| Name |
Hunter, Gordon Watson |
| Born |
17 Nov 1917 |
Wooloowin, Brisbane, QLD  |
|
|
| Gender |
Male |
| School |
1922 |
Wooloowin State School, Wooloowin, QLD |
| School |
1929 |
Brisbane State High School, Brisbane, QLD |
| School |
1931 |
Brisbane Technical College, Brisbane, QLD |
- FreeFormatDate:Architectural Drawing
|
| Employment |
1933 |
Brisbane & Newsted, QLD |
| Started as office boy at James Hardie. |
| Military Enlist |
29 Apr 1940 |
- Description: RAAF
Having enlisted in The RAAF on 29th April 1940. I spent the next 5 years in both operational flying and instructional work. As the waiting list for pilot training was lengthening I decided to become a navigator, the story of my airforce career unfolds as follows.
I enlisted in April 1940 and after a period of waiting at various operational RAAF bases I finally began my navigational instruction at Cootamundra. After completing this section of my navigational course I went to Evans Head for bombing and gunnery instruction and then on to Parkes for astro navigation.
Finally the courses were completed successfully in late 1941 and after a few more movements around the countryside arrived at Bowen on 5th July 1942 to No. 11 Squadron Catalina flying boat base, with whom I was to serve as navigator and bomb aimer operating out of Bowen, Cairns and Groote Eylandt, flying mainly sea patrols looking for Japanese shipping dodging through the Solomon Islands at night.
On 5th May 1943 I participated in the first sea mine laying raid in Seeadler Harbour and later dropped mines at Macassar Harbour. Apart from bombing raids in Dutch East Indies and Northern New Guinea we also took part in supply drops to Australian troops Sepik River area weather permitting in that part of New Guinea, also Wissel Lakes Dutch New Guinea. After 37 operational trips and 668 hours flying I was posted back to Rathmines and became a navigator instructor at Evans Head, Bowen and Rathmines.
Then a posting to Heavy Bomber Replacement Training Unit at Nadzab near Lae, flying Liberator Bombers where I met up with other members of my new crew and captain Bob Butler. We flew with US airforce on raids on Rabaul weather permitting. We spent 11 hours flying with the US airforce on their air raids.
We were then posted to No. 21 Squadron Liberator Bomber "City of Melbourne" and eventually ended up at Fenton near Adelaide River N.T. and finally moved to Morotai in the north of Indonesia from where in squadron formation we raided enemy airstrips, supply dumps and camps. Finally taking part in the attacks on Tarakan, Balikpapin in Borneo. These operations continued until peace was declared and it was back home to Sandgate in Brisbane for demobilisation on the 15th October 1945 having attained the rank of Flight Lieutenant.
However the highlight of my flying career was in Catalina's where I was posted to Amberly to go to USA to help ferry a new Catalina from San Diego to Rathmines in February 1944. It involved a lot of long over water flying late afternoon and night and I was able to see places I could never have seen otherwise. Places like Palmyra Island, a true Pacific Island, white sand, rolling surf - also Kanoehoe near Pearl Harbour, Noumea and many others.
All in all the trip of a lifetime.
My total flying trips operational were:
No. 11 Catalina Squadron: 37
No.21 Liberator Squadron: 79
Total operation hours were:
No. 11: Squadron 668
No.21: Squadron 1566
|
| Military Disch |
1945 |
|
|
| Moved |
1949 |
Sydney, NSW |
- Castlecrag and Middlecove
|
| Retired |
1980 |
| Retired from James Hardie. |
| Died |
6 Dec 2001 |
Greenwich Hospital, Greenwich, NSW |
| Cremated |
10 Dec 2001 |
Northern Suburbs Crematorium, North Ryde, NSW |
| Person ID |
I0103 |
Barton Family Tree |
| Last Modified |
2 Sep 2016 |
| Family |
Gowing, Dorothy Mildred, b. 12 Feb 1925, Roslyn Private Hospital, Lindfield, NSW , d. 7 Apr 2004, Sydney, NSW (Age 79 years) |
| Married |
28 Jun 1947 |
St Albans Church, Lindfield, NSW |
| Moved |
Oct 1990 |
Willandra Village, Marsfield, NSW |
| Children |
| | 1. Hunter, Ross Gordon, b. 23 Jul 1950, St Monans Private Hospital, Cremorne, Nsw , d. 11 Feb 1998 (Age 47 years) |
| | 2. Living |
| | 3. Hunter, Kenneth Roy, b. 23 Jul 1948, Brisbane Womens Hospital, Brisbane, QLD , bur. 14 May 2012, Lake Macquarie Memorial Park, Ryhope, NSW (Age ~ 63 years) [Birth] |
| | 4. Living |
|
| Last Modified |
2 Sep 2016 |
| Family ID |
F0038 |
Group Sheet | Family Chart |
Barton Family History
1917 - 2001 (84 years)
: Address
: Location
: City/Town
: County/Shire
: State/Province
: Country
: Not Set