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 Squadron Leader Peter Raw (centre) and the other two crew members of the Canberra bomber he flew during the 1953 London-to-Christchurch air race | |
| Born | (1922-06-05)June 5, 1922 Carnegie, Victoria |
| Service | Royal Australian Air Force |
| Years of service | 1941–1978 |
| Rank | Air Commodore |
| Commands | No. 205 Group Communication Squadron RAF No. 1 Long Range Flight RAAF (1953) No. 2 Squadron RAAF (1953–1955) |
| Awards | Distinguished Service Order Distinguished Flying Cross |
Peter Raw was a pilot and officer in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). He joined the RAAF in 1941, and served as a flight instructor, bomber pilot and the commander of a communications unit during World War II. He remained in the air force after the war, and was one of the first pilots selected to fly jet bombers. He participated in the 1953 London to Christchurch air race, and placed second. At the end of 1953 he was appointed the commander of No. 2 Squadron, which was the RAAF's first jet bomber unit, and held this position until 1955. Raw subsequently served in staff and diplomatic roles until 1965 when he took command of No. 82 Wing. Between May 1966 and April 1967, Raw served in South Vietnam as the air support coordinator for the Australian forces in South Vietnam; his initial reluctance to commit RAAF helicopters to support the Australian Army force which had been ambushed during the Battle of Long Tan generated lasting controversy. Raw served in various staff and training positions until 1972 when he was appointed the commander of RAAF Base Butterworth. He returned to Australia in 1976 and retired from the RAAF two years later.
Early career
Raw was born in the Melbourne suburb of Carnegie on 5 June 1922. By September 1939 he was working at Carlton & United Breweries as a first year electrical apprentice. He attempted to join the Royal Australian Navy as an electrical artificer in 1941, but was rejected and told to reapply in twelve months time. Instead, he joined the RAAF in 15 August that year. He departed Sydney bound for Rhodesia in November 1941 to be trained as a pilot; this training was conducted as part of the Empire Air Training Scheme. Raw arrived in Rhodesia in January 1942, and completed his training and was commissioned as an officer in December that year. He remained in Rhodesia throughout 1943 and served as a flying instructor.
In early 1944 Raw was transferred to the Middle East and undertook an operational conversion course which prepared him to fly B-24 Liberator heavy bombers in combat. In July of that year he was posted to No. 178 Squadron RAF, which was a British B-24 Liberator equipped unit based near Foggia in southern Italy. During his period with this squadron, Raw took part in operations in the eastern Mediterranean region as well as Hungary, Romania and Yugoslavia. Between August and October 1944 the long range bomber units within No. 205 Group RAF, including No. 178 Squadron, undertook a number of risky operations to supply the Polish Home Army during the Warsaw Uprising. Raw participated in three of these supply flights to Warsaw. One of these flights was made on 1 September, and Raw told a journalist that bad weather meant that he had been unable to see the city.
During a raid on the northern Italian city of Verona on 12 October, Raw's aircraft was hit by two anti-aircraft shells which destroyed its hydraulics system and an engine, wounded the radio operator and caused 166 holes in the fuselage. Despite this damage, Raw was able to return the B-24 to its base and made a safe landing. He suffered frostbite to his feet, however, due to damage to the plane's nose causing icy winds to enter the cockpit.
References
- Citations
- ^ "Raw, Peter Frank". World War 2 Nominal Roll. Department of Veterans' Affairs. Retrieved 12 June 2011.
- ^ Clark (2007), p. 28
- "178 Squadron". History RAF Formations. Royal Air Force. Retrieved 12 June 2011.
- Herington (1963), pp. 330–331
- "Hard Going in Warsaw Mercy Flight". The Mercury (Hobart, Tas. : 1860-1954). Hobart, Tas.: National Library of Australia. 14 September 1944. p. 2. Retrieved 12 June 2011.
- "With the RAAF over Europe". Townsville Daily Bulletin (Qld. : 1885-1954). Qld.: National Library of Australia. 9 January 1945. p. 4. Retrieved 12 June 2011.
- Bibliography
- Clark, Chris (2007). "Task Force Air Commander". Wartime (39).
- Coulthard-Clark, Chris (1995). The RAAF in Vietnam. Australian Air Involvement in the Vietnam War 1962–1975. The Official History of Australia's Involvement in Southeast Asian Conflicts 1948–1975. Sydney: Allen and Unwin in association with the Australian War Memorial. ISBN 1863733051.
- RAAF Historical Section (1995). Units of the Royal Australian Air Force: A Concise History. Volume 3 Bomber Units. Canberra: Australian Government Publishing Service. ISBN 0644427957.
- Herington, John (1963). Air Power Over Europe, 1944–1945. Australia in the War of 1939–1945. Series 3 – Air. Canberra: Australian War Memorial.