Roberts, Joseph 'Lysle'

Joseph (Lysle) Roberts

Flight Lieutenant, RAAF

Number 432618 - 457 Squadron

Arthur Pardey a fellow student of Lysle's at Knox Grammar School, located on the leafy suburbs of the North Shore of Sydney at Warrawee, said that Joe (Lysle) was the best athlete he had ever met. (Authors Note: Nobody calls him Joe nowadays). He could run (long distance and do the mile in 4 minutes 30 odd seconds) an outstanding achievement for those days. He was the five eight in the first 15 Union Team and also played for the Associated Schools. Going on Arthur's memory Lysle was also the chief cadet officer for the School Cadet Corp. He was an opener batsman in the first eleven and was an outstanding boxer, being fast and very strong.

Arthur tells a story about him boxing in an amateur match against a light heavy weight from Shore, who was the amateur champion for the State. In the opening round Lysle was suffering but absorbing punishment. The second round it was even and in the third round the match had to be stopped before the Shore boxer took any more punishment. A real measure of the man that Lysle would become.

After leaving Know Grammar School Lysle joined the RAAF and enlisted on the 2/1/1943 and flew as one of the Narrandera No.8 EFTS trainee pilots.

After those far off wartime Elementary Flying Training School days, Lysle would go to 5 SFTS Uranquinty outside of Wagga Wagga for his initial and advanced flying training on Wirraways. From there he would be one of two pilots selected from his course to train on Spitfires at No.2 "Fighter" Operational Training Unit at Mildura.

It was whilst there that he would be on the receiving end of the CFI, Wing Commander Clive Caldwell's indignation. The youthful exuberance of this graduating Spitfire pilot had spilled over into a time of celebration. Lysle and another "accomplice in crime" had short sheeted Clive Caldwell's bed!! Their punishment would be either a kick in the backside or relegation to flying Boomerangs!!

The move north to become part of No.457 Squadron RAAF flying Spitfires came with the words of Clive Caldwell ringing in his ears. ."You break a "Spit" and you will go south!"  Incredibly, on Christmas Day, 1943  Lysle was flying at Darwin under the close scrutiny of SqnLdr K.E. "Skeeter" James. After doing some circuits, he set up for his final landing.

With his MkV Spitfire ZP W now safely on the landing strip, Lysle was about to get a real "sinking" feeling. The left wing was dropping, courtesy of a slowly retracting port wheel. However, this young and by now quite concerned Australian pilot was able to keep the aircraft out of harms way until the wing dug in and spun the Spitfire around.

A later investigation would vindicate this "P plater of the air" and he wouldn't be heading south!! Rather, he would become an integral part of No.457 squadron's fine service record. Lysle Roberts had certainly come a long way from those early No.8 EFTS days at Narrandera.

An interesting aside. Lysle said that he was given the assignment of testing parachutes during the war and found that 40% of them malfunctioned. This led him to the realization that if he was ever to have any trouble in his Spitfiire then he would rather try and bring his aircraft in for a wheels up landing or such rather than take to the silk.

From Left to right:  Len Conway, Lysle Roberts centre and Sid Diamond

Lysle was to end his flying days at age 22 and was discharged from 2 Aircraft Depot on the 5/2/1946 when the war came to an end and was to return to civilian life at a very young age. He joined the family business Fairfax & Roberts Jewelers (established 1874) in King Street, Sydney  and was a force to be reckoned with for many decades.

Lysle has served on the Executive Committee of the Spitfire Association for many years and has been the President since 2007.