North Atlantic Aviation Museum

Committee Member, Gary Elliott’s, recent overseas trip included a visit to the North Atlantic Aviation Museum at Gander in Newfoundland. Gander was an important trans-Atlantic strategic base in WWII. Thank you to Gary for these pictures.

New Legion d'Honneur Recipients

George Tulloch and Ron Fitch have advised us that they have been awarded the French Legion d'Honneur with a presentation to take place soon.

The Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour (French: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), is a French order established by Napolean Bonaparte on 19 May 1802. Napoleon believed France wanted a recognition of merit rather than a new system of nobility.

The Order is the highest decoration in France and is divided into five degrees of distinction. A number of Australian Airmen have received the honour in recognition of outstanding services in the liberation of France during the Second World War.

Our congratulations go out to all the following Odd Bods who have received the honour. If we have missed any names, please let us know.

George Smith           2005
Ron Cleaver             2015
Norm Goyen             2015
Don Howard             2015
Laurie Larmer          2015
David Morland         2015
Ron Pitt                    2015
Bert Tinning             2015
Gerald McPherson  2015
Keith Schmerl          2015
George Tulloch        2016
Ron Fitch                 2016

Field of Poppies Remembers The Somme

The centenary of the WW1 Battle of the Somme (1916-2016) was recently marked by a number of events around the globe.Our photo was kindly supplied by our UK correspondent Bryan Wilcockson as he recorded part of the 19,240 poppies installed by Royal British Legion on North Green outside Westminster Abbey in London.

Betty’s Tea Room Receives A Visit From A Genuine WW2 Veteran

Inspired by the art decor elegance of the original Queen Mary, the iconic Betty’s Tea Room in York is a famous landmark and our own Walter Eacott visited recently.

A few years after Bettys opened its doors in York war broke out, and Bettys – in particular the basement 'Bettys Bar' – became a favourite haunt of thousands of airmen stationed around York.

'Bettys Mirror', on which many of them engraved their signatures with a diamond pen, remains on display today as a fitting tribute to their bravery.

Our picture shows Walter standing outside Betty’s with his step-brother, Clive Eacott. More information on Betty’s Tea Room and the connection with WW2 airmen can be found here. - https://blogs.unb.ca/greggcentre/2013/09/13/world-war-ii-airmen-and-the-cafe-tea-room/

What To Do With War Time Memorabilia

The handling of memorabilia has been discussed a number of times at FOB committee meetings and it is fair to say that the subject is a work in progress.

As the years march on, the amount of memorabilia that needs to find a suitable home increases. The committee has received requests from members on what families should do with a variety of items including log books and service medals.

The Australian War Memorial (AWM) has had to overhaul its donation collection process in a bid to cope with the large volume of items it receives. On average about 40,000 items are donated to the AWM each year but about half do not meet the required selection criteria. Head of collection services retired Major General Brian Dawson recently said while each item was significant to the individual serviceman or woman, the AWM had to focus on collecting items of national significance.

The new procedure involves people completing an online questionnaire which allows the museum to conduct a controlled assessment of suitable items. Hopefully this will stop the unusual but rather dangerous practice of people turning up at the front counter with weapons. It should be noted that only 5% of all donations get to be exhibited at any one time.

At FOB meetings we have discussed the need to keep certain items for perpetuity as important reminders of national, community, and family involvement in our history. And it is the family connection that will often determine the right course of action. Service medals and log books are important items that can be kept within families. Odd Bods founder George Smith nominated that his medals and log book would be handed on to the first born of each generation and that path has been set.

Other suggestions for the handling of memorabilia include the possibility of setting up a special location for the display of Air Force memorabilia, perhaps through government funding, or an educational institution. In the meantime, individual family arrangements appear to be the suitable course of action.

We welcome the thoughts and proposals of readers on how we might handle memorabilia in the future.

Smoky Hibbens - The Habitual Escaper

FOB committee member, Jenny Hibbens has sent us this fascinating tale of her Father.

