| Accession Number | AWM2017.130.17 |
|---|---|
| Collection type | Photograph |
| Object type | Black & white - Print silver gelatin |
| Place made | United Kingdom: England, Greater London, London |
| Date made | 1940-1942 |
| Conflict |
Second World War, 1939-1945 |
| Copyright |
Item copyright: Copyright expired - public domain
|
Collection relating to 400396 Flight Lieutenant Horace Spencer Wills Fordyce, RAAF
Description
Studio portrait of 400396 Flight Lieutenant Horace Spencer Wills Fordyce. A salesman and clerk from Black Rock, Victoria, Fordyce enlisted in the 53rd Anti-Aircraft Searchlight Company, Royal Australian Engineers in August 1938. In 1940, Fordyce transferred into the Royal Australian Air Force and joined the Empire Air Training Scheme. Following training, he served as a pilot with No. 458 Squadron in the United Kingdom, Mediterranean and the Middle East. On 28 July 1942, the aircraft Fordyce was shot down and he was captured as a prisoner of war. He then spent the next three years in various camps across Italy and Germany, including Stalag Luft III where he was involved in the ‘great escape’, though did not actually escape himself. Fordyce was released on 7 April 1945 and then discharged on 25 October 1945.