A Memory Owed is a new movie about aviators in WW2, and it weaves some amazing action scenes into an emotional storyline.
This short movie is being released on Youtube in a few days, and has already been nominated for awards. Below is a link to the trailer which can be found on Facebook.
A big thank you to Sally Dimmick for the heads up.
https://www.facebook.com/
Remembrance Day (11th. November) commemorates the end of WW1. In the UK it is conducted as Remembrance Sunday on the Sunday nearest 11th November. Australia adopted that practice up until the 1970's but now we conduct services on the actual date of the signing of the Armistice - 11/11. Services are held in a variety of locations.
Repatriation Hospital Heidelberg.
On Tuesday 11/11/2025 representatives of the Odd Bods laid a wreath in the Remembrance Garden of the Repatriation Hospital in Heidelberg, Melbourne. The Odd Bods have a long association with the Repatriation Hospital. One of the original Odd Bods banners was made by a seamstress in the hospital laundry. That banner served many good years at Odd Bods events including the Anzac Day March and is now on display in the hospital chapel. We also have a prominent brass plaque dedicated to Odd Bods in their Remembrance Garden. Nearby is a plaque dedicated to Odd Bod Joe Shuttleworth who was a Director of Administrative Services at the Hospital.
FOTOBAI President Peter Randell, Treasurer Gary Elliott, and Committee Member Robyn Bell attended this years service as shown in our lead photograph.
As we get closer to Remembrance Day our incoming mailbox is growing, and here are just some of the interesting subjects.
The Best Looking WW2 Aircraft - get your debating gear on because this article on Slashgear has opened up the age old question of which aircraft from WW2 is the best looking. Click on this link to check it out - https://www.slashgear.com/2001650/best-looking-ww2-military-aircraft/
Runnymede Memorial Honours UK and Commonwealth Aircrew. A big thank you to our regular UK correspondent, Bryan Wilcockson, for this email - "Here are some very recent photographs of the RAF memorial at Runnymede ( where King John signed the Magna Carta, from which UK and Australia’s laws derive). The memorial is for the 20,000 plus UK and Commonwealth aircrews, who were missing presumed killed in action."
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.jpg)
FOTOBAI Committee Member, Stephen Trask, recently visited the UK, and his Father's WW2 airfield, Waterbeach in Cambridgeshire.
Stephen's Father, Trevor G. Trask DFC, was a F/O Pilot in 514 Squadron which operated Avro Lancasters out of Waterbeach from December 1943. The airfield still exists and an adjoining Military Heritage Museum displays a number of aviation records and artifacts from WW2.
Stephen has been good enough to provide us with some photographs of what was, no doubt, a very memorable visit. The photographs include a rather large piece of a Lancaster, and a mock up of the cramped space the Radio Operator was allocated in the aircraft.
.jpg)
A recent worthwhile addition to our Odd Bods Book List concerns the often forgotten contribution by over 1700 RAAF Aircrew in the Burma Campaign during WW2.
One of the authors of Resolute, The Australian Air War in Burma is Historian Dr. Andrew Kilsby who tells us he is a distant relative of Odd Bod Wing Commander, "Bill" Kilsby.
From the internet: "Resolute, The Australian Air War in Burma" is a book by Andrew Kilsby and Daryl Moran that details the Royal Australian Air Force's (RAAF) role in the Burma Campaign of World War II. The book covers the contributions of over 1,700 RAAF airmen who flew a variety of missions in challenging conditions, including flying agents, bombing raids, and reconnaissance.
Subject matter: The book is the first detailed history of the Australian air war in Burma and focuses on the sacrifices and achievements of RAAF personnel.
Historical context: It covers the period of 1942–1945, when Australian airmen served in integrated RAF squadrons alongside other Commonwealth forces.
Key roles: RAAF aircrews performed a wide range of duties, such as flying agents into Southeast Asia, carrying out bombing raids, conducting anti-submarine patrols, and making supply runs over "the Hump" into China.
