Shameful Treatment

In World War II, long before the Americans were able to join, the Battle of Britain convinced any doubters that air power will be the way to win this war. PBI's (Poor Bloody Infantry) would eventually have to go in and take what was left, but it was the RAF who were going to be taking the war to the Germans. This they did, night after terrifying night.

To do this they would need aircraft and aircrew. The aircraft were taken care of by an amazing man, Lord Beaverbrook. He was a marked man, being Jewish, and was on Hitler's death list should he take Britain. Noel Coward, after the public release of the list, received a telegram "My dear, the people we would have been seen dead with!" Beaverbrook streamlined production and modification to a level that was little short of miraculous. Pilots were consulted and listened to, spares could be ordered direct from airfield to factory and aircraft were delivered direct to the bases, no government red tape to be seen.

For the aircrew a much wider organisation was required and the Empire Training Scheme was devised. Men were sent for different types of training and selection - Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, all set up schools. And Australian flyers went to each one. Only about 3% of all enlisted Australian soldiers, sailors and airmen went to Europe and the Middle East to fly and yet from this small group came 39% of the casualties. If you flew against the Axis, your chances of coming through unscathed or coming through at all, were not great. Yet night after night these men climbed into their aircraft, flew over occupied and dangerous country, carried out their missions and hopefully, chased the sun home. To them, we owe nothing less than the survival of Western civilization.

Britons cheered them on as they flew overhead and counted them home as they landed. But after the war, when the survivors had landed for the last time, the photographs of what they had done flooded the papers. The people were ashamed of them. They were the only group of combatants to be in every theatre and every day of every battle. They fought from beginning to end, and some only stopped when they were injured or killed. I have read of men who volunteered over and over again, counting nearly a hundred trips over enemy territory. Each one capable of causing death or maiming any or all of these men. And yet, the greatest injustice of them all, they received no campaign medals, no recognition, nothing. They were shunned even to the extent that in the victory parade, they were the only group of any size that were not permitted to march.

Shameful.