAF; Flt Sgt Elger; Warrant Officer Trimble, RAAF; Flt Sgt Crapp, RAAF; 417604 Flt Sgt Ernest Hugo 'Snowie' Traeger, RAAF, later with 101 Sqn, RAF. Formerly an orchardist, Flt Sgt Traeger enlisted at Adelaide, SA, on 9 June 1942 and he was posted to 101 Sqn, RAF, as an SDO. He was later killed whilst on flying operations over Germany on 31 March 1944, aged 32 years.