Wilfred Stanley Arthur, (7 December 1919 – 23 December 2000) was a
fighter ace and senior officer of the
Royal Australian Air Force
"Through Adversity to the Stars"
, colours =
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, anniversaries = RAAF Anniversary Commemoration ...
(RAAF) during World War II. Commonly known as "Woof",
[Alexander, "Cleaning the augean stables"][Newton, ''Clash of Eagles'', p. 59] and sometimes "Wolf" or "Wulf",
[Wilson, ''The Brotherhood of Airmen'', pp. 81, 127] he was officially credited with ten aerial victories. As a commander, he led combat formations at
squadron
Squadron may refer to:
* Squadron (army), a military unit of cavalry, tanks, or equivalent subdivided into troops or tank companies
* Squadron (aviation), a military unit that consists of three or four flights with a total of 12 to 24 aircraft, ...
and
wing
A wing is a type of fin that produces lift while moving through air or some other fluid. Accordingly, wings have streamlined cross-sections that are subject to aerodynamic forces and act as airfoils. A wing's aerodynamic efficiency is e ...
level, becoming at 24 the youngest
group captain in the history of the RAAF.
Arthur joined the Air Force the day after Australia declared war in September 1939. He first saw action with
No. 3 Squadron in
North Africa
North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in ...
, where he was awarded the
Distinguished Flying Cross for shooting down four aircraft in a single
sortie. Posted to the
South West Pacific
Oceania (, , ) is a geographical region that includes Australasia, Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Spanning the Eastern and Western hemispheres, Oceania is estimated to have a land area of and a population of around 44.5 million as of ...
, he commanded first
No. 75 Squadron, and later
Nos. 81 and
78 Wings. He earned the
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order (DSO) is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, as well as formerly of other parts of the Commonwealth, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, ty ...
for continuing to lead an attack on a formation of Japanese bombers after discovering that his guns were inoperable, and was twice
mentioned in despatches. Arthur also played a leading part in—and gave name to—the "
Morotai Mutiny
The "Morotai Mutiny" was an incident in April 1945 involving members of the Australian First Tactical Air Force based on the island of Morotai, in the Dutch East Indies. Eight senior pilots, including Australia's leading flying ace, Group Capt ...
" of April 1945. Pursuing various interests in Australia and Vietnam following his discharge from the Air Force after the war, he died in 2000 at the age of 81.
Education and early career
Wilfred Arthur was the son of stock inspector Stanley Oswald Darley Arthur from
Goondiwindi
Goondiwindi () is a rural town and locality in the Goondiwindi Region, Queensland, Australia. It is on the border of Queensland and New South Wales. In the , Goondiwindi had a population of 6,355 people.
Geography
Goondiwindi is on the MacInt ...
, Queensland, a veteran of World War I who had served overseas for the duration of the conflict.
[Arthur; Stokes, "Wilfred Arthur, 75 Squadron RAAF", p. 3] His mother, Helena Elizabeth Chaffers, was from the
Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight ( ) is a Counties of England, county in the English Channel, off the coast of Hampshire, from which it is separated by the Solent. It is the List of islands of England#Largest islands, largest and List of islands of England#Mo ...
, of Welsh descent.
[ Born in Sydney on 7 December 1919, Wilf grew up around his father's home town near the ]New South Wales
)
, nickname =
, image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, es ...
border. The boy's early education was by correspondence, but he later attended school at Yelarbon
Yelarbon is a rural town and locality in the Goondiwindi Region, Queensland, Australia. It is on the border of Queensland and New South Wales. In the , Yelarbon had a population of 364 people.
Geography
Yelarbon is in south-central Queensland on ...
, Queensland, commuting on horseback. He then spent four-and-a-half years at The Scots College
, motto_translation = O that we may be worthy of our forefathers
, location = Bellevue Hill, Eastern Suburbs, Sydney
, country = Australia
, type = Independent single-sex primary ...
in Warwick
Warwick ( ) is a market town, civil parish and the county town of Warwickshire in the Warwick District in England, adjacent to the River Avon. It is south of Coventry, and south-east of Birmingham. It is adjoined with Leamington Spa and Whi ...
