459 RAAF Squadron

 Flight Lieutenant Robert 'Bob' Henry NORMAN

(Flight Commander of B Flight)

Service Number 414727

Born :  Maryborough Qld : 30 Jan 1914

Post War titles: Sir Robert Norman OBE
Died : 3rd April 2007

Op tour as Pilot 459 RAAF Squadron. 

Baltimore Crew:

Pilot:    Bob Norman RAAF

Navigator/Observer:    Ken Aitken RAAF

Wireless Operator/Air Gunner : Jack Simmonds RAF

Wireless Operator/Air Gunner :  W “Bill” East RAAF

Distinguished postwar flying and community contributions. 

Sir Robert Norman OBE established the independent Bush Pilots Airways Ltd, serving isolated settlements and properties Cape York Peninsula, North West Queensland and Gulf Carpentaria Queensland. – Medivac, bush surgeons/veterinarians etc. – Weipa, Arukun etc.

His exploits overall and during various natural disasters led to him being awarded the OBE in 1958.  His commitment to the formation of a Unit of North Queensland Hospital – created Sir Robert Norman OBE.  He is also the author of “Bush Pilot” in which he details various stories of his life.

Bob Norman -outside the Officer’s Club – Bari Italy

 

 

Above -- 'A' Flight Benghazi 1944 - crew members
(all crew members are to the right of the photo)
in front of a Baltimore

Bill East (standing)
Joe Aitkin, (standing)
Bob Norman (seated)
Jack Simmonds (seated on ground)

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From Jack Simmonds memoirs - "Raid on German Headquarters Crete":

Jack recalled many “hairy” experiences.  Among them were his responsibilities taking high quality rear-under-hatch bomb-strike pictures, using the hand held F24 camera – a very heavy instrument indeed; and when buffeted by the slip stream during continual evasive formation manoeuvres it was very, very difficult to aim and hold steady on target.

Jack remembered from his memoirs and vital attack on German HQ's in central Rhodes.  German military intelligence reports indicated that is was a German HQ for the whole of the Dodecanese. The Baltimore crews were briefed at Berka base, they staged to Mersa Matruh from where they flew in 2 formations, 11 planes led by Bob Norman and 'Hoot' Gibson. 

Bob Norman led the first formation - returning safely - 11.20 am to 15.40 pm (from Mersa Matruh) - there were 5 planes following Norman's crew (all up 24 souls).

Crew - - F/L R.H. Norman (RAAF); F/Off J.K. Aitken, (RAAF); F/Off W.W. East (RAAF) and F/Sgt J.H. Simmonds (RAF)

Baltimore Mk V
FW524
'Q'

Jack 'Hoot' Gibson led the second formation - returning safely - 11.20 am to 15.40 pm (from Mersa Matruh) - there were 3 planes following Gibson's crew (all up 16 souls).

Crew - F/Off J.B. Gibson (RAAF); P/Off S.J. Gorman (RAAF); W/Off L.A. Alen, (RAAF) & WO D.N. Hurlstone (RAAF

Baltimore Mk V
FW444
'P'

It was very successful with bomb hits covering the entire target area and there were several direct hits seen on the main HQ building.  There were only 20 rounds of inaccurate opposition flak encountered.

Jack Simmonds photographed the scene from Bob Norman's aircraft and later recalled:

"We couldn't find the target at first because of cloud and were wheeling over the island in impeccable formation for some minutes.  bob was the flight commander and although a mild sort of bloke, he insisted on everybody being nicely tucked in...  Suddenly through a gap in the clouds, we spotted the barracks down below and whilst we were on the turn our navigator, Ken Aitken, dropped his bombs and the rest of the formation did likewise.

I was leaning out the back through the bottom hatch, kneeling to take a photograph.  I got such a shock when the bombs hit the target building, that I almost dropped the heavy camera.  Fortunately I had my finger on the (camera) trigger and there was no foul up.  It was the first time I had seen the bombs actually hit the target smack on.  I saw no one down below and presumably the inhabitants were in their shelter but if they weren't then casualties must have been heavy."

The AOC in Chief, RAF Middle East, Air Marshal Sir Keith Park, was also impressed with the Squadron's handiwork, telegramming the below congratulatory message.  Copies of this signal were made for each of the participating crews to insert in their log books. 

Telegram follows below

Bombs exploding on the German Headquarters at Cochinisu
Rhodes 16 January 1945 (AWM: RC01647)

The Story behind the telegram - as told by Bob Norman from his book "Bush Pilot".

"Rommel's Afrika Korp had been annihilated and the Allied forces had now landed in Italy and our sister squadron 454, shifted to Italy.  In the meantime, the blockade of Rhodes, Melos and Crete was taking effect.  The German forces had eaten Rhodes into a famine and there was considerable worry about the local population.

The Red Cross were asked to investigate and the reports proved correct.  There was therefore a temporary halt to hostilities while the inhabitants were transferred to the mainland, and then we started again.

Small vessels and caiques were almost non-existent now, so we commenced nuisance raids.  These were designed to make the enemy commander think we were about to land a force on a given part of the island.  This kept his troops moving and caused the maximum of inconvenience.  It used up their fuel and when no raid occurred it upset the morale of the German troops, destroying their faith in their Intelligence organisation.

This pattern was kept up and we had the German troops rushing from one end of Rhodes to the other.  For good measure, if we had plenty of fuel, we would fly up and down the coast inviting the "ack-ack" crews to fire on us.  They shot off thousands of rounds of 88 mm. shells all of which fell short.

