P02874.258 Accession Number: P02874.258

Description

Los Negros, Admiralty Islands, New Guinea. 28 May 1944. Group portrait of the Commanding Officer and Senior Administrative Officer of No. 73 Wing RAAF, with the pilots of the Wing's three Squadrons: No. 77 (Kittyhawk) Squadron RAAF (left), No. 79 (Spitfire) Squadron RAAF (middle) and No. 76 (Kittyhawk) Squadron RAAF on Momote airfield. No. 77 Squadron RAAF pilots, back row, left to right: 400106 Flying Officer (FO) Henry Douglas Summons (lost on operations with 77 Squadron over Dutch New Guinea on 25 October, 1944); Pilot Officer (PO) Neall; Fo Martin; unidentified; PO D. (Doug) Tapsell; Sergeant (Sgt) Pyke; Sgt Clarke; PO Brocklehurst; Sgt Eames; 430438 Sgt Lindsay Collins (KIA Labuan, North Borneo 26 June 1945); Sgt White. Middle row: PO K. (Keith) Toupein (crouching); FO (George) Pagan; Flight Lieutenant (Flt Lt) (Dinga) Bell; Flt Lt (Doug) Prowse, Flight Commander; 576 Squadron Leader (Sqn Ldr) C. W. (Cyril) Starke AFC, Commanding Officer, No. 77 Squadron RAAF; Flt Lt McTaggart, Flight Commander; FO C. (Clarrie) Scott; Flight Sergeant (Flt Sgt) C. (Cliff) Rose; FO W. (Bill) Kaye (crouching). Front row: PO D. (Don) Crane; Sgt Palme; Flt Sgt D. Rogers; Flt Sgt K. Martin; Sgt Dickenson; 409225 Sgt H. W. (Hal) Roberts; Sgt R. Rogers. No. 79 Squadron RAAF pilots, back row, left to right: PO J. (John) Vader; FO A. (Arch) Moore; 437476 PO R. Vernon (Ross) Day (Killed 28 April 1945); Warrant Officer (Jock) Haines; 400735 FO L. S. (Len) Reid DFC; 418232 Flt Sgt G. A. (Alec) Chomley; 405026 FO P. E. (Paul) Sebire; 411809 Flt Lt W. A. (Warren) Napier; 418071 FO W. J. (Bill) Coffey); 401000 FO D. (Doug) Scott. Middle Row: FO J. (Joe) Marshall; FO R. (Dick) Long, Acting Flight Commander, No. 79 Squadron; 251414 Flt Lt J. W. L. (John) Atkinson, Medical Officer, No. 79 Squadron (also known as Leigh); Sqn Ldr J. McD. (Jim) Davidson, Senior Administration Officer, No. 73 Wing; 213 Group Captain G. H. (Gordon) Steege DSO DFC, Commanding Officer (CO), No. 73 Wing; 407778 Flt Lt R. M. (Max) Brinsley DFC, Acting CO, No. 79 Squadron; 402270 FO W. H. (Bill) Wright, Flight Commander, No. 79 Squadron; 403392 Flt Lt A. S. (Alan) Yates. Front row: 401741 PO R. Hugh (Ross) Cameron (KIA 27 March 1945); Sgt V. (Viv) Pollard; 437523 PO H. D. (Hugh) Kennare; 403681 FO I. E. B. (Ian) McKellar; 408951 FO J. (Jim) Barrie; Flt Lt T. (Tom) Williams; FO A. (Arthur) Clayton. No. 76 Squadron RAAF pilots, back row, left to right: 430117 Sgt (later Flight Sergeant) Alick James Makeham (lost on operations with 76 Squadron over New Guinea on 08 January, 1945); ?Sgt Wally Nugent; unidentified Sgt; Pilot Officer (PO) Jim Morris; Sgt (Red) O'Meara; unidentified Sgt; unidentified Sgt; Middle row: ?Sgt J. (Jim) Cornish); FO J. (John) Plain; Flt Lt C. (Charles) Roe, Medical Officer No. 76 Squadron; Flt Lt F. L. (Leigh) Bowes, soon to be Sqn Ldr, CO No. 76 Squadron; FO W. (Bill) Cashmore; unidentified Flt Lt; unidentified FO. Front row: Flight Sergeant (Flt Sgt) B. (Bruce) Gogerly; unidentified Flt Sgt; unidentified Sgt; ?Sgt F. (Frank) Miles or A. (Alan Carthew; Flt Sgt Noel Butler; unidentified PO. Members of No. 76 Squadron RAAF at that time not identified in this photograph: Flt Lt Jim (Gremlin) Harrison; FO Bruce Caldwell; possibly 437187 Flt Sgt (later Pilot Officer) Clifford James Willis (lost on operations over New Guinea on 29 October 1944); Flt Sgt Neville Ellis; Flt Sgt Val Higgins; John Lundy.