The Australian War Memorial Collection. Test site
Collection related to No 62202 Leading Aircraftman Sydney Kildea, RAAF. Includes original diary kept by LAC Syd Kildea of No 1 Mobile Works Squadron (Special Works Force), RAAF, and covers the period from 24 July 1942 when Kildea embarked on board the "Abiel Foster" in Melbourne bound for Port Moresby, to 3 November 1942 in Papua New Guinea during the Kokoda campaign. It details the grounding of the "Abiel Foster" off the North Queensland coast, Japanese bombing attacks against Port Moresby and a "biscuit bombing" resupply mission aboard an American DC-3 named "Irene" which almost ended in disaster. Also included is printed and illustrated transcript of the diary; a summary of No 5 Airfield Construction Squadron; a No 5 MWS RAAF Sergeants Mess menu from dinner from 15th May 1943 on Goodenough Island; a printed copy of RAAF Works Maintenance Unit and Airfield Construction Squadron ex-members group bulletin for Christmas 1992; two copies of a No 5 Airfield Construction Squadron report "Moresby to Borneo"; and two pages from a newsletter "Flying Shovel Weekly" with an attached accompanying letter.
Informal portrait of 62202 Corporal (Cpl) Sydney (Syd) Kildea, 5 Airfield Construction Squadron (5ACS). Cpl Kildea had completed his apprenticeship as an electrician when he first volunteered for the
Diary and letters written by Leading Aircraftman David Howdle while serving with the RAAF in Australia and Balikpapan. The diary covers the period from Feburary 1943 to September 1944 when Howdle serv
Typed extract from diary recording embarkation and voyage from Brisbane to Port Moresby and subsequent construction of airstrips near Port Morseby in mid 1942.
WARDS STRIP, PORT MORESBY, NEW GUINEA, 1943-03. A MEMBER OF THE RAAF DRIVES A TRACTOR TOWING A ROAD ROLLER. WARDS AERODROME WAS WORKED ON BY BOTH NO. 2 AND NO. 5 MOBILE WORKS SQUADRON (LATER AIRFIELD
PORT MORESBY, PAPUA, 1942-11-03. THE 5TH AIR FORCE (USAAF) C47 TRANSPORT AIRCRAFT "IRENE" AFTER LANDING AT WARDS STRIP AFTER COMPLETING A SUPPLY DROPPING MISSION TO KOKODA. DURING A RUN OVER KOKODA TO
WARDS STRIP, PORT MORESBY, NEW GUINEA, 1943-03. A RAAF SURVEY PARTY AT WORK. AT THE FOOT OF THE NEARBY HILLS ARE THE TENTS OF NO. 2 AND NO. 5 MOBILE WORKS SQUADRON (LATER AIRFIELD CONSTRUCTION SQUADRO
