Service No. 401668

Date of Birth: 16 Oct 1910

Place of Birth: SYDNEY, NSW

Date of Enlistment: 28 Mar 1941

Date of Discharge: 19 Nov 1944

Rank: Flying Officer

Date of Death: 25 Jan 1975

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Crew Hudson Mk FH374 'X':

• F/O G.A.E. Ferguson

• F/Sgt A.J. Robinson

• F/Sgt F.S. Owen

• F/Sgt N.D. MaKay

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Passed away on 25th January, 1975, and survived by his wife, Shelagh (who subsequently passed away in 2010) and his surviving sons, Angus and Fergus.

 

Having served in senior management positions in Brisbane and Sydney, Bert entered the RAAF at the age of 31 in 1941 and  served with the 459 squadron from 10th September 1942 until 25th February, 1943. Total operational hours with the squadron was 202 hours 50 minutes.

 

Bert then served with RAF Squadron 267 in Italy from 16 October 1943 to 5th January 1944, leaving the RAAF on 19th November 1944 to settle in Melbourne where he lived for the remainder of his life. In the post war years, he was known to his friends as 'Robbie'.

 

It is understood that Bert, a navigator, was regarded as a ‘father figure' in his squadron as he was quite a bit older than the other crew members - he always believed that his maturity was a factor in ensuring the survival of his air crew. After the war, he maintained close contact with his crew members which included Sep Owen and Gordon Ferguson, as well as with other RAAF colleagues with whom he trained in Canada and the UK - Peter Issacson and Robert R (Bob) Nielsen (of 'With the Stars Above' fame) from RAAF Squadron 460.