Shackleton R

454 RAAF Squadron - Middle East

Warrant Officer Richard "Dick" SHACKLETON

Service No. 426922

Dick Shackleton

Date of Birth: 11 June 1921

Place of Birth : Cooroy, Queensland Australia

Date of Enlistment : 15 August 1942

Place of Enlistment : Brisbane, Queensland

Date of Discharge: 11 December 1945

Rank on Discharge: Warrant Officer

Posting at Discharge : ACAC

Died : 26.12.1985

THE CREW:

There were eight of on the Squadron who spent almost their whole service life together. There was Harry Marks and Kev O'Brien, Chris Murray and Jimmy McGrath, Doc Hughes and Doover (John) MacMahon, Harry (Blue) Munce and Dick Shackleton.

Dick's story is written below by his good friend Kev O'Brien.

l-(above) L-R: Kev O,Brien, Dick Shackleton and John Deane

(above) L-R: John Deane, Dick Shackleton and Kev O'Brien

L-R: Top Harry Munce, Jim McGrath

Middle: Howard Marks

L-R - Bottom: Dick Shackleton & Jack Hughes.

<<<<<<>>>>>

Below... is a note describing the above photo

we're going to try & get a better scanned photo of this message soon.

<<<<<<>>>>>>

Dick Shackleton (Wing Officer - Air Gunner) -

bottom row - 3rd from right.

<<<<>>>>

L-R : Ron Barton - Pilot, Kev O'Brien - WAG,

Harold (Blue) Munce - WAG, Bunny Rabbits (Nav) B

<<<<<<>>>>>>

The following has been written by Kev O'Brien - 454 sqdn.:

My association with Dick W/O Richard Shackleton (426922):

I remember becoming friends with Dick first at Maryborough wireless school, though our service numbers are so close that we must have joined up together (my no. 426901).

We used to spend most weekends on the beach At Hervey Bay and in the dance hall there. In later life Dick bought a house there for his retirement - but died just before he got there (26.12.85).

The group of us who passed out from wireless school remained together with the odd one dropping out for one reason or another. There were other training establishments in Australia, UK and the Middle East, a number of troop ships, troop trains, holding establishments before eventually eight of the original group were posted to the Squadron. In all it took just over two years from when we were called up until we reached 454. The second WAG in Dick's crew was Harry Marks who also lived in Brisbane.

While we were waiting in Cairo for those in authority to decide what to do with us now "Tour Expired" we broke a fundamental rule of service life and volunteered to go with three pilots to East Africa (RULE - never volunteer for anything). There were three aircraft, three pilots, naturally and three WAG's and the idea was to spray swamps with a mixture Of DDT and sump oil to kill mossies so to get rid of malaria. It was very interesting flying along the Nile from Cairo near the mouth to Kisumu on Lake Victoria at its source. The silver streak of water was bordered on either side by the bright green of irrigated crops, in turn giving way to the brown of the desert stretching to the far horizon. We had to land a few times to re-fuel and at Malakal were shocked at the outside temperature - it seemed to burn the inside of the nose and lungs. As we were taxiing out to take off, there we passed a young fellow - very tall, very thin, very black, very naked and carrying nothing but a spear. Behind him, a respectful few yards, his tubby little wife, very pregnant and with a huge bundle on her head. (Gender equity - Sudan style!).

We were flying south , there seemed no reason to observe wireless silence - the war was virtually won, the Russians were poised to enter Berlin, the German army on the Western front demoralised and defeated were about to surrender, so we talked all the way. That was a mistake! What we had forgotten was that officialdom became more sensitive to its own importance the further it was away from danger. When we reached Dares Salaam we were made aware of how grave our sinning was - "Don't you know there is a war on?". Dick was a chap slow to anger but this upset him! Here we were having flown over seventy operational sorties and didn't realise there was a war on! This creature about as far away as he can get has to tell us!

Then we had to compound our sins by asking a native to get us a coconut from one of the many palms outside out hut. He was happy to oblige and even happier to receive a few coins in payment. "You chaps are a bloody menace, you just tell these lazy buggers what to do and kick their backsides if they don't jump to it".

Next we decided to look at the town. The sentry on the gate refused to let us out - we needed a leave pass signed by the Officer of the day. This was easily fixed - we appointed each other Officers of the day and made out leave passes which enabled us to observe the dubious delights of an East African seaport. The temptation to sample any was not strong! It was obvious that our life on the Squadron had spoilt us as far as discipline was concerned. Fortunately it didn't take long to finish spraying the mozzies - that wasn't a pleasant task either. The aircraft flew at fifty feet over the swamp sand, our task was to lower a hose into the slipstream and the lethal contents of the tank in the bomb bay settled on the water. The war ended while we were there and no-one shed any tears when (of if) we said (Good-Bye!).

It was wonderful to fly back to England. We came in low over Kent and you could almost smell the flowers! England in May is just lovely. Winter and its long nights and days short, cold and wet and fierce gales is over and days are sunny and warm. Gardens, fields and hedge rows are filled with flowers and the air filled with bird song. People were still celebrating the war's end and were very happy - parents, wives and children knew their men were now safe and the fear of a telegram with bad news was lifted. There would be no more heart-stopping sirens telling of bombs or rockets coming to kill and destroy. Life had been a day by day affair, but now it was possible to think of next year, or ten years time or for ever. It was a pleasant shock for awhile to remember that there was a realistic future!

