Mervyn Mason - World War II veteran

Running time
2 min 27 sec
Place made
Australia
Copyright
Department of Veterans' Affairs

Transcript

Ground crew duties

Yeah, well you always had to have them ready for flight, so they'd refuel and check the wheels, check the tyres. And you'd stand by until, you waited, they want you. They want the aeroplanes to do something, they'd call you, you go over and see that everything was in place and the tyres were still up and right pressures.

Well if you're waiting on the strip and your aeroplane was out flying, during touch and goes, to train the aircrew, one time when they got down, they haven't taken off again, right they'll be back. So, they taxi in and you're waving them in. This way, this way, and that way. And park them and put chocks in the wheels.

Japanese air raids

I had an easy life as service life, just looking after aeroplanes. There were bombing raids, but we had our own trenches. They give you a bleeping sign that there was Japanese aeroplanes approaching and you go and dive into your little burrow in the ground and stick your head out and they might drop a few bombs on something they see. They might be able to damage an aeroplane sitting in the tarmac.

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