| Places | |
|---|---|
| Accession Number | PR04392 |
| Collection type | Private Record |
| Record type | Collection |
| Measurement | Extent: .5 cm; Wallet/s: 1 |
| Object type | Letter, Document, Certificate |
| Maker |
Holden, John James |
| Place made | Australia: Western Australia, Perth, Nedlands Park, United Kingdom: England, Cambridgeshire, Cambridge |
| Date made | 1936-1945 |
| Access | Open |
| Conflict |
Second World War, 1939-1945 |
| Copying Provisions | Copyright expired. Copying permitted subject to physical condition. Permission for reproduction not required. |
Holden, John James (Wing Commander, b.1919)
Description
Collection relating to the interwar and Second World War service of 280496 Wing Commander John James Holden, Cambridge University Air Squadron, Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation, 1936-1945.
While studying engineering at Clare College, Cambridge, Holden joined the Cambridge University Air Squadron as a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) cadet-lieutenant. The collection includes copies of Holden’s RAAF commissioning certificate from 1936, a Royal Air Force Certificate of Proficiency from 1937, and a 1938 certificate commissioning Holden as a pilot officer in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve. In 1938, while on a goodwill mission to Germany with other members of the Cambridge University Air Squadron, Holden stole a Nazi banner from a building in Berlin. The banner is in the collection of the Australian War Memorial and can be viewed at REL34542.
Holden returned to Australia in 1939 and, following the outbreak of the Second World War, he was called up for active service in the RAAF. The collection includes copies of two January 1940 articles from Perth’s Daily News and a letter to Holden’s father Edward (the Chairman of General Motors-Holden's Ltd) concerning a serious flying accident near Yanchep beach in Western Australia, when the Hawker Demon piloted by James Holden and Sergeant John Whelan crashed into the sea. Holden was subsequently posted to a role in the aircraft production section of the Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation. Copies of Holden’s Interim Statement of Service and Officer's Certificate of Service, issued on his discharge in 1945, are also included with the collection.