Sgt Vivian Joseph HIBBENS (Smoky) RAAF SN: 400712

The Habitual Escaper

Vivian Joseph Hibbens was born in Bemboka NSW on 16^th January 1922. His parents were Herbert Ernest Mingus Hibbens and Ethel Cecilia (nee: Pritchard). He had one younger sister, Norma Pearl.

In 1938 he was given a 17 hands high race horse which could no longer race. He promptly went out and enlisted in the 8^th Light Horse - telling a white lie about his age to be eligible - being rather patriotic he chose the 26^th January 1917 as his birth date.

He enlisted with the Royal Australian Air Force on 13^th October 1940 in Melbourne. At the time he was employed as a Bank Officer with the Commonwealth Bank. 

After his initial air training under the Empire Air Training Scheme at 5 Elementary Flying Training School at Narromine NSW - he was shipped to Canada where he gained his wings at Camp Borden Ontario. He then sailed to the UK and undertook Spitfire Training at Hawarden Wales and was  attached to the 234 Squadron at Ibsley in Hampshire. After gaining his endorsement on Spitfires – he flew a few volunteer night sorties over France. Whilst here, his mother sent him a Koala mascot - whom he named ‘Anzac’.

In April 1942 he was posted to service in the Middle-East to fly Spitfires with the 145 Squadron RAF, travelling via Sierra Leone. After completing only eight operational sorties with his squadron, he was detailed to transport a Hawker Hurricane fighter to 33 Squadron RAF, at Landing Ground 154 near Alexandria during the First Battle of El Alamein, on 18 July 1942. He encountered a sandstorm, turned to the east to avoid it, and was then blown off course by wind and attacked by 13 German Me109 fighter aircraft. His aircraft was badly damaged and running out of fuel when he crashed close to German tanks near the El Alamein front line - but not before he shot down two of the  German fighters. His only injury was a bayonet wound to his right arm, sustained from an over jealous German.  He took his mascot Anzac with him as he left the aircraft. He was taken via the usual route via Mersa Matruh on the coast for interrogation, then to Dulag Luft at Frankfurt in cells for a week before being transported to the largest POW camp the Germans had - Stalag 8B at Lamsdorf Poland.  This was the only POW Camp in WWII where all the Australian Airmen were housed together in three barracks. There were 84 of them. He became POW No. 25096.

Being a country boy, he found the life in the POW camp boring as an RAAF Officer. The captured allied airmen were not permitted to go out on the working parties as the Germans accorded them the same respect as they did their Luftwaffe - whom they considered the elite of their forces. They were not for trivial manual labour. He was delighted when he was appointed the ‘Camp Librarian’ – only to discover that the books rarely came back. Those that did had most of the pages torn out by the borrowers to be used as toilet paper. Apparently the newly arrived in camp were given this dubious position as a bit of a joke. He also earned the nick name of Smoky - for his battering with cigarettes for food - this name stayed with him for the rest of his life.

When the British and the Germans agree to repatriate and swap sick and wounded POWs – Anzac was smuggled to a man being sent back to England with the message that “the owner is alive and well in Stalag 8B - send this message to his mother”. Unfortunately the POW could not remember who owned Anzac - except that it belonged to an RAAF man. Anzac was placed behind Reception at RAAF House in London. One day someone who knew him recognised the Koala . . . “That is Viv Hibbens’ Koala”. Anzac was reunited with his owner at the end of the war.

He attempted several escapes from within the confines of the camp – all were quickly thwarted. He would do his time in ‘the hole’ and then would try again. Realising that this was all futile - he then signed up to become part of the ‘Swap-Over’ group.

During an interview with Ron Wall in late December 2007 (also a RAAF POW in Stalag 8B) he is quoted as saying when asked if he remembered him “Oh yes. He was a quiet man. But he was never there – he was always out escaping. He would get caught and brought back and then he would turn right around and do it again. We got used to not seeing him.”

