Thursday, 30 October 2025
RAAF Base, Richmond
Her Excellency the Honourable Margaret Beazley AC KC

I, too, acknowledge the Dharug, Traditional Custodians of the lands on which we gather and pay my respects to their Elders, past, present and emerging. I extend that respect to all First Nations people who have served, and continue to serve, with valour, honour, and distinction, in the Australian Defence Force.

As Honorary Air Commodore of 22 Squadron and Patron of the No 22 (City of Sydney) Squadron Association, I am again delighted to be a part of tonight’s Commemorative Dinner and Awards Presentation, after an exhilarating, informative and insightful day seeing many of you here at RAAF Richmond.

It is an honour to celebrate and commemorate the history, the pride and the continuing legacy of a Squadron whose origins are embedded so deeply here at this Air Base, with its own century-long history of serving our nation.

Before I continue, I would like to take a moment to acknowledge that last Saturday we lost Bruce Roberston at the great age of 105. As many of you here will know, Bruce was a wireless operator in 30 Squadron during World War Two. 30 Squadron RAAF, along with our own Squadron, were key participants in the crucial Battle of Bismarck Sea in March 1943. 

In his long life, Bruce has dedicated many thousands of hours for the welfare of veterans through his Squadron Association, the RAAF Association, and the RSL. In the later part of his life, he was a regular visitor to the various high schools in the Hills district, giving talks on his World War II experiences and helping students understand that period of history and the significant sacrifices that were made. Amazingly, he only ‘retired’ from that role at 102 years of age.

With Bruce’s parting, we have lost a wonderful Australian and a special link to the history of the RAAF’s service to our nation. 

Much has been written and discussed about the current geopolitical climate, which has been variously described as “a period of strategic autumn” and “the most challenging strategic circumstances since the Second World War”.^[1]

In conjunction with the rest of the RAAF and the wider Australian Defence Force, 22 Squadron is called on by the 2024 National Defence Strategy^[2] and its Strategy of Denial^[3] to “deter any conflict before it begins” and in the face of “actions against Australia’s interests”, and to demonstrate capability, agility and resolve to “contribute to the collective security of the Indo-Pacific.”^[4]

At the Chief of Air Force symposium in March this year, Air Marshall Stephen Chappell highlighted the importance of “Strategic imagination”, by which he meant the ability to foresee and plan for something happening before it happens. He referred to the Second World War’s Pacific War which was not only on our doorstep, but on the front (northern) door of Darwin, as a case where deterrence might have had an impact, as a case in point.^[5]

As he said:

We hadn’t imagined what the [Darwin Bombing] attack would like look, or if we had, we hadn’t taken that imagining seriously enough. Perhaps it was always a problem for tomorrow, a problem for the future. Let’s learn from history. Let’s not condemn ourselves to repeat it.[6]

82 years on from the acts of gallantry we commemorate and honour this evening, the Squadron again finds itself in a world where long-held rules and norms are being contested as a power competition seeks to reshape the international order.

If anyone ever had any doubts about this challenging environment and its impact on the Royal Australian Air Force, they would have been dispelled by the recent announcement by the Chief of Air Force on 17 October.^[7] The Royal Australian Air Force’s historic Number 12 Squadron, based at RAAF Base Edinburgh in South Australia, would be re-raised to conduct long-range maritime surveillance patrols.

Formed in 1929, three years after 22 Squadron, 12 Squadron flew anti-submarine and reconnaissance missions from Darwin and Dutch New Guinea before being disbanded in 1946. It was re-formed in 1973 to operate CH-47 Chinook helicopters and retired again in 1989.

As part of his announcement, the Chief of Air Force remarked that: “Number 12 Squadron played an important role in the history of our Air Force and the defence of our nation, a role that it will proudly and skilfully continue” in the Indo Pacific.^[8] For 22 Squadron, with its continued active service role since its inception, those words certainly resonate.

Within a remarkably short period of time, from being raised here in Richmond as part of a Citizen Air Force on 20 April 1936, from the outbreak and to the end of the Second World War, 22SQN went from being a domestic training unit to conducting anti-submarine patrols to armed reconnaissance in the Pacific, including the pivotal Battle of the Bismarck Sea.

