Lest we forget.

Submitted: Friday, Apr 24, 2026 at 09:38

ThreadID: 152402 Views:406 Replies:5 FollowUps:2

Peter_n_Margaret

My father enlisted in the RAAF in WW2, but served with the RAF as an Astro Navigator in Beauforts and Beaufighters. The Beaufighters were one of the first squadrons to be fitted with rockets. They also carried torpedoes.
I cannot comprehend navigating a moving aircraft to a target over the ocean at night using just the stars, and then finding your way back to a tiny island in an enormous ocean.
Amasingly, he carried a personal camera for most of the war and we still have many photographs he took all over the world, including Pearl Harbour, USA, UK, Egypt, Iraq, Ceylon and Malta.
He lost many mates in Malta.

Bristol Beaufighter Mk X1

Beaufighter

Beaufort Bomber.

Beaufort

Accommodation in Egypt.

Egypt

In more recent years, Margaret and I visited Gallipoli.
This is Lone Pine.

Lone Pine

As we walked down the hill from Lone Pine, there was a woman somewhere in the valley singing Amasing Grace.
Some things are etched into your brain, forever.

Lest we forget.

Cheers,
Peter
OKA196 motorhome

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Reply By: ExplorOz - David & Michelle - Friday, Apr 24, 2026 at 12:57

Friday, Apr 24, 2026 at 12:57

Lest we forget indeed,

Very interesting post Peter, my old man was in the No. 30 RAAF Beaufighter Squadron and he was also a navigator. Wanted to be a pilot but was better suited to navigation. He always wanted to ditch at sea for some reason and never got to do that which is most likley why he passed of old age and not during the war. I enjoyed very much walking with him in the Sydney Anzac March.

My Dad

David

David (DM) & Michelle (MM)
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Follow Up By: Peter_n_Margaret - Friday, Apr 24, 2026 at 13:56

Friday, Apr 24, 2026 at 13:56

Thanks David.
Dad flew with B Flight, 22 Squadron RAF, but he did do some early training in Mount Gambier.
He came home without a scratch, but rheumatic fever that he got somewhere OS damaged his heart and he died in his mid 50s.

Dad

(My Mother was a photo re-toucher before she married. She would use oils to turn a black and white photo to colour)

22 Squadron RAF

Beauforts

EDIT: I still have his flying log book and the camera which took most of these photographs.
Cheers,
Peter
OKA196 motorhome

FollowupID: 930883

Reply By: Allan B (Sunshine Coast) - Friday, Apr 24, 2026 at 15:04

Friday, Apr 24, 2026 at 15:04

.
Hi Peter,
We had a couple of Beaufighters in operation at the Woomera Range in the 1950's.
They were employed in a number of tasks, a bit like the Station Ute.
The most notorious activity was to use a Beaufighter to "catch" a spent missile mid-air in a recovery operation. Yes, the Beaufighter was rigged to catch the missile and bring it to ground gently so as to recover it without damage for inspection and data recovery. It was a complex operation (really?) so I won't hog this thread with description but it illustrates Australian ingenuity.
Less we forget, indeed.

Cheers
Allan

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Reply By: Member - McLaren3030 - Saturday, Apr 25, 2026 at 08:56

Saturday, Apr 25, 2026 at 08:56

My late Father, Pilot Engineer WO1 Arnold McLaren, enlisted in the RAAF in 1944 at the age of 20. He was initially posted to Temora in central NSW for his early flight training, then posted to Point Cook in Victoria.

Temora NSW

On arrival at Point Cook he was summoned to the Adjutants Office and told not to unpack, was given 2 weeks leave and told to go home and say goodbye to his family, as he was being posted to Canada to complete his multi engined training. This training was completed on twin engined Avro Ansons. He had been promoted to Sargent and presented with his wings.

Presented with his wings, Canada.

After completing this training, he was then posted to England in early 1945 to 467 Squadron RAAF to train on the Lincoln Bomber (Lancaster Mk IV & V). In preparation for action in the Pacific over Japan. These were specially modified to operate in the tropics.

Pilot Flight Engineer Sergeant Arnold McLaren, just prior to his promotion to WOI

Twice he was given his posting to fly to the Pacific, and twice it was rescinded. The second time they were actually on the tarmac with engines warming up just prior to take off. This was in early August 1945, of course the Atomic Bombs had been dropped on Japan, and they had surrendered. By the end of September 1945, the Squadron had been disbanded and he was back home and demobbed.