83 Squadron

Paul Bash and other No19 Fighter Boomerang Course trainee pilots ... all went to 83 Sqn. Taken at 2OTU Mildura 14/6/43. Back Row: Dal Oliver, Ron McDonell, Gordon Crossing, Geoff Cole, Eric Dawson, Clive Winnett. Front Row: Bob Mutch, Paul Bash, John Wright, Nigel Pugh.

My Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation CA-13 Boomerang with RAAF serial number A46-122 served its entire service career with No.83 Squadron RAAF and carried the code letters MH-R on its fuselage sides. MH was the squadron code for 83 SQN, whilst the individual letter R was assigned to this particular aircraft.

Cloncurry, 18/8/44. A46-122 MH-R is next to Ventura (right-most).

No.83 was initially formed at Strathpine, Queensland on the 26th February 1943. At this location which is 20 km north of Brisbane city the squadron was initially equipped with Bell P-39 Aircobra aircraft before being replaced with CAC Boomerangs from June 1943. The Boomerangs were used for home defence and coastal patrol duties in the Brisbane region prior to their relocation to the Northern Territory. The main airstrip used at Strathpine, designated A2, is now a suburban street called Spitfire Avenue (the strip was later used by 548 and 549 Squadron RAF Spitfires).

Some of the 83 Sqn pilots, Strathpine, 1943. L-R: Paul Bash, Geoff Cole, Roy Ayre, Eric Dawson, Gordon Crossing, Clive Winnett and Bob Mutch (front).

In late 1943 and early 1944, RAAF base Amberley became the temporary home for 83 SQN when the airstrip at Strathpine became flooded during the summer storm season. Shortly afterwards the squadron set up at Gove airstrip near Melville Bay on the top left hand corner of the Gulf of Carpentaria, as well as a secondary base at Milingimbi Island, about half way between Gove and Darwin, Northern Territory.

Crew at Gove, 1944.

Many hardships were endured by the pilots and ground-crews at these isolated outposts which came complete with makeshift accommodation and servicing areas, sandflies, mosquitoes, hot humid climates and tropical downpours. The Boomerang’s main tasks were to provide escorts to shipping convoys in the Arafura Sea, the body of water between northern Australia and New Guinea. On many occasions, the Boomerangs were also scrambled to intercept unidentified aircraft which showed up on radar plots. On most occasions they were friendly aircraft, although unidentified high altitude aircraft were sometimes seen over the airfield. On one occasion a Japanese Dinah twin engined reconnaissance aircraft swept low down the runway without warning, however no enemy aircraft were actively engaged by 83 SQN Boomerangs.

'B' Flight pilots at Gove, 1944. Paul Bash far right, front.

Two Boomerangs were destroyed on operations during 1944, resulting in the loss of their pilots Roy Ayre and Nigel Pugh. The wreckage of Roy Ayre’s Boomerang A46-173 have since been recovered to the airstrip at Nhulunbuy (formerly Gove) by a local historical group.

83 Sqn Boomerangs at Camden, NSW, Aug 1944.

By August 1944 the Boomerang’s duties were being replaced by RAAF Lockheed Ventura bombers, so the squadron was relocated to Camden NSW, and later to Menangle Park 10km south east of Camden in late 1944, where the squadron saw out its wartime operations. From these locations in southern New South Wales the Boomerangs conducted patrols along the coastline as well as participated in mock dogfights with Royal Navy Fireflies and Hellcats. Some of the Boomerang pilots even exchanged rides (unofficially) in their aircraft for the opportunity to fly a Royal Navy Corsair. The Boomerangs also performed mock kamikaze attacks on British warships preparing to join the Pacific war, to give the british gunners some experience of what they might encounter.

From early 1945, many of the Squadrons later-model CA-13 and CA-19 Boomerangs were ferried to No 6 Aircraft Depot at Oakey for storage, presumably to provide a reserve supply of later-model Boomerang aircraft to replace possible losses within Nos 5 & 5 Sqns operating in New Guinea. Those aircraft were replaced by mostly Ca-12 models obtained from No 85 Sqn base in Western Australia, who were re-equipped with Spitfires.

Formation of 83 Sqn Boomerangs.

As events transpired, the war ended before the British navy reached the battle. A formation of 83 Squadron Boomerang’s flew a symbolic VJ formation over the city of Sydney at the cessation of hostilities and within the next few weeks the pilots had their last experience of flying a Boomerang when the remaining squadron aircraft were ferried to Tocumwal NSW for storage.

Boomerangs 'grazing' at Menangle Park Racecourse, early 1945.

No.83 Squadron RAAF was disbanded at Menangle Park on the 18th September 1945 and the Boomerang’s at Tocumwal survived in open storage until the mid-1950’s when they were ultimately broken up for scrap. The former 83 Sqn Boomerangs stored at Oakey fared worse, having been sold for scrap and broken up by late 1948.