RIP Don Charlwood
Don Charlwood, gentleman, hero and author has passed on. A WW2 bomber command navigator and ATC in Melbourne he was famous for many books including the classic "No Moon Tonight"
From Wikipedia:
Donald Ernest Cameron (Don) Charlwood OAM (born 6 September 1915) is an Australian author. He has also worked as a farm hand, in air traffic control, and most notably as an RAAF navigator in Bomber Command during the Second World War.
While best known for No Moon Tonight, his memoir of life as a crewmember in Bomber Command, Charlwood has written a number of other biographical, fiction, and non-fiction works.
Early life
Born in Melbourne, Victoria, in 1915, Charlwood's family moved to Frankston when he was eight. Charlwood left Frankston High School in his Leaving Certificate year, to take a job with a local estate agency and produce market. Approaching eighteen years of age he was required to train his replacement, and found himself in 1933 unemployed. He took a holiday at a relative's farm, Burnside near Nareen, found the life enjoyable, and was invited back to work there for the shearing and harvest of 1934.
At Burnside, Charlwood was already writing and occasionally supplementing his wages by selling articles and short stories. He remained there through the thirties, but in 1940, as war unfolded in Europe and France and the Low Countries fell, he signed up for the RAAF, and was placed on the reserve.
Military service
For the rest of 1940, Charlwood worked at The 21 Lessons - a course to ensure candidates were fitted for the theoretical work of initial training. In May 1941, after 11 months on the reserve, Charlwood was called up and posted to No 1. Initial Training School, Somers, Victoria. From Somers, he proceeded to Sydney and then to Vancouver in Canada. Their trip to Canada was the first across the Pacific by Australian military on a ship of neutral America, the liner Monterey. On reaching Vancouver, Charlwood along with the rest of his group, was sent to Edmonton. In October 1942, they started their training as bombaimer/navigators in Course 35 of the No. 2 Air Observer Training School, Empire Air Training Scheme. Six months, a number of courses and stations, and around 160 hours of flying time later, initial training was complete.
In May 1943, on the Polish Batory, Charlwood and his course traveled to England, anchoring on the River Clyde on the evening of 12 May. Here the course was split, with Charlwood and half of them posted to No.3 Advanced Flying Unit, Bobbington, between the Severn Valley and Birmingham. After completing Advanced Flying, aircrew were posted to Operational Training Units, their entry into combat operations. Charlwood was posted to No, 27 OTU, Lichfield - a unit which fed Bomber Command. He had almost 200 hours flying time.
At Tatenhill, a satellite airfield of Lichfield, Charlwood, with Pilot Geoff Maddern, crewed up to form a crew of five - the basis of all his future flying in Bomber Command. On 1 August 1942 they flew together as a crew for the first time, in a Wellington Bomber. On the night of 5 September 1942, they made their last training flight. Charlwood's total flying time was now just under 257 hours. Training completed, they were posted to fly Halifaxes from No. 103 Squadron RAF, Elsham Wolds.
Later life
Following his return to Australia and release from the RAAF, Charlwood worked for the Department of Civil Aviation, initially as an Air Traffic Controller, and later as a trainer. It was while working at the DCA that he wrote No Moon Tonight.
In 1992 Charlwood was made a Member of the Order of Australia in recognition of service to literature.
“As we drew nearer I saw a cathedral like a crown on the head of a city. In its white walls every window glinted in the sun. Lincoln! Of such places is England made. -"No Moon Tonight”
― Don Charlwood