© 2009 454 & 459 RAAF Squadrons

 

454 RAAF Squadron Desert Air Force in the Middle East

 

Warrant Officer Donald (Don) George HEATH

 

 

Service No. 417835

 

Date of Birth:   9 December 1923

 

Place of Birth:  Unley, South Australia

 

Place of Enlistment: Adelaide

 

Date of Enlistment:  18 Jul 1942

 

Date of Discharge:   18 Dec 1945

 

 

The Crew:

 

 

418728 Pilot Officer -- RG (Reg) Withers - Pilot

429344 Flying Officer -- HJ (Bert) Nowill - Observer Nav (B)

417835 Warrant Officer -- DG (Don) Heath - WAG

Tom Marron (RAF) Air Gunner

 

Reg Withers and his crew flew operational sorties with 454 RAAF Baltimore Squadron on the Italian East Coast and over the Po River Valley and Lombardy Plains during the final battles of the Italian campaign, mainly in a night intruder role, from 14.11.44 till 2.5.45 when the Axis armies surrendered.

 

 

 

 

454 RAAF Baltimore (Bomber) Squadron - Wing Desert Air Force

based at Cesenatico Italy while supporting British 8th Army's drive North and N/W in the final battles of the Italian Campaign 1945.

L-R: Don Heath WAG, John Maxman,

Bert Nowill Nav B, Reg Withers Pilot

 

 

 

In the snow at Cesinatico

 

 

Reg Withers in a Baltimore

 

 

 

Baltimore (flying over Fiume in the former Yugoslavia [a nearby city to Trieste -Italy] - is now known as Rijeka - in Croatia)

 

 

 

Don Heath and his wife Marion

(Penny Griffiths - 454-459 Assoc. Centre)

at the 2006 Anzac Day Luncheon - Glenmore Hotel Sydney

 

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Donald G HEATH