Vale Allan Couper 18/11/1924 – 21/10/2022

 

Couper Allan Joseph 430013 NAV(B) 75(NZ) Squadron. 

Odd Bod Allan Couper passed away on 21st October 2022 at the age of 97. Allan was a regular attendee at Odd Bod’s functions and will be sadly missed by  members. Our sincere condolences go out to family & friends.

Allan was a WW2 veteran, serving in 75 (NZ) Squadron as a NAV(B). 75 Squadron was an RAF squadron with close ties to New Zealand and following WW2 the squadron name was bequeathed to the NZ government in recognition of outstanding service to the war effort.

From Wikipedia:75 (NZ) Squadron was engaged constantly against Germany from 1940 to VE day. The squadron flew more sorties than any other Allied heavy bomber squadron, suffered the second most casualties of all Allied squadrons, and dropped the second largest weight of bombs of any Allied squadron.

Avro Lancasters replaced the Stirlings in 1944 until August 1945 when after moving to RAF Spilsby the squadron began converting to Avro Lincolns.

Allan was the subject of a video interview concerning his wartime experiences and it contains some fascinating insights particularly concerning the trauma of bomber flying. Here is the link - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYtFut9pLKY

 

2 comments:

1. 
   Adam Purcell28 October 2022 at 10:00

   I recorded an audio interview with Allan in 2017 as part of the International Bomber Command Centre's Digital Archive project - a blog post about his story is here: https://somethingverybig.com/2017/01/08/ibcc-interview-10-allan-couper-75-nz-squadron-bomb-aimer/ and the interview itself can be found on the IBCC's website.

   ReplyDelete
2. 
   Editor30 October 2022 at 16:32

   Thanks Adam.

Lancaster Movie Earns Acclaim

A new movie by the makers of feature length documentary "Spitfire" has received acclaim from critics for its portrayol of the wartime history of the Lancaster bomber.

"From the team behind SPITFIRE comes LANCASTER, the story of the iconic WW2 bomber told through the words of the last surviving crew members, re-mastered archive material and extraordinary aerial footage of the RAF's last airworthy Lancaster. Responsible for some of the most famous and infamous missions in WW2 history, from the Dambuster raids to the controversial bombing of Dresden, the Lancaster would help turn the tide of war. But there was a deadly price to be paid. 55,000 young men - half of all Bomber Command's aircrew - died over Nazi occupied Europe. Their average age was just 22. LANCASTER is an epic and poignant story of courage, fear, friendship and the moral complexities of war."

The film will be screened at select cinemas and for those in Melbourne a viewing is being organised at The Palace, Como, on 10th November. Interested members can email Noel Tresider at ntreside@bigpond.net.au for details.

Australian Aviator's Bravery Remembered At Memorial Service, Bowen Gardens Boroondara

Wing Commander (Ret'd) Mike Oram

A moving memorial service was held at Bowen Gardens, Camberwell on Saturday 1st October 2022 to pay tribute to Australian aviator, Les Knight whose bravery has touched many in Australia and overseas.

Leslie Gordon Knight, DSO (7 March 1921 – 16 September 1943) was an Australian bomber pilot in the Royal Australian Air Force during the Second World War. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Order in 1943 for his role in Operation Chastise while flying with No. 617 Squadron RAF. Knight's crew, flying in N-Nan, attacked, hit and breached the Eder Dam, the second dam to be attacked, after his comrades had previously scored one hit and one miss. 

Knight was killed later the same year while taking part in Operation Garlic – the Dortmund–Ems Canal raid. After his Lancaster's engines were damaged by clipping a tree while flying at low level, he was able to allow his entire crew to bail out. At the same time he steered his doomed Lancaster bomber away from the centre of a Dutch village averting possible further death and destruction, but was unable to land the aircraft without crashing. He is buried at Den Ham General Cemetery in the Netherlands.

