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3 Squadron Memorabilia On-Line in the Australian War Memorial Collection
(researched
by James Oglethorpe)
The
Australian War Memorial has a lavish collection of items related specifically
to 3 Squadron. Below are some hints on how to access this material via
the Internet using the AWM's Collections
Search page:
http://www.awm.gov.au/database/cas.asp
AWM Photos
There are
more than 800 photographs of 3 Squadron in the AWM collection.
Some of these images were created by now legendary Australian
photographers such as Frank Hurley, noted for his magnificent coverage of
the Shackleton Antarctic expedition in 1915 and who photographed 3
Squadron in both world wars(!); and Damien Parer,who later won an Oscar for
the iconic documentary Kokoda Frontline
before being killed in action on Peleliu Island in the Pacific.
All the AWM
photo captions can be read online but not all images are currently
available. To break the photographic collection down into more
digestible chunks, the following seven search strings are recommended to
display interesting sets of 3 Squadron photos in roughly chronological order:
a) World
War 1. For
85 photos of 3 Squadron aircraft and personnel serving in World War One:
go to http://www.awm.gov.au/database/cas.asp, set
the options ‘Exact Phrase’ and ‘First World War 1914-1918’ and enter
the phrase:
3squadron
(Note:
You should select the ‘Images’ option on the lower left margin of the
search frame to cull out those photos where there is no online image, and the
‘Long Titles’ option at the top of the page to see the full
captions.)
b) The
Last Fighting Biplanes. For 19 images of Gladiator
operations in 1940-41. Search (with options defaulted to ‘All Words’
and ‘All Conflicts’):
gladiator
c) Hurricanes
Against the Storm. Five Hurricane pictures from
1941. Search:
hurricane
silk
d) New
Planes, New Challenges. 112 photos of Tomahawk operations in
1941, a dramatic period with battle successes in Syria and Cyrenaica but also
some serious losses. Damien Parer gives the boys the full Hollywood
treatment! Search:
tomahawk
e) Kittyhawk
Operations 1942. 30 images, including a Nelsonian
"Never mind the fighters..." quote from a grinning Bobby Gibbes.
Search:
"3
squadron" kittyhawk 1942
f) Kittyhawk
Operations 1943. 29 images, including some pretty
impressive flak damage and the eerie sight of German flares lighting up the
sky during their bombing strike on Agnone airstrip. Search:
"3
squadron" kittyhawk 1943
g) Shiny
New Planes and Winning Smiles. 19 late-war images
1944-45. Search:
"3
squadron" mustang
(Many other
searches are of course possible, for instance based on specific dates,
individual personnel or place names, etc.)
AWM Sound Transcripts
The AWM has
an amazing collection of taped interviews with 3 Squadron WW2 veterans
(mostly recorded in 1990). The transcripts are each up to 30 pages long
and contain a wealth of information.
To see the
full list of the 3 Squadron transcripts, go to http://www.awm.gov.au/database/cas.asp,
click on 'Advanced Search' in the left margin
and select only 'Sound'. Then type in the phrase
(including quotes):
"3
Squadron"
When the
search list comes up click ‘Full Details’ option at the top of the
page and you will see the transcript icons to the right of each interview
description. Click on the transcript icon to open the full transcript.
Reading
them all may be something of a long-term project, but it is very interesting
to hear the story of 3 Squadron related in the veterans' own words.
(Beware - these interviews are quite addictive!) The
interviewers have sought out a wide diversity of subjects, including aircrew,
ground crew and several squadron commanders. In alphabetical order the
23 interviewees are:
Wilfred
Arthur.
Nicky
Barr.
Wally
Bottin.
Rod Butler.
Jack
Donald.
Jack Doyle.
Brian
Eaton.
Bobby
Gibbes.
Peter
Jeffrey.
Leon Henry.
Peter
Hickson.
Wal Mailey.
Marcus
MacInnis.
Ken McRae.
Ted
Medhurst.
Slim Moore.
Bert
Pearson.
Tom
Russell.
Bill
Shoesmith.
Harry Silk.
Bob Smith.
Reg
Stevens.
Jock Thom.
Allan Wand.
AWM Art
An interesting selection of more than 30 paintings and sketches, including First World War works by the Australian impressionist master Arthur Streeton, can be found by doing an "Advanced Search" using the phrase "3 Squadron" and ticking only the "Art" box. There are also many excellent paintings of the areas that 3 Squadron travelled through. 3 Squadron clearly supplied the subject matter in some of these works even though it is not mentioned specifically in the titles of the paintings. These artworks convey the colours and atmosphere of the theatre in a way that contemporary monochrome photographs cannot.
Harold
Herbert's art
collection includes a study of a Tomahawk in Syria. Search:
Harold Herbert 1941
Sir William Dargie has some studies of 3 Squadron subjects in North Africa amongst his many stirring scenes from that era. Topics include a portrait of a dozing Nicky Barr, an atmospheric depiction of a crashed Stuka and an impression from the slit trenches at Gambut airfield. These can be easily accessed by doing a search for:
Dargie 1942
Dennis
Adams' Italian
art portfolio has some paintings relevant to 3 Squadron, including a portrait
of Brian Eaton. Search:
"Dennis
Adams" Italy