Coomalie Charlie's Commandos 31 Squadron RAAF Beaufighters at Darwin 1942-43
Maryborough, Australia: Banner Books, 1996. Quarto, navy-blue hardback, white lettering on spine, ix, 140 pp., illustrated endpapers; illustrated with black-and-white photographs, drawings, reproductions of documents and newspaper clippings throughout; three appendices included. Minor fading on covers, light spotting on top edge of text block, foxing on inside top edge of dust-jacket; otherwise a near-fine copy. First edition. A personal account of the experiences of No. 31 Squadron while stationed at Coomalie Creek in the Northern Territory during World War Two told by Kenneth Neal McDonald, DFC, one of the founding pilots of the Squadron.
The author recalls the highs and lows of day to day life in the Squadron, the isolation of the location, the mental strain of the war, the difficult weather and shelter conditions the ground crew struggled with while attempting to maintain the aircraft, which the airmen also endured. McDonald also recounts the Beaufighter Squadron's strikes against the enemy in Timor and the occupied island groups, each flight involving a return trip of a thousand nautical miles or more with no guarantee of success or return. Item #4461
Price (AUD): $270.00