FOTOBAI members were active in the memorial service with a reading from Jan Dimmick, "For The Heroes", and a speech from Wing Commander (Ret'd) Mike Oram. Mike was good enough to provide us with a copy of his speech - 

"Firstly let me pass on an apology from Air Commodore Frisina AM, the Senior Air Force Officer Victoria, who unfortunately could not be here today due to previous commitments.

I am greatly honoured to be able to play a small part in this service not only as a representative of the Air Force of today, but also due to my own personal connection to Bomber Command through my father, Flight Lieutenant Johnny Oram DFC and Bar, who was, like Les Knight, a Bomber Command Lancaster pilot.

After being approached to speak at this service and beginning to research FLTLT Knight DSO I was immediately struck by the thought “why haven’t I heard of this incredibly brave and daring aviator before now?” His role with the legendary ‘Dambusters’ of 617 SQN RAF alone should have bought him lasting fame – and if there was any justice in the world, after having survived such an incredibly risky mission he would have survived the rest of the war - and returned to Australia to do those things we now take for granted – chose a career, meet a partner, start a family – enjoy a life.

But as was the case for so many Bomber Command aircrew, surviving great danger and achieving spectacular mission success was not an opportunity to seek respite – rather such brave conduct was expected again and again – in an air battle which generated higher casualty rates to the aircrews than those experienced by infantry in the bloody trenches of WW1.

It is unfortunately not surprising that, against the maelstrom of World War II many individual acts of valour were not given due regard in the aftermath of conflict - particularly for those who did not return. For Les and others like him there would be no joyous family reunions, no experience of the camaraderie of ANZAC with other veterans, no Squadron get togethers. It is a sad fact that for many of these young men their daring exploits were known only to a handful of family and fellow veterans. At the end of the war the focus was understandably on the living and building a brighter future - but for the families of the fallen a lost loved one was a constant gap in their lives that could never be filled. Recognition of individual acts of valour and sacrifice can never fill those gaps, but they can help to provide a degree of closure to those who are left. I am honoured today to play a small part in providing that recognition albeit so many years after Wars end.

As an air force pilot, I can honestly say that reading the story of Les's final mission literally raised the hairs on the back of my neck. It is hard to imagine how such a young man managed to act with such skill and bravery under almost inconceivable pressure that night.

In the Air Force of today, flying a large aircraft by night in poor weather at low level - and without any modern navigation and enhanced night vision equipment, would be considered risky to the point of recklessness and would simply not be authorised. Les and his crew did all that, and did it under near constant attack from well trained and determined German air and ground defences. After striking trees whilst pressing home the attack in the atrocious weather conditions obtaining that night that night, Les’s Lancaster ended up losing both engines on the port side of the aircraft - a condition pilots describe as ‘double asymmetric’. For an aircraft like the Lancaster this can make continued flight nearly impossible in even ideal conditions. But the conditions were far from ideal for Les and his crew. Loss of two engines was not the only damage that the aircraft had suffered. The impact had also damaged the control runs which allowed operation of the aircraft rudders - for the uninitiated effective rudder control is absolutely vital in a situation where the aircraft has one or more engines inoperative. It is not hyperbole to say that this aircraft simply shouldn't have been able to keep flying - but Les somehow managed to not only continue to fly but, with assistance from his crew, to coax the wounded Lanc to climb to a height from which his crew would be able to safely abandon the aircraft.

Having ordered his crew to bail out, Les remained at the controls, unable to bale out himself. In a final act of heroism which would cost him his young life, Les steered the aircraft to a crash landing in an empty field, avoiding the small Dutch village where the aircraft may otherwise have crashed.

FLTLT Les Knight DSO, from the the nation you helped keep free, from the Air Force of today that stands on the shoulders of you and those like you, and, personally, from the son of another RAAF Lancaster pilot - thank you." - Mike Oram

Bruce Waxman & Jan Dimmick

Wreaths At Memorial

Les Knight

Odd Bods at Gallipoli

A Royal Navy, Henri Farman, tandem seated float plane, possibly from HMS Ark Royal, returning to its launching ramp. Contributed by Australian War Memorial Photo: Australian War Memorial

The famous Gallipoli landings of WW1 (1914-18) form an iconic part of Australia’s military history. The term “Odd Bods” emerged in WW2 (1939-45) to describe a large group of Australian aviators in Europe, but did Odd Bods actually exist at Gallipoli?