, where he matriculated
Matriculation is the formal process of entering a university, or of becoming eligible to enter by fulfilling certain academic requirements such as a matriculation examination.
Australia
In Australia, the term "matriculation" is seldom used now. ...
.[Herington]
''Air War Against Germany and Italy'', p. 63
At the age of 19 and still at The Scots College, Arthur applied to join the Royal Australian Air Force
"Through Adversity to the Stars"
, colours =
, colours_label =
, march =
, mascot =
, anniversaries = RAAF Anniversary Commemoration ...
(RAAF). He enlisted on 4 September 1939, the day after Australia's entry into World War II.[Garrisson, ''Australian Fighter Aces'', pp. 111–112][Wilson, ''Seek and Strike'', p. 95] Training at RAAF Station Point Cook
RAAF Williams is a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) military air base set across two locations, at Point Cook and Laverton, located approximately south-west of the Melbourne central business district in Victoria, Australia. Both establishm ...
, Victoria, and RAAF Station Richmond, New South Wales, he was commissioned a pilot officer on 30 March 1940, despite being prone to airsickness
Airsickness is a specific form of motion sickness which is induced by air travel and is considered a normal response in healthy individuals. Airsickness occurs when the central nervous system receives conflicting messages from the body (including ...
early on. He served initially with No. 22 (City of Sydney) Squadron at Richmond, operating Hawker Demon
The Hawker Hart is a British two-seater biplane light bomber aircraft that saw service with the Royal Air Force (RAF). It was designed during the 1920s by Sydney Camm and manufactured by Hawker Aircraft. The Hart was a prominent British aircra ...
s and Avro Anson
The Avro Anson is a British twin-engined, multi-role aircraft built by the aircraft manufacturer Avro. Large numbers of the type served in a variety of roles for the Royal Air Force (RAF), Fleet Air Arm (FAA), Royal Canadian Air Force (RCA ...
s.[Distinguished Flying Cross: Flight Lieutenant W S Arthur, 3 Squadron, RAAF](_blank)
at Australian War Memorial. Retrieved 6 May 2010
Combat service
North Africa
Promoted to flying officer, Arthur was posted to No. 3 (Army Cooperation) Squadron and departed with the unit for North Africa
North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in ...
in July 1940. Piloting a Gloster Gladiator
The Gloster Gladiator is a British biplane fighter. It was used by the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) (as the Sea Gladiator variant) and was exported to a number of other air forces during the late 1930s.
Developed private ...
biplane, he scored his first aerial victory by shooting down an Italian Fiat CR.42 north-west of Sofafi, Egypt, on 12 December. The next day he himself was shot down by a CR.42 and had to bail out, narrowly avoiding disaster when he became entangled first with his oxygen hose and then with the Gladiator's wing-bracing wires; he was only torn loose at a height of by the force of rushing air as his stricken plane fell to earth.[Thomas, ''Gloster Gladiator Aces'', pp. 44–45] Arthur claimed one further victim in a Gladiator before his unit re-equipped with Hawker Hurricane
The Hawker Hurricane is a British single-seat fighter aircraft of the 1930s–40s which was designed and predominantly built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd. for service with the Royal Air Force (RAF). It was overshadowed in the public consciousness b ...
s in January 1941.[3 Squadron](_blank)
at Australian War Memorial. Retrieved 6 May 2010. He was flying a Hurricane when he shot down a Messerschmitt Bf 110
The Messerschmitt Bf 110, often known unofficially as the Me 110,Because it was built before ''Bayerische Flugzeugwerke'' became Messerschmitt AG in July 1938, the Bf 110 was never officially given the designation Me 110. is a twin-engined (de ...
in April.
No. 3 Squadron began replacing its Hurricanes with P-40 Tomahawks in May 1941. In October, Arthur was promoted to flight lieutenant and appointed a flight commander. He shot down four enemy aircraft in a single sortie near Bir El Gubi on 30 November. Flying one of No. 3 Squadron's new Tomahawks, he claimed two Junkers Ju 87 ''Stukas'', one Fiat G.50
The Fiat G.50 ''Freccia'' ("Arrow") was a World War II Italian fighter aircraft developed and manufactured by aviation company Fiat. Upon entering service, the type became Italy’s first single-seat, all-metal monoplane that had an enclosed ...
and one Macchi MC.200.[Thomas, ''Tomahawk and Kittyhawk Aces'', p. 19] He destroyed the last of the four after his plane had been damaged and he was on his way back to base; he had to land in the desert and make his way to the airfield on foot. His "great skill and gallantry" in this action earned him the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC), which was gazetted
A gazette is an official journal, a newspaper of record, or simply a newspaper.