First, he became Private Stanley Francis Weir from the New Zealand Army (POW No. 5239). He apparently made 6 unsuccessful bids of escape during this time from the working party at  the Tichlau paper factory – but none of them were documented. Later, from 15^th September 1944 as Private Douglas William Simpson (POW No. 8033) from the Australian 2/2 Battalion, he made three unsuccessful bids for freedom. The first attempt was on the 12^th November 1944 – he broke out of camp and joined a working Commando at Oberglau (a beet factory 40 kms south of POW camp), 16 kilometres west of the Oder. He attempted to cross the Oder to join the Russians. He was free for 13 days, getting food from farmers and picking up some on the wayside. He was eventually picked up by the German S.S. Front Line Patrol, and sent back to the working party.

His second attempt was on 16^th December 1944 where he again broke away from the Working Party near the town of Frapatz, was on the run for 10 days – once again being picked up and returned to the Working Party.

Again on January 3^rd 1945 near Frapatz he escaped again and was on the run for 9 days until being picked up and returned to the Working Party.

When the orders came through to March out the Prisoners from Stalag 8B on 22^nd January 1945 - he was still with the working party. The real Private Simpson, who was still acting as Sgt Hibbens, decided marching off in the cold was not a good option - so he went back to the Army enclosure and was later taken out by cattle car.

His final and successful bid for freedom was on the Death March around 21st April 1945. Some of the other POWs on the Death March who had also escaped, were picked up by the Czech Partisans. They asked the Partisans to go out and find him. He was found huddled under a bush where he had been sleeping and he was taken to a small town called Kdyne in the SE of Czechoslovakia where he was hidden in the basement of a Delicatessen shop. This tiny town had hidden around 400 escaped POWs - which was incredibly brave, since if any had been discovered by the Germans - whole families would have been shot. When he heard that the Americans were on their way - he headed off to meet them on the 4^th May to join up with the 9^th Infantry Regiment of General Patton’s Army.

In a letter written from Kdyne on 7^th May 1945 - he talked about playing cards with an escaped Canadian and two Czech girls . . .  “none of us can speak the other’s language - but we are managing to have fun. The whole town is draped in decorations and flags and flowers adorn the US Army tanks and Jeeps”. The Americans kept him with them to act as Interpreter to the M.63 Signals Air Corps. He went with them into Prague and then on to Berlin. In mid-May they endeavoured to send him home - but not before he kept his promise to his mother that at the end of the war he would “see the sites of Europe”. He went on to Belgium and then Paris and eventually was repatriated back to England on 16th May 1945. He was the last man home of the RAAF POWs in Stalag 8B.

Smoky was a staunch RSL man all his life, leading the local Marches on Anzac Day and Memorial Day each year. He became a member of the Odd Bods UK - NSW Branch until his untimely death at the age of 50 in 1972 from a heart condition which his doctors believed was a result of his time as a POW and the Death March.

Anzac’s flying days did not end with the war. Smoky’s daughter, Jennifer, took him with her during her flying training in the late 60s and early 70s. Sadly, by that stage he had no fur left and had been sewn up after having been ‘examined’ by the Germans. He is now housed at the Australian War Memorial along with hundreds of letters and other war memorabilia which his mother had diligently saved.

Stunning Spitfire Photos

For a comprehensive gallery of some of the most stunning contemporary photos of Spitfires in flight the following website is worth a visit. - http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3598540/The-Photographer-captures-pin-sharp-images-final-55-airworthy-Spitfires-using-just-handheld-camera.html

Photographer John Dibbs spent years hanging out of fighter planes with a hand held camera to capture these iconic shots. He has published a book, "Spitfire - The Legend Lives On" through Osprey. Dibbs said - 'There is no finer compliment than to have one tell me I have captured the spirit of the Spitfire in my photographs'

Thank you to Peter Randell andKen Broomhead for passing on the link. Now where are my flying goggles?

VE Day 2016 At The Shrine of Remembrance

Friends of the Odd Bods carried out the traditional Victory in Europe Day commemoration at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne today. Veterans enjoyed the solemn and beautiful setting of the Sanctuary and the outside gardens as they paid tribute to their comrades. 

Terry Maher officiates with Squadron Leader Ron Leddingham(Ret'd), outgoing Governor of the Shrine in front of the Odd Bods banner.

Jack Elliott, a welcome appearance from Wing Commander Peter Isaacson AM, DFC, AFC, DFM, RAAF, and Doug Parry who read the Ode.

