It has certainly been a journey for me with the writing of my father’s story, ‘The Last Navigator’. I have met some amazing people along the way, heard some fascinating stories and made some astounding connections. Tony Adams is one such remarkable experience, an honour. He is one of perhaps the last twenty members of Bomber Command remaining in New South Wales, and at 97 years of age a most lucid and astounding raconteur about his experiences as a Wireless Operator during World War II. I discovered a further link as I found he was the younger brother of Dennis Adams, my godfather, who was a famous war artist who completed many fine works on display at the Australian War Memorial. Tony and I compared paintings, his was a marvellous sketch at his station in his Short Stirling aircraft ‘C for Charlie’ when Dennis visited him during the war and mine a painting given to me by Dennis of shipyards at Lavender Bay for my 21st birthday.

I met Tony at a recent presentation to Bradfield Probus Club on ‘The Last Navigator’. Tony flew with 149 Squadron, RAF Bomber Command, and recounted many stories. He told me of his time flying munitions to the French Resistance, coming in low over the drop zone and identifying themselves with light signalling, then the French would ignite the flares and the drop would be duly made. On one such mission his radio malfunctioned, and he was not able to receive the normal half-hourly messaging in Morse Code from home base. His Australian skipper, Wal Cryer, had asked Tony to attempt repairs and Tony did his best to bring his radio back to life but to no avail. Things mechanical were not really Tony’s forte. As he was putting the wireless back into place, it suddenly lit up, with coils and tubes glowing incandescently and a simple message rattled from the mechanism, ‘return to base’, the mission was to be aborted. He reported to Wal over the intercom that the radio was fixed and that he had received the 11.30 pm message only to their callsign to return to base. Wal interrogated Tony with an ‘are you sure, what reason was given’. Tony was confident in his Morse Code proficiency and told Wal he was sure, but that no reason had been given. Wal turned the aircraft around, with a ‘be it on your head Tony’. On arrival the British Major, in charge of the supply dropping operations to the French Resistance, met their aircraft and explained to Wal that the French at the drop zone had been captured and probably executed. The Germans were awaiting their arrival with an Oerlikon 20mm cannon and a 40mm Bofors anti-aircraft autocannon. The Bofors L70 had a cycle rate of 320 rounds per minute and an effective range of 4,000 metres. Tony had saved the day, the life of his crew.

Tony also told me of the visit by his brother Dennis to his base at Methwold, at the edge of the Norfolk Fens. Dennis had been commissioned as a Captain in the Army to record images of the war in New Guinea, the Middle East and finally Europe. He had started as a marine artist but included air warfare and is particularly famous for his rendition of the rear gunner in action of a Halifax bomber. Many of his paintings are on display at the Australian War Memorial. Tony and his crew took Dennis ‘up for a flip’ as part of their daylight training run in their Short Stirling III. It was his 30th birthday and he had asked to go out again that night on another training mission, so he could see England under blackout. Wal Cryer organised it. Tony tells the horrific tale of hearing the next day of a bad prang on the runway and of two being killed and many injuries. It was the Stirling Dennis had gone in. Tony rang the hospital and found out with relief that Dennis had survived with only an injury to his foot. The Stirling had been turned upside down onto its back, wheels in the air and flames erupting. The two rear gunners were thrown from the aircraft and killed. On the Stirlings, the twenty-three-foot-high undercarriage was known for its instability, and this had given way completely on landing. Dennis had been lucky and spent more time with Tony as he recovered in hospital. He was able to complete a sketch of Tony at his Wireless Operator’s post as mentioned earlier and subsequently the painting ‘Night Prang’.

Tony is an amazing character and a ‘national treasure’, keeping alive the traditions and memories of Bomber Command. In October 2014, he was awarded the French decoration of Chevalier in the Legion of Honour, a mark of recognition for his risking his life for the Liberation of their country 70 years earlier. The night-time low level supply drops were certainly not for the faint-hearted. To this day he still is playing lawn bowls at Turramurra Bowling Club, with a supporting ‘pick-up roster’ to get him there. It was a privilege to meet with him.