MPN11,
Geriaviator and
Pom Pax,
There may well have been a bias against letting "Wild Colonial Boys" back into our more (?) gentlemany Air Force, while at the same time we were kicking our own people out left, right and centre. But your Jack Meachin, as an A/S/L, would have been in command of his Typhoon squadron, and that
must have counted for something. It shouldn't be too hard for our in-house IT experts to get hold of a '46 Air Force List (or would the RAAF have a separate one of their own) - and trace him. Do we know his Sqdn No. ? If so, there must be an ORB we can get hold of.....D.
Fareastdriver and
Chugalug,
Snowdonia was one big graveyard of war and post-war crashes. Most of the remains have been found and recovered for burial, but while I was at Valley some climbers came across a whitened skull. Instead of quickly burying it and keeping quiet about it, they took it to the police. Of course the Coroner then had to be informed, the bureaucratic machine swung into action and the affair rumbled on for months. What was worse, the skull was never identified (
AFAIK), so the families who'd lost loved ones on these mountains had to suffer even more pain.
Chugalug, your Master Pilot was right. Paid at least half as much again as a new P/O, no Mess Bills of any size, uniform free, living as comfortably as (and probably eating much better) than in the OM, and no responsibilities after "DCO", he was well placed....D
MPN11 and
Haraka,
Yes, I recall a Cpl (I
think he was in ATC) with double wings and war ribbons. Of course, he may have been found medically unfit for aircrew when coming back after the war, or there may have been other reasons.....D.
Cheers, everybody. Danny