At the time Australian airmen were billetted in two hotels on the waterfront in Brighton - The Metropole and The Grand. They became more than full as everyone returned from other theatres and from squadrons from Bomber Command. These latter were really happy as Bomber Command had terrible casualties in the last months of the war - a posting to there meant that life expectancy would be measured in months at the most. There were too a few (a very few) ex POWs from Germany. They were in a pretty bad way, both physically and mentally. Everywhere you looked there were Australian airmen along the esplanade, on the pebbles that passed for the beach and in all the pubs. We were encouraged to ask for leave to lessen the pressure on accommodation and in this Dick and I were happy to co-operate.

Dick was always aware of his English heritage and knew the location of relatives all over the country. One such was Aunty Agnes and Uncle Frank in Yorkshire. They had no children of their own and enthusiastically adopted us. Intensely proud of their country, they made sure we saw everything! There was little petrol for civilians so we had to take a bus to wherever, then walk. We walked miles over moors and fells, saw waterfalls and cascades, old abbeys, towers and ruins - in fact there was little we didn't see.

We must have returned to Brighton in an exhausted condition. When we recovered we went off again. This time, unknown to Aunty and Uncle, (they would have been hurt to think we didn't come to them), we went off to a farm in Dorset. Lots of families offered to give Aussies a free holiday out of gratitude for helping them win their war instead of besating the (bloody) Japs at home here as we had intended. Too, we were able to help them out with food coupons from our ration books. There I tasted clotted cream in Devonshire teas for the first time and never since. I couldn't get enough of it! There was no cholesterol in those days and life was more enjoyable, as well we became addicted to cider, a beverage new to us. We used to help with hay-making and enjoyed lunch of bread and cheese (a Ploughman's) washed down with rough cider in the shade of the old oak trees. There were a couple of bikes we would use and covered miles along lanes empty of traffic in those austere times. Thirsty work, making necessary stops at frequent intervals at the pubs along the way. There must have been something wrong with those bikes as they became quite unstable by the time we got home. A young chap with a very small car arrived as we were about to leave. He offered to take us back to London, there was a good reason for his generosity. At every town, village, hamlet the three of us would visit every shop and buy up as much cigarette lighter fluid as they could sell. The car just loved it and happily took us back to London.

Back at Brighton we were soon ready to go off again, there was no hurry to get home to Australia and lots of England still to see. We were unlikely to return in later life so had to make the most of our opportunities. (Wrong of course - we both got back a couple of times). Our luck ran out however and we found ourselves on the "Stratheden" - sailing back through the Mediterranean and the Suez Canal, but the anticipation of seeing family again was real compensation!

Life aboard the Stratheden was very different from that on any other troop ship. No longer the fear of submarines, so no longer necessary to keep in complete darkness at night and the ship was ablaze of light. Food was good and each day we were told how many miles we had made in the past 24 hours. Home was approaching rapidly and how would they all look!! Nights aboard saw legal games of Housie - the English equivalent to Bingo - and illegal (and much bigger) two-up schools. Mind you the authorities must have suspected something as there would be these mysterious square spaces of clean floor (where a blanket had been) surrounded by an area inches deep in cigarette ash (where the players had been). Everything proceeded smoothly and we arrived at Perth to disembark the West Australians, then across the bight to Melbourne and finally to Sydney where Dick and I left the ship, then a train trip to Brisbane where we were met by a fleet of cars and driven along Queen St. to an enthusiastic reception - Queen St. where we had marched a couple of years previously to a similar farewell but a much different feeling of apprehension.

Just after we were discharged we used to have reunions pretty often. I'm pretty sure we were all finding the transition to civilian life difficult. Today we would probably receive counseling, whatever good that does! Then one by one we each met someone special who became soul-mate, wife, mother and the commitments of family and career took precedence over all else.

At the time The Commonwealth Reconstruction Training Scheme offered the opportunity to further our education and we both took the opportunity on offer. We spent a couple of years together in Brisbane. Dick displayed the determination and self discipline of the illustrious Sir Ernest Shackleton, his grand uncle - or maybe great grand uncle - of Antartic fame. He completed secondary studies then law to become a solicitor. He had his office in Queen St. and we sometimes met for lunch and reminiscence.

My association with Dick has carried onto a second and third generation. Their two sons attended the primary school where my son is a teacher and were well known and liked by him. One son lives not far from us.

With the passing of years, and children established on their own, those of us who had survived the ravages of time began to meet again, but Dick was not amongst us. Just as he was about to retire, he died on Boxing Day 1985. His wife of many years, Pearl died on 21st June 2000.

Friendships formed in the armed service in time of war are really special and I was so sorry that Dick was not able to enjoy a happy retirement, but that is that - Man proposes, God disposes!

I have enjoyed re-living the times I shared with Dick and thank you for your encouragement.

<<<<<<>>>>>>

Chris Murray, "Blue" Munce and Kev O'Brien

<<<<<>>>>>

RECENT PHOTOS

This site will endeavour to get more recent photos

of Dick Shackleton & family.

<<<<>>>>>

(Above - crew members) Blue Munce, Kev O'Brien and Jim McGrath

(June 1, 2007)

<<<<<<>>>>>>

Richard SHACKLETON