During WW2 Australian aviators who served in non-Australian squadrons (usually British) were called odd bodies, later shortened to “Odd Bods”. 

Aviation activities in WW1 were nothing like those of WW2. In WW1 there were fewer aircraft, they were slow, much less sophisticated, and their main task was reconnaissance. They did however occasionally drop bombs and the first aircraft carrier was devised in WW1 to service seaplanes during military maneuvers.

By contrast, Air Force involvement in WW2 was pivotal with Bomber Command being a large focus of war effort and expenditure by the allies. Over 10,000 Australians were involved.

Historian Hugh Dolan is the author of “36 Days - The Untold Story Behind the Gallipoli Landings” in which he exposes some of the mis-truths about Australia’s involvement in the landings during WW1.

Dolan - a former RAAF intelligence officer who directed allied aircrews on their missions during the second Gulf War - also brings to light the Royal Naval Air Service was far from an all-British affair. At least 26 Australians are believed to have served as either pilots or observers, including Captain Thomas Piper, who had been holidaying in England when war broke out.

Captain Thomas Piper

An aircrew observer aboard the Ark Royal - the world's first purpose-built aircraft carrier - Piper flew numerous missions over the Gallipoli peninsula and was involved in an aerial assassination attempt on the German Kaiser when the Kaiser visited Gallipoli after the Anzac withdrawal.

The Australian aviators involved in the Royal Navy Air Service during WW1 were clearly Odd Bod forerunners and their participation in the Gallipoli campaign is another significant component in Australia’s military history.

The Friends of The Odd Bods Association has grown from a fledgling group of Australian odd bodies who searched for an identity when they returned to Australia in 1945. They wanted to create a social identity for their members as they recovered from the horrors of war, and ensure that the sacrifices made by so many comrades were not forgotten by future generations. 

The Association’s motto is “Pressing on… remembering”

References:

https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/6171147/wings-over-gallipoli-our-stealth-mission-revealed/

https://books.google.com.au/books/about/36_Days.html?id=Jk4cmwEACAAJ&redir_esc=y

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Ark_Royal_(1914)

https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C91376

https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/LIB100042863

 

New Book Relevant To Odd Bods

FOTOBAI member, Fay McPherson, got in touch with us recently concerning a new book about 186 Squadron. Fay's husband Gerald McPherson flew in 186 Squadron and Fay was asked to write a foreword for the book which has now been published.

The book is titled "Target Germany 186 Squadron 1944- 1945" by Steve C. Smith. Steve writes in his preface - “This is the history of a single squadron that played a pivotal role in destroying Germany’s oil and transport facilities.  Each member of the squadron can be justly proud, as can their relatives.  Their story is one of heroics and perseverance in getting the job done.” 

Here is the book summary on Amazon.com -

"Formed in October 1944 in No.3 Group RAF Bomber Command, No.186 Squadron was pitched immediately into the relentless bomber offensive from its formation. Initially established with the help of No.90 Squadron, the new squadron would be equipped with the excellent Avro Lancaster.

From the very outset, the squadron was staffed by the very best crews that No.3 Group could offer. This included its commander officer, Wing Commander Giles DSO DFC. Under his leadership, the squadron quickly earned a reputation as reliable and highly motivated. This was not surprising given its Commanding Officer, handpicked flight commanders, and many second tour crews. The squadron would play a pivotal role in the destruction of Germany's important transportation and oil facilities over the last seven months of WW2. Sadly, this success came with a price in young lives. By May 8th, 1945, the squadron had flown 871 sorties. Target Germany combines the operational history of the squadron with individual stories from those who served, with numerous never before published photographs. This is a long-overdue book on a forgotten squadron."

The book was released in June 2022, and according to the Amazon website is currently out of stock. We assume it will become available for those interested.