During WW2, Australian airmen in Britain served in Fighter Command, Bomber Command and Coastal Command.
Although our first military VR experience is in relation to Bomber Command, we cannot underestimate the value of Australian airmen who served in other areas such as the Battle for France, the Battle of Britain, the protection of sea lanes and the ongoing defence of Britain – including against V weapons – as well as their role in Allied offensives leading to the Third Reich’s eventual defeat.
During your visit and as part of our presentation we will also reflect upon these other areas, consider why Australian airmen were highly regarded by their RAF counterparts, the importance of their contribution – and why a number of Australians held senior and influential roles within the RAF.
For Airmen arriving in Britain, it would have been quite a culture shock – visiting in most cases Britain for the first time – and this at a time where Britain was on a militarised war footing – a place characterised by people everywhere being in uniform, signage warning of air raids and where to shelter, defences built, sandbags in place with concrete pill boxes guarding leafy country lanes and fields – and of course blackouts and the famous English pub, usually full of uniformed serving personnel.
In Lincolnshire uniforms were predominantly blue, due to the enormous numbers of airmen stationed throughout the County and the large number of airfields being located in such a small area – the amount of activity, the numbers of aircraft flying in all corners of the sky and at all hours – the whole County devoted to one thing only and living up to its name as the “Home of the RAF” – for Australians arriving in Lincolnshire to serve with Bomber Command it must have been quite an experience.
Our Bomber Command Airfields tour helps to better understand and see first-hand the environment and place in which Australian airmen carried out operations during the 1940s.
