Felmingham, Roy 'Foxy'

Roy 'Foxy' Felmingham

Enlisted 4 July 1940, 24297 Leading Aircraftsman, Discharged 23 Nov 1945
Aircraft Depot

Born 18 Jun 1920 Maryborough, QLD Roy Felmingham's and when he enlisted joined a group who had all volunteered in answer to a call from RAAF headquarters to go to the U.K. They were in two squadrons, 452 and 457 and Roy was in the latter.

After the Sydney departed they were escorted by a Canadian destroyer to Vancouver, then by train across Canada to Halifax which took 5 days and finally by the French liner Louis Pasteur on the 18th September. They were not in convoy but are going it alone at high speed. The weather was so rough they never got on deck once. On the 26th September 7 a.m. they were just entering the Firth of Forth and anchored midstream at Grenock and went ashore by ferry. All boarded a train for Bournmouth on the south coast of England. The train was good but blacked out as was the rest of the country. During the day he could see the ravages of war. The trip was over and they were now in the middle of things. On 6th October Roy was posted to 92 RAF Spitfire Squadron for wartime experience at Gravesend opposite the Tilbury docks. This was a crack outfit, the score being 189 victories. The fogs had lifted and nights were clear with German bombers coming over head. They could see the search lights and hear the anti-aircraft fire and eventually they were shifted up to Lincolnshire for a spell.

Later Roy was posted to the Isle of Man with his squadron. There was no rationing although plenty of food was available. It was very cold with snow and sleet which resulted in very little flying. Engines had to have warmers to keep the oil from freezing. Roy and one of his mates were posted to Great Yarmouth to do a course for a month and while they were away the squadron moved to Red Hill in Surrey just half an hour from London. They relieved 452 Squadron which went to the Isle of Man. The days eventually became longer and warmer and their job was to escort bombers to France and do sweeps shooting at everything that moved.

On the 26th May the squadron was posted back to Australia now that the Japanese had joined in the fray. On the 18th June 1942 Roy celebrated his 22nd birthday and embarked on the Stirling Castle at Liverpool and sailed in convoy down the west coast of Africa. Some ships in convoy were the Orion, Orontes, Empress of Asia, Empress of Russia and The Awatea , whose Captain Davey was well known as "8 O'clock" Davey. The Awatea ran between Sydney and Auckland on a regular basis. You could set your clock by the time he always came through the heads. Yes 8 o'clock.

One of the escorts was the battleship Malaya. Written in his diary was the following:-

"1st July we have left the convoy and gone into Freetown to refuel. 5th July left Freetown on our own again. 20th July arrived at Durban, enjoyed our stay for a few days. 27th July heard on the radio, Townsville had been bombed. I imagined it was flattened after what we had seen (two bombs in the swamp). 30th July left convoy escorted by cruiser going much faster now. 1st August terrible noise from engine room, lost speed doing about 3 knots. Cruiser watching us carefully. Picked up speed again at midnight. 6th August cruiser left and now have Dutch destroyer. 9th August destroyer left and now have Australian cruiser Adelaide. Weather very rough and cold. We are down near the Antarctic. Six men fell out of top bunks, one of them twice.

12th August last day at sea we are steaming direct to Melbourne. A couple of days later

we are all on our way home. My hometown was in Cairns, still a long way to go.

After leave I was posted to Camden where we picked up our aircraft.

11th January 1943 left Camden for Sydney and boarded the Dutch vessel The
Maetsuycker. We sailed at 7.30 p.m. through the heads again.

15th January we entered the reef today, escort left us. We are very cramped on board,
sleeping on hammocks.

17th January arrived Cairns (my hometown)

19th January sailed at 6p.m. still inside the reef.

21st January arrived Thursday Island.

22nd January off again. One sloop and one corvette for this run around the top to Darwin.

This is the dangerous part of the trip.

24th January arrived Darwin and this place is a mess. This is what England was like
when we left.

31st January moved to our new home on a strip cut out of the trees alongside the road
about 15 miles called Livingstone strip. Our quarters are tents about a mile from the

strip. All our spitfires are in camouflage bombproof shelters down a taxi way from the

Strip. Work from 7.30 to 4.00 p.m. then went to Darwin for night readiness. Nothing

happened returned to camp 11.30 a.m. Completed 28 hours straight, we expected a

raid as it was moonlight and first anniversary of first raid. We were doing daylight to dusk readiness. Today is first day off for 14 days. First blood to the squadron. Two pilots gotone between them.

15th March scrambled early. Zeros and bombers over Darwin. My pilot fired and got a

probable. After landing the under carriage collapsed causing slight damage.

2nd May Japanese over again, 21 bombers and 30 fighters. The Spits chased after them as

they left. Most ran out of fuel. The very best 14 Spits, not a good day.

20' June Japanese over again today.

28th June Japanese over again . 4 zeros destroyed, one badly damaged.

19th July found wreckage of recco our CO shot down, two Japanese bodies, not much left

of the plane. Also found wreckage of spitfire, pilot still in it a cannon shell went through

the cockpit.

17th August 3 reccos came over. We got the lot.

27th August our progress score till now is 24 destroyed, 5 probable destroyed, 18

damaged with a loss of 9 spitfires and 6 pilots. Only one body was found.

15th December 1943 left by Lockheed and flew to Milingimby an island strip near a

mission station. Mosquitos and sandflies in abundance.

25th December. Got a comforts fund today. Turkey and Ham and veggies, jelly and fruit

and a bottle of beer for lunch."

After 17 months in the Darwin area Roy was posted back to civilization on a good long leave after which he went to Mildura, a Spitfire O.T.U. and nearly froze to death. Later he went to the Melbourne Show grounds to do a course from flight rigger to fitter and was then posted to Oakey near Toowoomba on the Darling Downs.

Roy's wife joined him then where they lived out the war. His final comment was.

"Then of course we had victory in the Pacific and it was all over. After 5 years and 5 months I was a civy again with many memories of good and bad times".