First in a series of articles recognising our veterans' service as we approach Anzac Day, we recognise here the local lads who attended Dubbo schools, and then went on to train at the RAAF’s No. 5 Elementary Flying Training School (EFTS) at Narromine.

Much of the original research is from essays provided to Dubbo Photo News, by local historian Patrick Bourke.

By David Dixon

'Those magnificent men in their flying machines...', so the words of the old music hall song went.

Locals that trained at the RAAF No. 5 Elementary Flying School at Narromine during World War II, were exactly that.

However -- far from the rather glamorous, though dangerous, escape from a life in the trenches that it had been on the Western Front in the Great War -- being an aviator in World War II was a deadly serious business.

The unveiling last October by Air Chief Marshal Sir Angus Houston KC, AFC (retired) at the Narromine Aviation Museum of the Memorial Wall with over 2000 names of servicemen who trained there, graphically displays this fact, Museum co-founder, Beryl Hartley explains.

“Of the 2800-odd airmen who trained here during the war, about a third didn’t come home,” Beryl says. “The wall contains all the classes that went through, and the ones with ‘Xs’ next to them, were those killed-in-action or other mishaps.” 

The figures were even worse for those in the first classes to pass through during the early days of the war, when the often technically- and numerically-superior Luftwaffe of the Nazi’s and the Mitsubishi Zeroes of the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service took a heavy toll on Allied aircraft and crews.

Later in the war, the British bombing campaign against German industry also paid a huge price in the lives of air crews in cumbersome bombers that nightly played dice with intercept fighters and increasingly accurate flak over occupied Europe.

For Dubbo youth, the toll was even higher, with Patrick Bourke’s research showing that fully half of all local students who went on to train at Narromine are still in the skies, waiting for their final clearance to land.

“In early 1940, the Narromine Aerodrome was handed-over to the RAAF for the establishment of the Number 5 Elementary Flying Training School (No. 5 EFTS),” Patrick explained.

“This was one of a dozen such training schools which were formed as part of the Empire Air Training School,” he added.

Training on the open fields and clear skies over the Central West in World War I-era Tiger Moths, the RAAF training school at Narromine graduated around 2850 pilots during its four years of existence.

“At least 25 ex-students of Dubbo High School graduated from the No. 5 Elementary Flying Training School (EFTS) at Narromine during World War II,” Patrick revealed. “Many of these graduates would die during the Second World War, including 13 ex-students of Dubbo High School.” 

As well as a high casualty rate, the local flyers also displayed exceptional courage and daring during a time when our very existence as a country, was under threat.

“Quite a number of the graduates from the No. 5 EFTS were awarded military awards for bravery.

“Dubbo High School ex-students were awarded one Victoria Cross (VC) and six Distinguished Flying Crosses (DFCs),” Patrick said.

Patrick provided this list of Dubbo High School ex-students who graduated as pilots from the No. 5 EFTS at Narromine, but who died during the War:

  • Sergeant Bruce Astley 403422
  • Sergeant Frederick Dennis 402154
  • Pilot Officer Charles Digges DFC 402155
  • Flying Officer Edward England DFC 412418
  • Flying Officer Russell Jones 402967
  • Flight Lieutenant Barrington Knyvett DFC 402869
  • Pilot Officer Rawdon (Ron) Middleton VC 402745
  • Sergeant George Mills 33250
  • Sergeant Mervyn Morgan 402381
  • Flight Sergeant Bertram Stanford 411543
  • Pilot Officer John Taylor 412735
  • Flight Sergeant Lindsay Williams 402429
  • Flying Officer James Wright 412746

The Dubbo High School ex-students who graduated from the No. 5 EFTS as pilots, and survived the war, were:

  • Flight Lieutenant Robert Condon 402850
  • Flying Officer Reginald (Bob) Cookson 412413
  • Flying Officer Gordon Dengate 424388
  • Flight Lieutenant Everard (Colin) Edgar DFC 412414
  • Flying Officer Norman Griffith 422503
  • Flying Officer Frank Morris DFC 33446
  • Flight Lieutenant John Osborne 403369
  • Pilot Officer John Panos DFC 403001
  • Warrant Officer William (Bill) Patman 412830
  • Warrant Officer Kenneth (Ken) Potts 412683
  • Warrant Officer Jack Stanley 14705
  • Warrant Officer George Taylor 412220

Song lyrics copyright: Ron Goodwin/Lorraine Williams.