Conditions and challenges: The airmen operated in difficult conditions, including rugged terrain, monsoonal weather, and a tropical climate, facing a determined Japanese enemy.
Author background: Both authors are sons of RAAF veterans from the Burma campaign and have drawn on extensive research for the book.
Publication: The book was released in October 2025.
Interestingly, Wing Commander "Bill" Kilsby's own memoirs of WW2 can be found on this website and is one of our most read articles - see left hand margin.
The book "Resolute, The Australian Air War in Burma" was published this month and is available from the usual outlets.
 |
We approached Ryder Cheshire earlier this year with a view to donating around $2000 for a special project. They advised that the Raphael Centre had an urgent need for student uniforms. In fact they needed 100 uniforms (including shoes), and that would come to around A$2400.
We are pleased to advise members that a cheque for $2400 has been sent to Ryder Cheshire, and new uniforms are on the way for students. This is in addition to the $1000 per annum currently provided by the Odd Bods to directly support four students at Raphael.
We trust you will agree that continuing the legacy of the original Odd Bods is a very worthwhile pursuit for Friends of the Odd Bods. Using part of our funds to support disadvantaged children was appropriate when the Odd Bods were first formed, and remains appropriate today.
Below are the latest reports for the four students we directly support at Raphael.
The Australian War Memorial is currently undergoing a major redevelopment and one of its most beloved exhibitions, a WW2 Lancaster Bomber known as G for George, has been taken out of storage, and will be reassembled for public display.
Crowds recently lined Canberra's Anzac Parade as the fuselage was transported to the Memorial under police guard.
The aircraft was operated by No.460 Squadron RAAF based at Binbrook in Yorkshire, England. It flew 90 missions over Germany with no crew casualties. Many of our Odd Bods Veterans flew in Lancasters.
The Odd Bods support of the Raphael Centre for children with disabilities was influenced by a decorated WW2 Pilot.
The Ryder-Cheshire Foundation was established in 1959 by Group Captain Lord Cheshire and Baroness Ryder of Warsaw, bringing together their independent humanitarian efforts. Geoffrey Leonard Cheshire, Baron Cheshire, VC, OM, DSO & Two Bars, DFC, a highly decorated WWII airman, and Sue Ryder, who worked with the Special Operations Executive, both established homes for the sick, disabled, and destitute after the war. Their combined work led to the establishment of the first joint home, Raphael, in India in 1959.
Friends of the Odd Bods now support 4 students at Raphael, and from time to time make special donations. Many members of the association make donations to our Ryder/Cheshire fund when completing their annual subscription.
If you have ever wondered what sort of work Raphael does, here is a video that illustrates the variety of activities and particularly the joyful participation of students.
A cold and foggy morning greeted attendees at the 2025 Bomber Command Commemorative Service in Canberra on Sunday 1st. June, including Odd Bods committee member Jan Dimmick.
Jan was invited to attend the service by BCAA and we |
| The FOTOBAI Committee for 2025 |
Friends of the Odd Bods Association Inc. held its 11th AGM on Sunday 25th May 2025 at the Bentleigh RSL Club during which a new committee was elected, including a new President.
New FOTOBAI Committee - the same but different. - Peter Randell was unanimously elected as President of the Association, with Greg Smith taking on the Secretary role, and Bruce Waxman as Vice-President. Gary Elliott continues as Treasurer, and Sue Bennett's appointment as Welcoming Officer has been confirmed. Jan Dimmick, Robyn Bell, Steve Trask, and Michael Rossiter make up the balance of the committee. So we have the same faces on the committee but some role changes will freshen us up for the road ahead.
Outgoing President, Greg Smith, thanked the committee for their support, and congratulated them on another successful year of pressing on ... remembering, in particular our involvement on ANZAC Day and VE Day.
Peter Randell has had a long association with the Odd Bods, and his excellent organising skills as Secretary have made him indispensable to our activities. He is to be congratulated on his election as President.
.jfif)
.jpg)
.jpg)
