SA Honours Bomber Command Aviators
Air Force Association (SA) was honoured to have three veterans attend the 2023 Bomber Command Commemorative Service, at the Air Force Memorial, Torrens Parade Ground, on 3 June 2023.
The service was co-hosted by RAAF Edinburgh based No 462 Squadron to mark the 80th anniversary of the Battle of the Ruhr and the Formation of No 463 Squadron (RAAF).
The event was a tribute to the incredible courage and bravery of Bomber Command aviators, acknowledging their remarkable achievements and honouring the sacrifice of more than 55,000 members who lost their lives during the campaign.
About 10,000 Australian airmen served with Bomber Command in a number of Australian squadrons. At least three quarters of them served in RAF and allied squadrons in either RAAF or RAF uniforms. Of those 10,000 Australians, more than one-third paid the ultimate sacrifice – a tragic statistic. A further 650 were killed in training aircraft accidents in Bomber Command.
Caption: An AAFC Cadet recites a reading at the 2023 Bomber Command Commemorative Service, in Adelaide.
Caption above L-R: 100-year-old Ray Merrill DFC, a Bomber Command tail gunner who flew Lancasters with 218 SQN (RAF), Don Looker who flew with 115 SQN (RAF), and Angas Hughes who flew 32 Lancasters missions with 467 SQN and survived bailing out of a flaming Lancaster. Photographer: LACW Annika Smit. Photo courtesy of Defence Image Library.