In English and French speaking countries, newspaper publishers have applied the name ''Gazette'' since the 17th century; today, numerous weekly and daily newspapers ...
on 20 January 1942.
Around this time, Arthur met his future wife, Lucille, in a shop in Alexandria
Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandri ...
. They married on 24 December 1941 and honeymooned in Palestine and Syria. The sudden romance came as a shock to Arthur's parents; he later recalled, "the first letter I got was a fair imitation of panic I think". While on leave, he was also able to make contact with his brother Norman, who was serving as a military police
Military police (MP) are law enforcement agencies connected with, or part of, the military of a state. In wartime operations, the military police may support the main fighting force with force protection, convoy security, screening, rear rec ...
man in Beirut
Beirut, french: Beyrouth is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, which makes it the third-largest city in the Levant region. The city is situated on a peninsula at the midpoint o ...
.[Roll of Honour - Norman George Arthur](_blank)
at Australian War Memorial. Retrieved 22 October 2012 Completing his tour with No. 3 Squadron, Arthur was repatriated to Australia with his new bride in March 1942. Their ship journeyed to Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
via Bombay
Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second-m ...
and Colombo
Colombo ( ; si, කොළඹ, translit=Koḷam̆ba, ; ta, கொழும்பு, translit=Koḻumpu, ) is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. According to the Brookings Institution, Colombo m ...
, where it picked up many refugees following the recent fall of Singapore
The Fall of Singapore, also known as the Battle of Singapore,; ta, சிங்கப்பூரின் வீழ்ச்சி; ja, シンガポールの戦い took place in the South–East Asian theatre of the Pacific War. The Empire o ...
. The couple eventually had four children.
South-West Pacific
As the Japanese advanced in the South West Pacific
Oceania (, , ) is a geographical region that includes Australasia, Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Spanning the Eastern and Western hemispheres, Oceania is estimated to have a land area of and a population of around 44.5 million as of ...
during early 1942, the RAAF hurriedly established three new fighter units for Australia's northern defence, Nos. 75, 76 and 77 Squadrons.[Stephens, ''The Royal Australian Air Force'', pp. 139–141] Arthur was posted to No. 76 Squadron in April, flying P-40 Kittyhawks in New Guinea
New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; id, Papua, or , historically ) is the world's second-largest island with an area of . Located in Oceania in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is separated from Australia by the wide Torr ...
. His brother Norman was killed in action on 9 November 1942 while serving with the 2/31st Infantry Battalion in Papua. Promoted to squadron leader
Squadron leader (Sqn Ldr in the RAF ; SQNLDR in the RAAF and RNZAF; formerly sometimes S/L in all services) is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence. It is als ...
, in February 1943 Wilf succeeded Les Jackson as commanding officer of No. 75 Squadron, based at Milne Bay under the control of No. 9 Operational Group RAAF.[Odgers]
''Air War Against Japan'', pp. 23–24, 35
Arthur developed a reputation for diligence, courtesy, and concern for the welfare of his men. Despite the fact that, at 23, he was the youngest officer in his new squadron, he commanded the respect of his fellows because, he believed, "they like that I work hard; they like that I am not frightened of anything (i.e. ''Pretends'' not to be) and above those, they like that I don't boast". Having shot down a Mitsubishi G4M "Betty" bomber on 10 March, Arthur was awarded the Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order (DSO) is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, as well as formerly of other parts of the Commonwealth, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, ty ...
for his "gallantry, matchless leadership and devotion to duty" on 14 April 1943.[Distinguished Service Order: Squadron Leader W S Arthur, 75 Squadron, RAAF](_blank)
at Australian War Memorial. Retrieved 6 May 2010. On this occasion, in spite of his guns jamming, he led 34 Allied aircraft, including Kittyhawks of Nos. 75 and 77 Squadrons and P-38 Lightnings of the USAAF
The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...
