[Mike Kelly]

Some of those NAA service file records are amazing. The court martials are all there for all to read. Highly personal letters from family members , some may still be alive.

I read one file that I recall. A chap qualified as a RAAF pilot , he was then posted to Mildura to do training on operational types of aircraft but his instructor at Mildura wrote very negative reports on this chaps flying abilities. The base CO then recommended he hand in his wings which he eventually did , but years later in the 1970s, he wrote to Canberra requesting that his pilots rating was to be recognized and he wanted compensation and a medal.

The sad ones to read are the casualties , the aircrew deaths in the UK, there were many. The correspondence between the UK and the families with the actual telegrams notifying the deaths and the graves commission details relating to grave site locations in occupied Europe and the sending on of the dead airman's possessions. Hand written letters from the parents wanting to know more information.