The Association's wreath for Peter Enright, on his grave in Malta.
The Association's wreath for Peter Enright, on his
grave in Malta.
A casual conversation with an elderly stranger turned into a deeply emotional mission for Maltese-Australian, Frank Gauchi, who was tasked with delivering to Malta a set of 69-year-old photographs of the war-torn island.
While walking in Miranda, his Australian hometown, the 57-year-old saw an old man closing his letterbox after finding it empty.
“No news is good news!” Mr Gauchi remarked.
“We started talking and that’s how I met Tom Russell – the last survivor of a group of 22 Australian pilots who fought the Germans during World War II,” he said.
As soon as Mr Russell, 95, found out that Mr Gauchi had been born in Malta, they immediately got on. The former Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) pilot wanted to give a set of 380 photographs [taken by official photographer Laurence Le Guay at around the time of 3 Squadron RAAF's hectic nine-day stint on the island in 1943] to the Malta Aviation Museum. Tom requested copies of the photographs from the Australian War Memorial and handed them to Mr Gauchi, along with instructions to lay wreaths on the graves of two Australian ground-crew members buried in the Kalkara military cemetery.
WWII veteran Tom Russell with Frank Gauchi who took Tom’s historic
photos back to his native Malta.
[Photo: St George and
Sutherland Leader]
Mr Gauchi fulfilled all of Mr Russell’s requests during his four-week stay in Malta – in a trip that he described as “emotional” and “mind-blowing”.
“Meeting the last surviving 3SQN Australian pilot who was in Malta, and the fact that he chose me, was very emotional and very tough – I felt a great sense of responsibility for what I had to do,” he said.
And how did Mr Russell know he had chosen the right man for the mission?
“He tested me – before I left he called me and said he was giving me his wings, to do with as I pleased.” Mr Gauchi felt there was no way he could keep them and told Mr Russell that he would pass them on to the aviation museum in Ta’Qali.
“That’s the right answer,” Mr Russell told him.
Corporal (Fitter D.M.T.) William FLEMING, service number 411135, is buried at Malta (Capuccini) Naval Cemetery. Prot. Sec. (Men's) plot F, coll. grave 35. Age 23.
Son of William and Florence Louisa Fleming, of Gordon, New South Wales, Australia.Died on 21/7/43 after being airlifted from Sicily to a hospital in Malta with severe burns. Bill's death occurred as a result of an ground-accident on 19/7/43, where a petrol-can exploded while being used to delouse a newly-occupied building (the future Operations Room) alongside the airfield at Pachino, Sicily. Leading Aircraftman Peter Enright (see below) also sustained burns in this accident and died four days after Bill.
Leading Aircraftman (Driver Motor Transport) Peter Edward ENRIGHT, service number 29797, is buried at Malta (Capuccini) Naval Cemetery. R.C. Sec. (Men's) plot P, coll. grave 6. Age 27.
Son of Jerimiath Joseph and Mary Margaret Enright of Goomalling, Western Australia.Leading Aircraftman Enright received petrol burns along with Corporal Bill Fleming (see above) in a petrol explosion at Pachino airfield, Sicily on 19/7/43. Peter died on 25/7/43 in hospital at Malta.
Pilot Officer Tom Russell, who had entered the room at the time of the explosion, was lucky that he had been wearing his flying uniform (a long-sleeved shirt and long trousers) that protected him from most of the petrol flash, compared with the bare-chested ground-crewmen working in only shorts and boots, in the torrid Sicilian summer. Tom was taken to Cairo for treatment.
Kalkara Naval Cemetery
Frank Gauchi lays one of his beautiful floral wreaths
in the Malta Kalkara Naval Cemetery, remembering the
two 3SQN men [Bill Fleming and Peter Enright] who were fatally burnt
in an accidental petrol explosion while
they were cleaning-out a captured building at Pachino airfield,
Sicily.
The hardness of the limestone in Malta means that most of these
graves had to be excavated with explosives,
so multiple burials per plot are usual here. The shared
memories of these war casualties are very poignant.
Also commemorated on the beautiful Malta Memorial to the Missing are:
Kittyhawk pilots Bob Shearman (lost at sea on a training flight before commencing operations with 3SQN in Tunisia); Ken Goulder (shot down by flak in Sicily); Maurice Hayes (shot down by flak off the east coast of Italy near San Benedetto); and Mustang pilot Ron Fountain (lost in terrible flying conditions over the Adriatic Sea between Yugoslavia and Italy while returning from a mission).
Malta Memorial to the Missing and
Frank with the Malta Roll of Honour.
Frank in a Spitfire cockpit at Malta Aviation
Museum.
The Museum were very generous hosts for Frank’s visit, where he
deposited the portfolio of 1943 photos by Australian war
photographer Lawrie Le Guay.
Malta. 13 July 1943. A Curtiss P40 Kittyhawk aircraft
of No. 3 Squadron RAAF,
taking off from an advanced landing ground for operations over
Sicily.
The aircraft serial number is FL307 "B" and is flown by Flying
Officer Tom Russell.
Malta. July 1943. A Kittyhawk aircraft of No.
3 Squadron RAAF warming up for the first attack against Sicily.
Note a ground crew member sitting on the wing of the aircraft and
the other aircraft in the background.
Malta. July 1943. 3 SQN ground
crew standing by, awaiting return of fighter aircraft from Sicily.
Malta. July 1943. Preparing to bomb up
aircraft (code CV-H) of No. 3 (Kittyhawk) Squadron RAAF on an
airfield,
in readiness for a raid by the RAAF over Sicily.
Valetta, Malta. c. July 1943. Members of
RAAF walking along a street on their
first sight seeing tour, on arrival at Malta after leaving the
North African coast.
Valetta, Malta. c. July 1943. During a sight
seeing tour of the area RAAF airmen inspect buildings
damaged by bombs dropped in German air raids.
Valetta, Malta. c. July 1943. A member of
the RAAF gazes out from the terrace overlooking the harbour.
Malta.
c. July 1943. Choir boys and priests entering St John's
Cathedral in Malta.