By John Telfer
This story is about a band of intrepid heroes who flew with the RAAF Coastal Command flying Catalina aircraft in World War 2. The Catalina proved to be a most versatile aircraft and throughout the war in the Pacific, became engaged in all aspects of maritime operations. It was like the Dakota DC as both were often referred to as the “the workhorses of the RAAF”. During the Catalina’s service life, it was responsible for such tasks as bombing, strafing, convey and anti-submarine patrols, torpedoing, mine-dropping, supply dropping and air-sea rescue. The Catalina range of targets included the Admiralties, New Britain, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Hong Kong and the China Coast; plus, the whole of the Netherland East Indies. The highlight of these campaigns was the mining on the night of December 14th 1944 of Manila Harbour. One Warwick man, Dawson Wilson, flew in many of these operations from 1940 to 1945 and here is his story.
Dawson Phlanrical Wilson was born on 5th October 1915, the son of William Frederick Wilson and Jessie Lamb of old Stanthorpe Road, Wildash, in Queensland. He was educated at Warwick Central School and spent his early life in and around Warwick. On leaving school after his Scholarship year (Year 7), Dawson went to work with his father as a water driller where he learned all about the engineering aspects of drilling equipment and its use. He had an aptitude for maintaining the equipment and he did this until the outbreak of World War 2 in 1939.
On 15th April 1940, Dawson had made up his mind to enlist in the Royal Australian Air Force, so he entered the Recruiting Office in Brisbane, enlisted, and was immediately sent to No 2 Recruit Depot at Richmond in New South Wales as a trainee mechanic. After training, he became an aircraft mechanic before he was attracted to the mustering of Air Gunner to get into the action; so, applied and was accepted, into aircrew training as an Air Gunner on 29th October 1942, and five months later was appointed as a member of a Catalina flying boat crew for combat flying in Australia’s north. After intense training between 1942 and 1943 at RAAF bases from Townsville to Rathmines in New South Wales, it was while flying on anti-submarine patrols in the north at Osprey Reef, when Dawson sustained a gunshot wound to his right shoulder and was hospitalised in the 5 Australian General Hospital at Cairns, for 10 days.
Dawson’s war hotted up when he was posted to the South Pacific at Morotai and it was here, that he saw plenty of action against the Japanese as the Catalinas attacked Japanese shipping and coastal areas of New Guinea from 1943 to 1945. In October 1943, Dawson’s finest hour came when he was posted to 11 Squadron as a gunner and first engineer on Catalina aircraft, and for his courage was awarded a Mentioned in Despatches which said:
“While on his second tour of operations, he was engaged in a further six
mine-laying operations; he was engaged in a further six mine-laying
operations in Dutch New Guinea, the Halmahera Islands, Borneo and
Java, three night-bombing raids on Kavieng and Kaimana. Also, thirty- eight
escorts and armed reconnaissance flights. In May, 1945, he commenced a third
tour as a member of No 113 Air-Sea Rescue Flight, transferring to No 115
Air-Sea Rescue Flight in July of the same year…… He has partaken in four
Secret missions for the Allied Intelligence Bureau. Throughout his 1,400
hours of operational flying, Warrant Officer Wilson has, at all times, been
keen and cool in the face of the enemy, and has proved himself to be a sound
and reliable engineer”
On 3rd May 1945, Dawson was appointed to a commission and finished the war on the 12th December 1945, before returning to his home town of Warwick.
After the war was over, Dawson me,t and later, married Valerie Brown, whose parents had a farm close to Yangan. They were married in St. Mark’s Presbyterian Church in Warwick on 5th November 1945 after gaining leave from his Commanding Officer prior to his RAAF discharge on 12th December 1945, from the 115 Air Sea Rescue Flight. Together, Dawson and Valerie raised two children in Brett and Sandra.
In 1948, Dawson received news that he had been granted a commission in the Citizens Air Force and was told that in the event of war he would be required to serve again and could be called up at very short notice. Although Dawson was happy to return to the RAAF, he knew that he would never again be part of a Catalina crew as that aircraft was becoming obsolete and replaced by Lincoln, and later, Neptune maritime patrol aircraft.
Like many returned men who had experienced the dramas and dangers of combat, Dawson looked for an occupation that would help him forget the traumas of war and so started a taxi service in partnership with F. M. Sedgwick in Warwick for a few years, before accepting a position as Farm Manager on a property called “Logeah” in the Hannaford district from 1950 – 1958, and later, as Manager at “Kiama” in the same area from 1959 – 1960. He later purchased his parents’ old farm at Mt. Sturt before moving back to Warwick’s Victoria Street, and later to Margaret Street, before his health began to deteriorate mainly as a result of his war-time injuries and the mental trauma associated with it. Sadly, it caught up with him as Dawson passed away on 14th September 1988 and now lies at rest at Eden Gardens in Warwick.
This story does not really highlight the dangers that the Catalina crews had to endure on combat missions against Japan. It was a very reliable aircraft and was used as a long-range aircraft that flew long distances from their bases in Cairns, Rathmines and Lord Howe Island. During the early and critical months of the Pacific War, Catalina flying boats of 11 and 20 Squadrons RAAF played a significant part in slowing the Japanese advance.
Operating from northern island bases as emergency bombers and reconnaissance aircraft, although deficient in speed, arms and armour, they exerted an influence out of all proportion to their limited numbers. It has been rumoured that on the 6th May 1942, a Catalina aircraft piloted by Flight Lieutenant Geoff Hemsworth on a coastal patrol, first spotted the Japanese naval force in the Coral Sea but this has never been confirmed that a warning by radio signal was sent to the mainland to report the approach by the Japanese, that resulted in the Battle of the Coral Sea. In the ensuing battle, the Catalina A20 – 24 was shot down by Japanese Zeros off Misima Island, and the surviving crew were captured by Japanese troops on the Island and their fate is still unknown; possibly executed by the Japanese.
Men such as Dawson Wilson, who was Mentioned in Despatches for his courage and dedication in his time with Catalina squadrons, quite justly earns the right to be recognised as a genuine hero and included in the Anzac legend
