| Accession Number | P02491.351 |
|---|---|
| Collection type | Photograph |
| Object type | Black & white - Print silver gelatin |
| Place made | Burma |
| Date made | December 1944 |
| Conflict |
Second World War, 1939-1945 |
| Copyright |
Item copyright: Copyright expired - public domain
|
Gunners sitting on a B24 Liberator bomber aircraft accepting a last cup of tea from Indian 'char ...
Description
Gunners sitting on a B24 Liberator bomber aircraft accepting a last cup of tea from Indian 'char wallahs' before setting out on a raid, are 416754 Flight Sergeant (Flt Sgt, later Flying Officer [FO]) Bruce Edward Charles Ford RAAF, of Adelaide, SA; 1431589 Sergeant (Sgt) E.F. Davies of Nailsworth, Gloucestershire, UK; and 591655 Sgt J.N. Sowersby of West Hale, Epworth, Doncaster, Yorkshire, UK. The strategic Air Force of South East Asia Command carried out the longest distance raid of the war on the Burma front on the night/morning of 19/20 December 1944 when heavy Liberator bombers of the RAF and 10th US Army Air Force struck at the important sea-base of Bangkok, capital of Thailand. FO Ford was accidentally killed in the Cocos Islands, territory of Australia on 30 August, 1945. Note the fitting of a British Boulton-Paul four gun rear turret (4 x Browning .303 machine guns) to the US designed and made B24 Liberator).