Brave Civilian

Fliers

Long Overdue Awards

ALONG overdue announcement of awards to various Australian civil flying men, for bravery during the Japs’ first attacks on New Guinea, Papua and Darwin was published on June 12, The following names are known to many Territorians: —

Awards

M.B.E.

(Member of the Civil Division of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire.)

Mr. Vernon William Burgess, Of

Armadale (Vic.).—Mr. Burgess, as district superintendent at Salamaua for the De partment of Civil Aviation, was in charge of the first evacuation from Salamaua, and subsequently of the evacuation of women and children by air from Port Moresby.

Commendations

For Brave Conduct at Civil Aerodromes

Messrs. Henry George Blake, Of

Berry Street, Clyde (NSW), ROBERT LEWIS BOREHAM, of Berry Street,

Clyde, Douglas Charles Muir, Of

Brisbane, and PHILIP LAWRENCE TAYLOR, of Caulfield (Vic.).

These four ground engineers employed by the Stephens Aviation Co. in New Guinea displayed great courage and de votion to duty in servicing aircraft being used for the evacuation of civilians from New Guinea.

For Valuable Services in Civil Aviation

Mr. Clive Robert Bernard

(posthumous).

Mr. Bernard was employed by W. R.

Carpenter & Co. as an airline pilot. When Wau aerodrome was under heavy fire from enemy aircraft, Mr. Bernard, al though ordered to take cover, ran across to his aircraft and took off without engine cowlings. He was chased by Zero fighters, but succeeded in escaping, and un doubtedly saved the machine from des truction. A few days later he was killed in a flying accident.

Mr. Eric John Stephens, Of Toorak

(Vic.). —Mr. Stephens, who was managing director of the Stephens Aviation Co., flew a number of trips from Wau to Port Moresby in an old aircraft, thereby sav ing a large number of civilians from capture by the enemy.

Mr. Norman Robert Wilde, Of

Bald Hill (Qld.). —He piloted an old air craft during the evacuation from New Guinea, saving a number of women and children.

Mr. Lewis Robert Ambrose, Of

10 Coorabin Road, Northbridge, Sydney, a pilot in Qantas Empire Airways.—He did excellent work in maintaining essential and vital services in flights between Java and Broome during February, and later continued to operate aircraft through the war zones, conveying men and munitions to New Guinea and returning with sick and wounded.

Mr. Ormond Dare Denny, Of 25

Woodland Road, Lindfield, a pilot in Qantas Empire Airways.—He played a prominent part in the evacuation of civilians from New Guinea. He flew a series of trips carrying in vital personnel and equipment before the enemy attack, and later completed most hazardous and valuable operations.

Omissions From The List

EVERY one of these awards will be heartily applauded—every one was earned.

But those familiar with circumstances of the New Guinea evacuation early in

1942 are pointing to some extraordinary omissions from the list—indicating either that brave deeds known to hundreds of people have been ignored, or that Brass hats somewhere have shown the usual Brasshat stupidity in collecting and com pleting their information.

Among names which should be in that list, and are not, there are the following: Arthur Collins, Captain Fred Bryce, C.

A. Haydon, and King (an old Guinea Air ways man). All these men performed meritorious service of some kind. Bryce brought out nine passengers under very bad conditions—his deed was praised in “Sydney Morning Herald” of March 12, 1942. Arthur Collins was a tower of strength and bravery—scores of evacuees sang his praises. The good work of Haydon and King (ground staff) was largely responsible for the saving of a Lockheed at a critical time. Haydon, sent from Lae, was in the first bombing of Rabaul, and helped to get his plane away, with difficulty.

There were others —but those instances are sufficient to show that, although Brasshat-dom took over 12 months to compile the list, Brasshat-dom did not make the list complete.