G'day Everyone,
Gp Cpt Reg Carruthers (RAAF Ret’d) was a former commanding officer of the Royal Australian Air Force No 10 Squadron which is presently based at RAAF Edinburgh on the outskirts of Adelaide, South Australia. Equipped with 4-engined Orion aircraft the Squadron is soon to re-equip with Poseidon’s. After his 10 Squadron tour Reg later became the Station Commander at Edinburgh and was also an ADC to the Australia Premier. He now heads the South Australian Defence Department in Adelaide in a civilian capacity whose many responsibilities include the Woomera Weapons Ranges and its nearby town facilities.
A chance email sent to his department last year by our Web Warden Dick King, asking for information about the Australian 10 Squadron, went for reasons unknown, straight to Reg and he kindly put us in touch with the Edinburgh 10 Sqn which is presently commanded by Wg Cdr Marija (Maz) Jovanovich, the only female squadron commander in the Australian Air Force. Links were therefore established between the two 10 Squadrons.
The reason for this was that a young South Australian schoolgirl had inadvertently contacted the UK’s No 10 Squadron Association in asking for research information about the Aussie Squadron. Her in-depth research into the loss of a WW2 10 Sqn RAAF relative later enabled her to be one of a number of winners of an ANZAC prize, sponsored annually by the Premier of South Australia. Thanks to help in that project being given to her by the UK Association’s web warden, Dick King whom she had impressed by her initial mis-placed email inquiry, she was also invited to visit RAAF Edinburgh and allowed to spend time in the Orion flight simulator with her parents.
Her ANZAC prize entailed a flight to Darwin in Australia’s Northern Territory with other young winners for a twelve-day visit in April 2023. In February 1942, two months after ‘Pearl Harbour', the same aircraft-carriers’ bombers had subjected Darwin to two large, surprise air aids. Staying in 5-star accommodation and visiting places of WW2 interest in the Darwin area, these new junior Anzac Ambassadors made many new friends whilst learning of their country’s wartime history. Links were therefore established between the two 10 Squadrons.
The Aussie Visitors to the Pembroke Dock Heritage Centre (PDHC)
(L-R) John Evans- (PDHC), Linda & Reg Carruthers, John Rattenbury – (UK 10 Sqn Assoc)
Reg Carruthers is in fact a Geordie from Gateshead who had left the UK aged 12 and in June 2023 he and his wife Linda visited the UK on leave.
Having been told of his interest in his former 10 Squadron which had flown Sunderland flying boats, firstly from Pembroke Dock and later from RAF Mount Batten, Plymouth, one of the UK 10 Sqn Association members John Rattenbury, arranged a visit for the couple to the Pembroke Dock Heritage Centre which has an impressive display of the Aussie Squadron’s wartime role. The Centre is also restoring a Sunderland that sunk at its WW2 moorings in the Harbour but has now in more recent times, been brought to the surface and ashore. A pleasant day was spent by the visitors and since Reg had been instrumental in putting us in touch with his own 10 Squadron, he was presented with a copy of our, ‘From Brooklands to Brize’ centennial history book by John Rattenbury. Reg and Linda's visit to Pembroke ended on a glorious evening spent with John at a pub watching the sunset overlooking Pembroke Harbour and having, Aussie fashion, ‘a few beers’.
Reg Carruthers receives his RAF’s History of 'our' 10 Sqn Book from John Rattenbury, who lives near Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire
Although not a Notification of a Recent Death of a member of 10 Squadron, which would then be in the Obituaries section, the following brief mention nevertheless of the passing of a former Squadron crew member has recently come to light and may be of interest to our viewers.
It follows a recent enquiry which put our Historian Ian Macmillan in touch with a member of the Newmarket Archives who then revealed the following to us:
EDWARD CHARLES JAMES GARDNER, DFM (24 August 1924 – 3 May 2010)
Born in Newmarket, Suffolk, James Gardner was a 10 Sqn Halifax Sergeant Air Gunner during WW2 and later became an English actor of some renown.
Having been posted to 10 Sqn at RAF Melbourne from No 1658 Conversion Unit based at RAF Ricall near Selby, Yorks in November 1943, he and his crew, captained by Sgt L. Fenny completed some 30 operational sorties before being screened in July 1944. Gardner was then posted to Abingdon where he joined No 10 OTU (Operational Training Unit) in an instructional role. (Readers are reminded that there was no direct link between that OTU and No 10 Squadron.)
Whilst there Gardner was awarded the DFM in October 1944 for his earlier 10 Squadron activities.
His first cinematic appearance was in 1964 in The Curse of the Mummy's Tomb and he subsequently appeared in numerous other films and TV shows as well as in stage performances. His talents ranged from Shakespearian appearances in the theatre, to roles in block-buster movies such as Harry Potter when he played Knight Bus driver Ernie Prang in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, the third film in the series of them.
Those interested in further reading might wish to follow these links.
Jimmy Gardner (actor) - Wikipedia
Gardner, Edward Charles James - TracesOfWar.com
LOOK HERE ....... HAVE YOU ONE OF THESE ?
A Defence Discount Service Privilege Card entitles all serving AND past members of the Services and their family relatives to obtain substantial discounts on shop and on-line purchases ranging from cars and holidays to smaller domestic items and services. The card costs £4.99 and is valid for 5 years. See below for further details. It seems churlish not to get one for just an outlay of only £4.99.
For further information and for a Card Application which may be made on-line, visit: www.defencediscountservice.co.uk or by telephone 01509 - 233446
After filling in the Application Form via their website, proofs of ID and past service are required. These may be Service Pension Payment Advice statements (with any private financial information suitably redacted), pages from your Record of Service, or other ID documents listed on their website.
Note: Please do not contact the Association if you have any questions about the above: ask the Defence Discount Service direct.
Shown below is Chairman Mike Westwood presenting 98 year-old Roy Maddock-Lyon with his 10 Squadron Association Honorary Life Membership Certificate at Roy’s home in Stoke Orchard, Glos. on 5 December 2022. The Association had been notified of Roy's whereabouts by the son-in-law of the late captain of a WW2 Halifax, lost over Denmark after a mine-laying mission in the Baltic.
Roy is the last surviving member of the crew of the 10 Sqn Halifax MZ 793, which was shot down over Denmark on the night of 14/15 February 1945. Two of the crew, Fg Off John Grayshan (capt) and FS Albert Berry (nav) were killed in the incident and they are buried about 35 miles west of Copenhagen at Holbaek, Zealand. Two others crew members (Plt Off Chaderton the air-bomber and Sgt Andrews the WOp) were taken as PoWs. whilst the rest, including former Halifax flight engineer Roy managed to evade capture.
Sadly, we said ‘Farewell’ to another member of that crew only recently, at a funeral service held on 1 December 2022 for Peter (Andy) Andrews, who died on the 8th November.