Ronald NUNN

http://www.ww2roll.gov.au/Veteran.aspx?serviceId=R&veteranId=898939

National Archives Australia

Birth

7 Apr 1923

Death

(Flagstaff Hill, South Australia)

NUNN Ronald William Fraser Death notice 04JUL2016 Death 93 Adelaide Advertiser 06JUL2016

(Ryerson Index)

Death of wife Jean

NUNN Jean Mary Obituary 13DEC2010 Death 86 at Adelaide, formerly of Loxton, Mildura, Meringur, Morkalla, Ouyen, Kangaroo Island Adelaide Advertiser 19MAR2011

(Ryerson Index)

He was a pilot and Warrant Officer and flew many types after learning on Tiger Moths. I’m fairly sure he spent time on B24-Liberators as he was very interested in the B-24 being restored at Werribee near Melbourne. - Chris Ward

RONALD NUNN WAR SERVICE

by Gil Daw

Ron enlisted for the airforce at the age of 19 as he felt it was his duty. He had to go from his parent’s farm to Melbourne to enlist. He wanted to join as aircrew, but because of a surplus of aircrew, he was placed in ground staff.

From March, 1942 to May 1942, Ron said he “learnt a lot of mechanical stuff” at Point Cook and Ascot Vale. From May, 1942 to July, 1942, he attended #2 School of Technical Training in Canberra.

From August, 1942 to September, 1943, he completed Aircrew Pilot Training at Ascot Vale, before transferring to Bairnsdale, where from September, 1943 to November, 1943, he was part of the maintenance ground staff for the operational training unit flying Beaufort Bombers. Because of Ron’s limited education he had to do a lot of catching up in mathematics at the local Bairnsdale high school.

From November, 1943 to January, 1944, Ron was sent to Western Junction in Tasmania to start his flying career on Tiger Moths at #7 Elementary Flying Training School and then to Deniliquin #7 Service Flying Training School. Ron received his “wings” at Deniliquin.

From Deniliquin, Ron was posted to the RAF and embarked from Melbourne aboard the Niuew Amsterdam on 29^th January, 1944. The ship stopped at Durban for repairs, then to Cape Town and Freetown. He disembarked at Greenock, Scotland on 12^th March, 1944 and was transferred to a small unit at RAF Padgate. Ron then transferred to RAF Swindon, all the time building up flying hours.

Ron was then selected as part of a group of 25 to be transferred to the British South East Asian Command. They were sent by ship from Liverpool, through the Suez Canal and disembarked at Mumbai (Bombay) and were then sent to Purna (Transport Command). They were then transferred to Jodhpah. About 400 planes were flown in, mostly direct from the factories in the United States and it was Ron’s job to ferry them to the flying units. Some of these aircraft were used to fly ‘over the hump’ to ferry fuel to China. Ron flew aircraft from here until the end of the war. (He said he flew 11 different types of aircraft including model variations).

Summary of flying hours (approximate)

Tiger Moth 63.3
Wirraway 116
Oxford 80
Sentinel 10
Argus 20
Harvard 90
Expeditor C45 15
Dakota C47 20
Liberator 140

At the end of the war, Ron was sent from Calcutta to Mumbai and embarked from India on 17^th December, 1945 and arrived back in Australia on 3^rd January, 1946.

From grandson, Damien Walkley [21Feb 2021]:

"The story as he told me was that during his flight training (presumably at Deniliquin but I don't recall specifically) a friend of his had been grounded due to some infraction, but was desperate to go up. My grandfather suggested that his friend wait in one of the buildings along the runway, and a door would be left open, so that when my grandfather's plane went past the building his friend could run out and hop in the plane.

Due to cloud cover they lost their bearings, and knowing they would be caught if they arrived home late they started flying low over towns they could see, trying to read the signs on the pubs to establish what town they were over and hopefully get back on time, which as i recall the story, they got away with it."