, in "a determined head-on attack" to intercept 100 Japanese raiders, 14 of which were destroyed by the defenders. Arthur described the situation of being in combat but unable to shoot as "sort of awkward. Fortunately nobody else would know except me." To compensate for his lack of offensive weaponry, he repeatedly made as though attempting to ram one of the raiders, to try and force it down into the sea.
Promoted acting wing commander
Wing commander (Wg Cdr in the RAF, the IAF, and the PAF, WGCDR in the RNZAF and RAAF, formerly sometimes W/C in all services) is a senior commissioned rank in the British Royal Air Force and air forces of many countries which have historical ...
in June 1943, Arthur became wing leader
Wing leader, or wing commander (flying), denotes the tactical commander of a Commonwealth military wing on flying operations. The terms refer to a position, not a rank, although the role was usually taken by an officer ranked wing commander. The p ...
of No. 71 Wing, which controlled No. 75 Squadron and three other combat units. On 5 November, he was involved in a collision at Kiriwina
Kiriwina is the largest of the Trobriand Islands, with an area of 290.5 km². It is part of the Milne Bay Province of Papua New Guinea. Most of the 12,000 people who live in the Trobriands live on Kiriwina. The Kilivila language, also known ...
Airfield with a Spitfire
The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft used by the Royal Air Force and other Allied countries before, during, and after World War II. Many variants of the Spitfire were built, from the Mk 1 to the Rolls-Royce Grif ...
of No. 79 Squadron. The Spitfire pilot was killed, and Arthur received serious burns. He later recalled, "... I felt my hands disappear, felt my face go but the rest of my body was ... was just flames ... And then all of a sudden the flames dropped down a bit and I got out and went like mad and I was running away from the aircraft and trying to guess how far I could go before I'd try to put the flames out ..." Although his family was informed that his injuries were "of a very slight nature" and that he had been "burnt but not badly", Arthur was close to death for weeks while he was treated in Kiriwina. He was finally repatriated to Sydney where he underwent plastic surgery
Plastic surgery is a surgical specialty involving the restoration, reconstruction or alteration of the human body. It can be divided into two main categories: reconstructive surgery and cosmetic surgery. Reconstructive surgery includes cranio ...
at Yaralla Military Hospital (now Concord Hospital). After his recovery in April 1944, he attended a staff course before taking over command of No. 2 Operational Training Unit at Mildura
Mildura is a regional city in north-west Victoria, Australia. Located on the Victorian side of the Murray River, Mildura had a population of 34,565 in 2021. When nearby Wentworth, Irymple, Nichols Point and Merbein are included, the area h ...
, Victoria. In August, at the age of 24, he was promoted to temporary group captain, the youngest in the RAAF. That December he took command of No. 81 Wing of the Australian First Tactical Air Force
The Australian First Tactical Air Force (No. 1 TAF) was formed on 25 October 1944 by the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). Its purpose was to provide a mobile force of fighter and ground attack aircraft that could support Allied army and n ...
(No. 1 TAF), based at Noemfoor and Labuan
Labuan (), officially the Federal Territory of Labuan ( ms, Wilayah Persekutuan Labuan), is a Federal Territory of Malaysia. Its territory includes and six smaller islands, off the coast of the state of Sabah in East Malaysia. Labuan's capita ...
in the Dutch East Indies.
In April 1945, having recently assumed command of No. 1 TAF's No. 78 Wing, Arthur helped trigger an incident that became known as the "Morotai Mutiny
The "Morotai Mutiny" was an incident in April 1945 involving members of the Australian First Tactical Air Force based on the island of Morotai, in the Dutch East Indies. Eight senior pilots, including Australia's leading flying ace, Group Capt ...
" (a phrase originating in one of his ''aide memoires'' at the time). He was one of eight senior pilots, including Australia's top-scoring ace, Group Captain Clive Caldwell
Clive Robertson Caldwell, (28 July 1911 – 5 August 1994) was the leading Australian air ace of World War II. He is officially credited with shooting down 28.5 enemy aircraft in over 300 operational sorties, including an ace in a day. In addit ...
