Arrival of Australian paratroops at Singapore

In the afternoon of 9 September 1945, five C47 Dakota transport aircraft arrived over Singapore Island in formation and after circling the city, landed at the civil airport. They contained men of 1 Australian Paratroop Battalion who had been waiting at Labuan Island for the previous work. These planes are the first Australian planes to fly over Singapore for three and a half years. Flying Officer Knight, co-pilot of the first aircraft to touch down, followed by a Squadron Leader and Major W D Clark, Officer Commanding the Paratroop detachment. Paratroops deplaning from C47. VX130965 Private Martin John Sharman. QX22540 Sapper Lyle Lester Brown. Lieutenant G C Martin, Platoon Commander, all these paratroops volunteered for duty at Singapore as occupation force. Three nurses of RAAF Medical Air Evacuation Unit, who came with the Paratroops. Left to right: 502347 Sisters Margaret Honora Wroe; 504388 Margaret Alice Braid and N4452 Helen Agnes Cleary. A RAAF Catalina aircraft with recording unit and war correspondents disembarking. WX12488 Private (Pte) John William Clay, 2/4 Australian Machine Gun Battalion - captured February 1942. WX7287 Sapper David Henry Herbert, 2/6 Australian Field Park Company - captured February 1942. VX62744 Sapper Edward Leonard Hunt, 2/10 Australian Field Company, RAE - captured February 1942. WX17879 Private Gabriel John Wade, 2/4 Australian Machine Gun Battalion - captured February 1942. Aircraftman 1 Nilan of Thorne, England, talking to VX123484 Lieutenant Norman Bradford Stuckey, Australian Army photographer.