During those early desperate months of 1942, the Squadron was tasked—at very short notice—with engineering, equipping and converting A-20 Bostons to attack aircraft, after a consignment was mistakenly diverted to Australia from the Dutch East Indies.

Over the war’s course, the Squadron moved numerous times, in response to aircraft losses as well as to changing operational objectives. Notwithstanding the many challenges of limited resources, the Squadron bequeathed a history of capability, adaptability and agility.

It is a history encapsulated in a letter from a former 22 Squadron officer, who came from Parkes, LC Hambly.

Signed ‘one of the lucky ones,’ ^[9] it was written to a nephew of a missing officer, Sergeant Horace William (also Bill) Hall,^[10] who flew an A-28 14 which disappeared over the Owen Stanley Ranges in PNG in February 1943. It was a month before Bill Newton’s final mission.

The letter recounts:

“After 9 months on the reserve, learning elementary knowledge for aircrew and the RAAF in general, I was enlisted as aircrew trainee on 10 October 1941. The Japanese declared war on USA and their allies 5 December 1941, bombing Pearl harbour. Britain and their allies had been soundly defeated by Germany in Europe. Australia and New Zealand were sending all available servicemen to England and Nth Africa.

My choice of flying was partially because I did not want to return to Australia as a wounded soldier and the navy was excluded because I suffered sea sickness even in small boats close to shore, even in Sydney harbour while fishing. All air crew trainees spent their first 8 weeks [learning] elementary RAAF knowledge and 99% all wanted to be pilots – naturally fighter pilots – Spitfires and Hurricanes.

Approx 60% were sent off to WAGs [Wireless Air Gunners School].

After 2 months, 10% were sent to Navigation
After 3 months, 30% were sent off to flying schools.
After completing the 9 months training, we were all promoted to rank of Sgt and some Pilot Officers (very few).

The next step was a 3-month course learning to fly as a crew. Operational Training Unit.
This brings us up to embarkation via ‘Queen Mary’ to complete the operational training in England prior to operations over Germany.”

Hambly never made it onto the ‘Queen Mary’.... The Pacific War was on our doorstep. 

The letter continues:

“20 WAGS were sent to 22 Squadron and had to learn crew flying on the job with experienced 1st Gunners and very competent (luckily) pilots.

My pilot Johnny Miles introduced himself as:
1. an ex New Guinea Airlines pilot with 40,000 hours;
2. possibly the oldest pilot in the RAAF;
3. with intentions to be the oldest pilot at the end of the war;
4. the owner of the largest moustache in the squadron; and
5. the proud Boston pilot to sink a Jap sub off the NSW coast.”^[11]

One of the Wireless Air Gunners mentioned in the letter was John Lyon, Bill Newton’s Flight Sergeant, who was the other survivor - alongside Newton – who swam to shore on 18 March 1943, when their Boston A29-3 was shot down. Newton had managed to steer the plane, ditching in the sea off Salamaua, as far as possible away from enemy lines.^[12] Both men were captured and later executed by the Japanese.

As is evident, and as we will hear in the citations for the FLTLT W.E. (Bill) Newton Award and our award-winners tonight, 22 Squadron continues to be ready to face the challenges ahead. This readiness and ingenuity, shown by your ability to engineer innovative solutions, will continue to ensure mission success: generating, delivering and sustaining airbase operational capability. 

And it has been ever thus …

The humour, the humility, the humanity and the heroism that illuminates this letter tells us everything about 22 Squadron, as does its achievements in battle with the distinction of multiple Battle Honours and individual awards of a Victoria Cross, a Distinguished Service Order, 13 awards of the Distinguished Flying Cross, a British Empire Medal, and 5 Mentions in Despatches. 

Reflected in the motto ‘Adsum’— “I am here”—22 Squadron continues to uphold an ever-present ‘can do’ culture, capability and ingenuity, assisted by RAAF Base Richmond. In doing so, you honour the example set by FLTLT W.E. (Bill) Newton VC and his Squadron 22 cohort and the magnificent history of the RAAF:

“Then, Now, and Always.”^[13]