The wreath in front of the Odd Bods tree.

Our two guardians.

Wanted - 464 Squadron Logo

Tess Egan would like to have a 464 Squadron logo engraved on her father's headstone. John Francis Rayner 434545 was a Fl.Lt. with Squadron 464 and he passed away on 15th July 2015.

Tess's problem is that she doesn't want just any logo. It needs to be a high quality graphic of the 464 logo for the  engraving process to be successful. Graphics available on the web are usually photos of cloth or metal badges and don't have the necessary clarity.

If you think you might be able to help please contact us via email (gregandsuesmith@iinet.net.au) or by telephone to Greg Smith 0406222020.

An Invitation to the FOB Annual General Meeting

         The AGM of Friends of the Odd Bods Association Inc. is coming up on Sunday 22^nd May at 1400hrs and you are welcome to attend.

          All current committee members have made themselves available for re-election however if you are interested in nominating for a position on the committee, nominations may be made in advance by contacting Peter Randell (peter.randell5@gmail.com).

          We are keen to seek the involvement of more members, so if you are available it would be great to see you there.  If you can’t make it but believe you can contribute in some other way, please let us know.

          A copy of the agenda is shown below. A member may appoint another member as a proxy for the meeting and you do that by completing a proxy form. Just click on the tab at the top of this page marked "AGM Proxy" and print it out.

Friends of The Odd Bods Association Inc.

Annual General Meeting

Meeting Date:  Sunday, May 22nd at 2:00pm

At Malvern East RSL, Stanley Grose Drive, Malvern east

A G E N D A  

1. Opening and Ode

2. Present 

3. Apologies

4. Previous Minutes 

5. Business Arising

                      5.1      Election of Office Bearers

                      5.2      Newsletter/Website  

                      5.2      Linkages to Other Organisations/Events

                      5.3      Annual Fees

                      5.4      Membership   

         

6. Treasurer’s Statement

7. Activities Statement

8. New Business

9.        Meeting Close

Date And Time Of Next Meeting

VE Day - Sunday May 8th

Victory in Europe Day marked the end of  WWII in Europe and was celebrated across the globe on the day that the German surrender was signed in Berlin - 8th May 1945.

The day was particularly significant to many Odd Bods and each year we mark the occasion with a service at The Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne. A short service will be held at the Odd Bods tree adjacent to the Shrine commencing at 11:00am on Sunday 8th May 2016. All are welcome.

Odd Bods Tree.

ANZAC Day - More Photos

Our patron AVM Peter Scully (Retired) presents to the luncheon
complete with Odd Bods hat produced especially for ANZAC Day.

Walter Eacott pays tribute to George Smith.

Sue Parry manages to get the bus up close
and handy once again and explains to the
impatient traffic wardens that 90+ year
veterans just couldn't walk any further.

And of course no Odd Bods luncheon would be
complete without Walter Eacott's brilliant
one-liners, and carefully teased out jokes.

The Matta girls proudly support our banner.

A wreath is about to be laid at the Odd Bods tree in the
grounds of the Shrine of Remembrance.

Friends of Odd Bods March in Melbourne 2016 - Video

ANZAC Day First Photos

A wonderful day, beautiful weather, no march delays, a great new venue, very good food, lots of reminiscing, and Walter Eacott's jokes get better - What more can we ask for?
Here are a few photos. More to come tomorrow plus a video.
Please send us your comments. Were you at the shrine? Did you see the Odd Bods on TV? What were your thoughts on the day?

COMMENTS:
25/4/2016 - Thanks for posting the photos. I am sure you all would have enjoyed the lunch. It was a privilege to be able to march with the Odd Bods today proudly wearing my fathers service medals.
Robert Jackson.  
Thanks for your comments Robert - Ed.

Spotter Hats For ANZAC Day

If you have booked on the bus to go from The Shrine to the Friends of the Odd Bods Luncheon at the Riverwalk Amora Hotel on ANZAC Day you won't have any trouble finding your FOB marshals because they will be wearing these bright red hats. 
Things can get a little chaotic after the march but just to confirm that we will be meeting at the Odd Bods Tree adjacent to the Shrine before boarding the bus and if you are having trouble just look out for the red spotter hats.

