In our third and final Lives Remembered series for VJ Day, thank you to Wendy Phillips for sharing the story of her father, the Burma Campaign veteran Squadron Leader Walter James ‘Jesse’ Hibbert.
Image courtesy of Wendy Phillips.
Squadron Leader Hibbert was the last Commanding Officer (CO) of 273 Sqn who was stationed in and travelled extensively through Burma in 1945. For his outstanding leadership of 273 Squadron he received personal thanks from Lord Louis Mountbatten.
One particular story the Squadron Leader often shared concerned an aircraft preparing for a leaflet drop. During the dispersal of the leaflets it was discovered that as they were ejected from the aircraft the leaflets would snag on the undercarriage. The Squadron Leader requested one of the Japanese to dangle him out of the fuselage (whilst airborne) by the ankles to allow him to free up any rogue leaflets and achieve a successful drop! The risk was only contemplated later…….
Image courtesy of Wendy Phillips.
On VJ Day, 15 August 1945 Squadron Leader Hibbert was not known to be airborne, but he was in Burma. He had also served in Siam, Laos, Cambodia, Malaysia & Vietnam.
After leaving the Airforce in the 1960s he continued to live in Surrey before a move to Scotland. He passed away in February 2015, the occasion being marked by a Typhoon flyover from RAF Lossiemouth.
We will remember them.
Many thanks to serving NCO Flight Sergeant Davis for sharing the stories of both his grandfathers, Corporal Sidney Davis and Leading Aircraftsman Harold Clarke.
During World War II Sidney Davis served in Egypt up until 1942 where he was stationed at Heliopolis, Fuka and Mersa Matruh.
Image courtesy of FS Davis.
As a member of the Mechanical Transport (MT) trade one of his main roles was to retrieve crashed aircraft and repair if possible. Additional duties included being a despatch bike rider and MT driver. Later service saw Corporal Davis stationed in the Outer Hebrides and Gillingham, Kent after a short time in Africa and 216 & 113 Squadrons.
Image courtesy of Air Historical Branch.
For his service Corporal Davis was awarded the 1939-45 Star, Defence Medal, War Medal and the African Star with North Africa bar 1942-1943.
In a twist of fate, his grandson, Flight Sergeant Davis also spent time with 216 Squadron at RAF Brize Norton travelling on a 216 Sqn Tristar for a deployment to the Falklands in the 1990s.
Flight Sergeant Davis’ maternal grandfather, Leading Aircraftsman Harold Clarke was a general fitter (where the holder assembles machine components and diagnoses technical issues) for seven years in his civilian life. On call -up to the RAF Volunteer Reserve he served for two different periods as a Fitter Mechanical (Aircraft), 1940-42 & 1944-46.
Image courtesy of Flight Sergeant Davis
Between 1944-46 Harold was assigned to Air Command, South East Asia where he served on No 307 Maintenance Unit, Lahore, India and No 322 Maintenance Unit, Chakeri, Cawnpore in India. His profession saw him working on a host of key RAF aircraft including Hurricanes, Spitfires, Wellington Bombers and Dakotas.
India, on 5 November 1944. Image courtesy of Air Historical Branch.
His Certificate of Release said “he has a high standard of skill in both fitting and machine tool operations. Very mechanically minded and intelligent”.
We salute Corporal Sidney Davis and Leading Aircraftsman Harold Clarke for their service and courage in the Far East culminating in VJ Day, 1945.