Boomerang Club Shield : 450 Squadron RAAF pilot's mess

Dark wooden, roughly rectangular shield with curved sides and angled corners. Set into each side is an aluminium triangle engraved, respectively, 'AUSTRALIA', 'N. ZEALAND', 'STH AFRICA' and 'CANADA'. An inverted boomerang shape, in pale wood, is attached to the top with aluminium lettering above it: '450 SQD,N DESERT HARASSERS.' and beneath it: 'BOOMERANG CLUB.'. Underneath this is a large rectangle of the same pale wood with an engraved aluminium plate attached to it with screws. The plate is divided into five columns, of which two and a half are engraved with the following 37 names: [Column 1] F/O THOMPSON. K. DEC 1941; F/O K.R. SANDS DEC 1941; SGT CROUCH, T.E.N. 27/2/42; *SGT. SHAW, R. March 1942; *SGT HALLIDAY, W.J. 28/3/42; * F/O E.T. THOMPSON 7/4/42; SGT. LAW, D.R. 3/4/42; F/O F E PARKER 16/5/42; *SGT. YOUNG, I.C. 19/5/42; SGT McBURNIE, D.H. 30/5/42; SGT JENKINS, M.A. 30/5/42; *SGT HALLIDAY, W.J. 30/5/42; SGT LINDSAY, G. 31/5/42; SGT LAW, D R. 31/5/42; F/SGT BEST F.W. 12/6/42; [Column 2] P/O J.C. OSBORNE 13/6/42; SGT O'NEIL, G.C. 2/7/42; * F/SGT PHELPS, J.S. 10/7/42; SGT LINDSAY, G. 10/7/42; SGT MARKLE, R.G. 21/8/42; F/O H.F. MARTING 23/10/42; SGT BORTHWICK, D.W.F. 9/11/42; SGT MARROWS, K. 17/11/42; SGT O'NEIL, G.C.W. 13/1/43; 8 SGT FROST L.A. 14/1/43; F/SGT NICHOLSON, A.D. 14/1/43; SGT PROWSE, R.J. 18/1/43; SGT GREGORY, A.H. 18/1/43; F/SGT TAYLOR, A.W.J. 19/1/43; * SGT STONELEY. J. 22/1/43; [Column 3] SGT ROWE R. 23/3/43; S/Ldr J.P. BARTLE 24/3/43; SGT DAY, A.F.W. 24/3/43; F/SGT RUSHTON, H.F. 20/9/43; P/O BLUMER, G.M. 4/2/44; F/O R T GRIGG 15/3/44; F/SGT BOYD J. 28/5/44.

In January 1942 the fighter/ground attack pilots of 450 Squadron RAAF conceived the idea of a 'Boomerang Club' to recognise those pilots who returned to the squadron from operations on foot, or by other means, after baling out or suffering a forced landing in enemy territory. The names of the men, with their current rank, were initially engraved on an aluminium plate, which was later mounted on the wooden shield seen here. The honour roll of boomerang members was displayed in the pilot's mess in each airfield to which the squadron was posted. Four of the men named on the shield survived and returned from a landing in enemy territory twice. Those names with an asterisk before them indicate men who were subsequently killed in flying battle.