Allan McDonald DFC

Odd Bod Allan McDonald passed away on the 19^th December 2015. Following is an extract from the Geelong Advertiser about Allan’s wartime service.

Allan McDonald Jnr served with Royal Air Force Bomber Command 158 Squadron, the only Australian in his seven-strong crew in a Halifax Mark III christened Blondie.

He was navigator for 37 missions — 19 guided by the stars, 18 guided by the sun — and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for his courage and clarity following a hit over Duisburg which took out an engine and sent a propeller carving a gaping hole in the side of the aircraft.

His citation read: “This officer went to the assistance of the wounded wire operator and gave valuable aid to his captain. This efficiency and determination did much to extract the crew from the desperate situation.

“Flight officer McDonald’s courage and keenness to fly against the enemy have always been outstanding.”

He reflected on his war experiences for the Geelong Advertiser in 2013.

“It’s hard to believe it all when you look back now, to think you went through all that and survived,” he said.

Our sympathy goes out to the McDonald family.

Letters Received

Dear Friends of the Odd Bods Association Inc.

          Yesterday I received our magazine for which I am grateful.

          Thanks to Bruce Waxman and Walter Eacott for their record of George V. Smith. I was sorry to hear of his passing. I don’t get the Age so I was able to read the article that was the basis for the obituary on Friday 18^th. March 2016.

          My late husband Colin T. Akers D.F.C. (Bill) was a Tail Gunner in a Lancaster of 101 Squadron where he, RAAF, was asked to join an English crew.

          Bill had respect and regard for George Smith and was happy to be associated with the Odd Bods, enjoying the reunions, the ANZAC marches, until ill health prevented him. George Smith was in touch with me after Bill passed away. Another Odd Bod sent flowers during the short time Bill was in hospital following a stroke.

          Thank you for Pressing on Remembering.

          After he retired from work, Bill looked up those who began training at Somers Camp and he was able to contact a few of them. He enlisted 6/12/1941. I didn’t meet him until 1954. I am thankful to him for my family (5 children) and home.

          Like George Smith he was a good man.

          I appreciate each year receiving a card on my birthday from the Odd Bods and now the Friends.

Best wishes – Janet Akers.

1/4/2016

ANZAC Day & Reunion Luncheon 2016

Riverside Amora Hotel

Anzac Day 2016 is not far away and bookings are now open to this year’s Anzac Day reunion which is being held at a new location – The Riverwalk Amora Hotel  (click on link) on the banks of the Yarra in Richmond. The Riverwalk Amora Hotel is a partner enterprise with our other venue, Leonda, and we look forward to continuing that relationship.

All members will shortly receive an email or a letter with booking details (click on the tab at the top of this page "ANZAC Day 2016"  for an online copy) as well as information for the march to the Shrine of Remembrance. Arrangements are similar to previous years. Please note that we have nominated the Odd Bods tree located at the side of the Shrine as our pick-up point for those taking the bus to the reunion.

We look forward to seeing you on Anzac Day.

Squadron Life In The 40's

Some interesting photos from the Warbird Information Exchange with plenty more to be found on the end of this link - http://warbirdinformationexchange.org/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=57501

George V. Smith - The Odd Bod Who Embraced His Fellow Man

The following article by Bruce Waxman and Walter Eacott became the basis for a formal obituary published in The Age on Friday March 18th 2016.

The Odd Bod who embraced his fellow man and enriched their lives

GEORGE VIVIAN SMITH  1 -1-1924 – 17-12-2015

Bruce Waxman and Walter Eacott

Always regarded as the father of the Odd Bods Association (UK) Inc. George V Smith succumbed to a long standing respiratory ailment, in sight of his ninety second birthday, on December 17 2015.

Most Australians would consider an odd bod as someone who is ‘not quite the full two bob’.
However, in the Royal Air Force (RAF) Officers’ and Sergeants’ messes and crew rooms in England during the Second World War, it meant someone who was a stranger to the others. ‘Who is that chap? Ah, some sort of odd bod!’ Indeed it was usually someone transferred as fill in aircrew and often an Australian.