Then to destroy their morale even further, the Red Cross ship, "Gripsholm" was allowed to take off a load of German wounded, but on that very day we carried out a devastating attack on the German headquarters in sight of the "Gripsholm".  Since most of the wounded were destined for home, it was important they take home no hope of victory in this area.

New crews were arriving almost weekly and the old crews were being sent back to the Nile Delta for a well deserved break and it wasn't long before I found myself along with others in the top echelon.  I had been promoted to Flight Lieutenant and made deputy Flight Commander of B Flight."

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Group photo near Imperiale Hotel - Athens
L-R: Joe Aitken, ?, Bob Norman,?,?, Bill East
(can anyone help with other member's ID in this photo please

Joe Aitken and Bob Norman on newly erected Bailey Bridge

Bob Norman on the via Nationale, Rome -
outside Allied HQ Military Police

L-R: Bill, Bob Norman and Joe Aitken outside the Colosseum, Rome

L-R: Bob Norman, Bill and Joe Aitken standing next to Roman ruins

Bob Norman and Joe Aitken outside the Colosseum, Rome

Another story from Bob Norman's book "Bush Pilot" -

"Eastern Command decided to give the ground crews of 459 a rest as they had been fighting backwards and forwards along the North African coast for nearly 3 years, and although they had individual leave they needed a break in the "green belt" ----- a few months in the lush fields of Palestine would work wonders for them.  We packed up and within the hour we were on our way to Ramat David. 

The North African desert is absolutely amazing.  One can spend months out there and not see a soul other than one's own people, but decide to move and within minutes the place is swarming with desert nomads.  They seemed to pop up out of the ground.  It would have been alright if they had waited until we had packed up all we wanted and then helped themselves.  But they couldn't bear to wait and started carrying away items we intended to take with us. -----"

That being said, Bob went on to describe a funny story of Bill and Jack Simmonds with some 'left-behind German' goods...

"Bill and Jack found a perfectly good German BMW motor-bike in the desert which they rode about the compound.  Joe Aitken and Arnold Jones, another new pilot, found a German desert car in which they used to drive to the Mediterranean for swims.  They couldn't use any of our fuel, but that didn't matter;  there were plenty of dumps of Italian fuel.  Joe and Arnold knew they couldn't take the desert car to Ramat David, so they left it in the bundu for the next mob to use.

But Bill and Jack were determined to take the BMW with us,  they tried the aircraft door but it wouldn't go through, so they asked me could they use the bomb bay.  I said yes, provided they could sling it on the bomb racks and clear of the bomb doors.  "I'll give you ten minutes," I said.  I knew the Chief didn't want his record of "up and away within the hour" spoiled.

They were still trying to sling the motorbike up when time ran out.  The other aircraft were starting their motors so I had to order them away while I closed the bomb doors before starting up.  They were like little boys losing a toy.  I'm sure I saw tears in their eyes as we taxied away leaving the bike behind."

 

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The following photo of Bob Norman taken in 1951

 

 

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Tributes to Sir Robert Norman

 

 

 

In a recent letter from one of his crew Joe Aitken to Sir Robert's son Bob Norman:

 

"I spent the period November 1943 to June 1945 in close association with Bob, as one of his crew at 75 OTU, Gianaclis, and for a year on 459 Squadron.  After that, Bob and I were stationed at Helwan, and then Heliopolis, established RAF stations near Cairo, flying senior officers to and from destinations in the Middle East and Southern Europe.

 

Bob was an outstanding Pilot.  He asked me, when we met at 75 OTU, to fly with him as his navigator/bomb aimer.  I realized that in what I later learned was his usual purposeful way, he had decided that he would at once put together a competent crew.  He recruited, as wireless/air gunners Bill East and Jack Simmonds, both of whom had done well in training.  The four of us always remained a harmonious quartet.  A typical decision of Bob was that Bill East, an officer, and Jack Simmonds, non-commissioned, should alternate as wireless operator - operating the wireless is more interested than sitting in a gun turret and each of them could keep up his skills.

 

While we were at Heliopolis our Ventura aircraft was replaced with a Baltimore covered in camouflage colours no longer required at that stage of the war.  Bob decided that we should strip the Baltimore of its paint.  Accordingly he and I laboured for 3 days in the Egyptian sunshine in temperatures of 38 degrees, removing the paint and polishing the aluminium exterior until the aircraft looked like a silver bullet.  No-one but bob would have conceived such a plan or persuaded anyone else to help him.

 

After our wartime association, I was delighted, but not surprised to learn of his peacetime achievements.  You must all be proud of him and his service to North Queensland.  Yours sincerely, Ken (Joe) Aitken."

 

Newspaper Articles

 

to see the  "Far North Pioneer" newspaper article.

 

to see "Sir Robert dies aged 93"  

 

 

  to see - Thursday April12, 2007 "Front page -  The Cairns Post" ...

 

and to see the page 9 Story  
"Final Tributes to a Visionary"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Soon we look forward to including on this page excerpts from Sir Robert's book "Bush Pilot" wherein he talks of his experiences with the 454 and 459 Squadrons, together with his pioneering work in aviation with the establishment of the Bush Pilots Airways.

 

 

The front of Bob Norman's book -
[a character from his book featured on the cover]

 

 

Back cover of Bob Norman's book - last published 1990