| Accession Number | UK0154 |
|---|---|
| Collection type | Photograph |
| Object type | |
| Maker |
RAAF Official photograph |
| Place made | United Kingdom: England, Greater London, London |
| Date made | 20 May 1943 |
| Conflict |
Second World War, 1939-1945 |
| Copyright |
Item copyright: Copyright expired - public domain
|
Studio portrait of 407380 Pilot Officer (PO) Frederick Michael Spafford DFC DFM of RAAF Overseas ...
Description
Studio portrait of 407380 Pilot Officer (PO) Frederick Michael Spafford DFC DFM of RAAF Overseas Headquarter, England. A 22 year old fitter from Wayville, South Australia, prior to enlisting as a trainee on 14 September 1940, he undertook his initial training as an air gunner and then an air bomber in Australia. On 27 May 1941 he embarked as a Flight Sergeant for England where he received further training followed by postings to 83, 455 and 50 Squadrons RAF. For his excellent record as an air bomber on operations, he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Medal (DFM) in October 1942. On 15 January 1943, he was commissioned as a Pilot Officer and two months later was posted to 617 Squadron RAF then being formed for precision bombing operations. On 16 May 1943, PO Spafford participated as lead air bomber in the attack on German dams in the Ruhr Valley. For the outstanding success of this operation, he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) and promoted to Flying Officer (FO). On 16 September 1943, he participated in a raid on the Dortmund-Ems canal in Germany and was killed when his aircraft was brought down by anti-aircraft fire. FO Spafford is buried in the Reichswald Forest War Cemetery in Germany.