George enlisted in the RAAF on 17 July 1942 and trained in Australia and Canada as a Wireless Operator/Air Gunner. In April 1944 he arrived in the UK on attachment to the RAF and in July posted to 180 Squadron, a unit of the 2nd Tactical Air Force operating B25 Mitchell bombers in day light raids against German forces in France, based at Dunsfold, Surrey. He found himself the only Australian in a crew of 4 Englishmen.

His first operations were in support of the Allied break-out from the Normandy beach-head. His fourth mission may have been George’s last.

The aircraft was badly damaged over France, with David Kirk, the bomb-aimer, sustaining a serious leg injury. George, with little regard for his own safety and divesting himself of his parachute, moved from the rear turret to the nose to provide aid to David. He also had to clamber over David to release his foot caught in the plane’s framework. George then made a make shift tourniquet to stop the bleeding administered morphine and nursed David between his legs all the way home. In the meantime the pilot jettisoned the bombs and made a crash landing back in England. David was rushed to hospital and although he lost his leg, survived the war to rose to the rank of Wing Commander in the RAF, later migrating to Australia. When the aircraft was inspected the rear turret, where George would have been seated, was smashed to smithereens .

Some years later, when they met at an Odd Bods function in Melbourne, and David thanked George for saving his life, George retorted, but you also saved mine.

His tour of operations ended in December 1944 after 44 missions, completing his tour with the rank of Flying Officer and returned to Australia in May 1945. In 2005, he was presented with the Legion d’Honneur, France’s highest decoration, acknowledging the enormous effort he and other aircrew made to free France from German rule.

Leading up to Anzac Day 1946, he found that his fellow ex-servicemen were organizing reunions with their respective regiments, but to what did George belong? WithBruce Marshall, also ex-RAAF aircrew, George had the idea of forming their own organization so he organized some friends from RAAF aircrew in RAF squadrons, and formed the Odd Bods (UK) Association, using the term derived from the mess and the crew rooms in the UK. In mid-1947 the first get-together was held where nine veterans had gathered. By the 1960s the number reached over 500.

George went onto to be President, newsletter sub-editor and subsequently the longest serving secretary.

In September 2015, the original Association was officially cancelled and the remaining Odd Bods, were generously absorbed into the Friends of the Odd Bods Association Inc., formed for that purpose. The ‘Friends’ is made up of the descendants of the Odd Bods and carry on the traditions of their parent Association including the motto, Pressing on Remembering.

In recognition of George’s significant contributions to the Odd Bods, the Friends committee will sponsor the George V Smith Award, to be presented at the annual Wesley College, Glen Waverley ANZAC Day commemorative service, at which George was a regular speaker and guest, to the year 10 student who has written the best essay about the ANZAC spirit.

George was active in many other community organizations including the Berry Street Babies Home, the Ryder-Cheshire Foundation, the Mitcham Probus Club, and the RAAF Association.

George was born in Melbourne, to Roy Vivian and Elsie Eileen (nee Pocknee)
Smith and spent his early childhood in Collingwood but paradoxically, became an ardent Carlton supporter and was quite a handy footballer himself.

He had a somewhat unhappy relationship with his father, who insisted that George roll his cigarettes for him, the stench becoming ingrained into George’s hands, and made him a non-smoker all his life. That lack of connectedness and warmth towards his father may have been the catalyst which convinced him that men should demonstrate a greater affection towards each other beyond the customary handshake.

So George initiated the ‘Smith hug’ as a greeting gesture amongst men in the Smith house hold. Unsuspecting fathers of potential daughters in law soon learnt is was their turn to be greeted with a hug from the groom’s father and male relatives.

George married Shirley Rae Walker on 17 January 1947, who predeceased him in 1994. Together they had five children: Greg, Peter, Mark, Robyn and Debra, who themselves presented George with nine grandchildren and eight great grandchildren.

Bruce Waxman is President, Friends of the Odd Bods Association Inc.& Walter Eacott is former President, the Odd Bods Association (UK) Inc.