Jack Doyle DSO DFC
Toowoomba, Queensland
RAAF 1940-1946

When Jack Doyle signed up for the Royal Australian Air Force in 1940, he thought it would be an adventure, as not many people had access to aircraft before World War II. An overseer in Darling Downs, he trained at Amberley and Archerfield, Queensland, earning his wings in July 1942. One of Jack's ancestors served in the Boer War and was mentioned in Lord Kitchener's despatches and awarded the Distinguished Service Order.

After a posting to Evans Head, NSW, Jack volunteered when a call went out for postings to 3 Squadron RAAF in the Middle East. He was one of eight pilots who embarked on the M/S Tiradentes, along with 8000 tons of beer for the troops in the Middle East.

After arriving in Egypt, Jack ended up at an operational training unit in Sudan. He already had more than 800 hours of flying experience and clocked up another 52 hours in Harvards and Tomahawks to graduate as a fighter pilot. He was posted to 3 Squadron in February 1943. Jack spent three months in North Africa, flying Kittyhawk fighter-bombers from bases in Libya and Tunisia until the last of the German Afrika Korps surrendered in May 1943. Jack's aircraft was hit during two of his first three sorties - illustrating the dangers of being a fighter pilot.

The Allies then prepared to invade Italy, starting with Sicily. 3 Squadron moved to Malta and flew missions over Sicily until August 1943. After the Allied landing on the Italian mainland, 3 Squadron moved again, flying against German forces in Italy and Yugoslavia. Jack recalled the capture of an Italian Macchi 205 fighter, which he took for a test flight. He thought its rate of climb was fairly average until he realised the dial was marked in metres, not feet!

In November 1943 Jack was promoted to Flight Lieutenant and given command of C Flight. In March 1944, having reached the normal maximum 200 operational flying hours for a tour, he asked for and was granted a 50-hour extension. During this extended period, he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for his skill, courage and determination in leading C Flight in a mission that destroyed 29 transport vehicles. He added a Bar to his DFC during a raid on Forli aerodrome, 200km behind the front line. Jack's tour ended in April 1944 after 156 missions totalling 249 hours 45 minutes.

Jack was then posted to 1 Mobile Operations Room, a control unit, and as sector commander was responsible for nominating where roads and railways would be targeted. In June 1944, he was placed on duties near the front-line, directing aircraft to bomb close to their own troops as the Allies advanced. One day, Jack was in a mansion at Umbria, Italy, directing an attack when a German 500kg bomb, which was set as a booby trap in the building, went off killing 27 people. Jack was one of three survivors. In 1999, he returned to the village and found a man who remembered as a four-year-old boy seeing the building blow up.

After his lucky escape, Jack was made Commanding Officer of 450 Squadron RAAF, flying Kittyhawks. Soon Jack was again racking up operational flying hours on ground-attack missions. In 1945, he was awarded a Distinguished Service Order for continuing an attack even though his aircraft was twice damaged by anti-aircraft fire during a raid a week before fighting in Europe ended.

The war in Europe over, Jack and his squadron took part in the Desert Air Force Victory Fly Past in Europe. Jack then returned to Australia. He had amassed a total of 403 operational flying hours during 255 missions. He was discharged in February 1946 with the rank of Squadron Leader.

Jack took up share farming on the Darling Downs in Queensland, but went broke because of drought. In July 1949 he married Merle Moody and they moved to Sydney, where Jack took up a position with a coal forged products firm before becoming a television cameraman. After learning to scuba dive, Jack combined his career and his interest in the sea, making his own waterproof camera and shooting underwater films.

At 58, Jack bought a bicycle and has competed in Goulburn to Sydney races and the Masters Games. He is a member of the 3 and 450 Squadron Associations and is president of the Toowoomba branch of the RAAF Association. Jack and Merle have two sons, and four grandchildren.

Jack believes being chosen for the mission is a terrific honour and he is looking forward to representing his fellow Desert Air Force members.

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