, and fellow veterans from the North African campaign, Bobby Gibbes
Robert Henry Maxwell Gibbes, (6 May 1916 – 11 April 2007) was an Australian flying ace, fighter ace of World War II, and the longest-serving wartime commanding officer of No. 3 Squadron RAAF. He was officially credited wi ...
and John Waddy, who attempted to resign their commissions in protest at the relegation of RAAF fighter squadrons to apparently worthless ground attack missions. Frustrated at the lack of attention paid by Headquarters No. 1 TAF to a "balance sheet" he produced showing that operational losses outweighed results, Arthur later said that his object for the "mutiny" was to "make as big a fuss as I possibly could with the object of getting the position corrected." A government inquiry into the incident exonerated the pilots, finding their motives in tendering their resignations to be sincere.[Stephens, ''The Royal Australian Air Force'', pp. 123–124] Arthur remained in charge of No. 78 Wing for the Battle of Tarakan, which commenced on 1 May. He handed over command of the wing on 24 May, but remained on Tarakan until the end of the war.
In addition to receiving the DFC and DSO, Arthur was twice mentioned in despatches during the war. His official final tally of victories was ten enemy aircraft destroyed, though this has also been reported as eight confirmed kills and two "probables". Reflecting later on being a fighter pilot throughout his military career, Arthur said that he was glad to have flown single-seat aircraft rather than bombers, because "I would always have felt very uncomfortable with anybody else for whom I'd be responsible".
Post-war life
Arthur was discharged from the RAAF on 14 February 1946, and took up residence in Darwin, Northern Territory.[Arthur, Wilfred Stanley](_blank)
a
World War 2 Nominal Roll
Retrieved 2 May 2010. Initially working for the Repatriation Department
The Repatriation Department was an Australian government department that provided support for disabled military veterans and widows of military personnel, as well as their dependents. It existed between September 1917 and June 1974.
...
, in 1950 he joined the Australian School of Pacific Administration
The Australian School of Pacific Administration (ASOPA) was a tertiary institution established by the Australian Government to train administrators and later school teachers to work in Papua New Guinea. It became the International Training Insti ...
, and later travelled to Vietnam to establish a dairy farm at Bến Cát under the Colombo Plan
The Colombo Plan is a regional intergovernmental organization that began operations on 1 July 1951. The organization was conceived at an international conference, The Commonwealth Conference on Foreign Affairs held in Colombo, Ceylon (now Sri L ...
.[Arthur; Stokes, "Wilfred Arthur, 75 Squadron RAAF", p. 60] He was captured by the Viet Cong
,
, war = the Vietnam War
, image = FNL Flag.svg
, caption = The flag of the Viet Cong, adopted in 1960, is a variation on the flag of North Vietnam. Sometimes the lower stripe was green.
, active ...
in 1961 and was not released until a ransom was paid—reportedly an Olivetti
Olivetti S.p.A. is an Italian manufacturer of computers, tablets, smartphones, printers and other such business products as calculators and fax machines. Headquartered in Ivrea, in the Metropolitan City of Turin, the company has been par ...
typewriter. He continued to work in Vietnam after this incident, and by 1966 was running a business supplying duck feathers to the American military for use in life jackets. Returning to Australia, he was administration manager for Geopeko, the exploration unit responsible for discovering the Ranger uranium deposit at Jabiru
The jabiru ( or ; ''Jabiru mycteria'') is a large stork found in the Americas from Mexico to Argentina, except west of the Andes. It sometimes wanders into the United States, usually in Texas, but has been reported as far north as Mississippi. ...
. Wilf Arthur died on 23 December 2000, at the age of 81. The Kittyhawk "Polly" that he flew in his DSO-winning action of 14 April 1943 was purchased by the Australian War Memorial, Canberra, in 1992 and put on display in its Aircraft Hall.P-40E-1-CU Kittyhawk fighter aircraft A29-133
at Australian War Memorial. Retrieved 23 May 2010.
Notes
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Arthur, Wilfred
1919 births
2000 deaths
Australian aviators
Australian World War II flying aces
Companions of the Distinguished Service Order
Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom)
Royal Australian Air Force officers
Wing leaders