185 Malta Squadron - searching for info on pilots who flew May 8th, 1943

[AdrianR8]

Jamie,

Another possible source for logbooks is the RAAF Museum. From recollection it is located at Point Cook air base in Victoria.

Regards

Adrian

[BruceMk11]

Here's another Jamie:

F/O NJ Cleggett, RAF (Officer No133221), 272 Sqn; promoted F/O* 2/43.
See 'TOE'

Cheers, Bruce

*Later S/L

[Shackco]

I appreciate time has passed. My late father Alan Shackleton was out in Rhodesia for most of the war. Based at RAF Norton he was an engineer and most of the time was at a satellite airfield near Hunyani where he maintained the di-pole direction finding equipment used to train pilots to understand and locate the landing path. I recall him mentioning that he shared a drink with one of the RAF pilots who survived the siege of Malta and became an instructor. He must have been at RAF Norton. He said he shared a drink with him one evening before the pilot took off with about 10 or more other planes. His failed to return and was later found crashed. Apparently there was not much left and the plane had clearly flown straight into the ground. During the night there had been a fierce lighting storm and it was believed the student pilot probably froze and there was not enough time to react. The area was over an iron ore belt and such storms were a regular feature of the area. I imagine there will be a record somewhere that you can use to identify the pilot concerned.