Biferno, Italy. 10 February 1945. No. 249 (Mustang) Squadron RAF which had two RAAF commanding ...

Biferno, Italy. 10 February 1945. No. 249 (Mustang) Squadron RAF which had two RAAF commanding officers in succession, is maintaining the high reputation it built up for itself during the Malta blitz days. It is now part of the Balkans Air Force and has been operating in Italy for several months in support of Tito's partisans in Yugoslavia. As most of the pilots go to bed early and arise before dawn, they have an early dinner and a cup of cocoa and a sandwich around 8 p.m. before turning in. Members gather around their improvised heater in their Nissen hut mess, enjoying the hot brew. Left to right: Flying Officer (FO) J. W. (Ginger) Gardner RAF of Nottingham, UK; 402326 Squadron Leader (Sqn Ldr) Charles E. Edmondson of Wodonga, Vic, commanding officer; Liaison Officer FO (Fiji) McCraig of Fiji; Lieutenant Malherbe of South Africa; First World War veteran, Flight Lieutenant C. V. Nyren, adjutant. Members of the RAAF are in the foreground.