Leather flying helmets worn on bombing raids over Germany; a pilot’s logbook tracing a career from Tiger Moth training to a Distinguished Flying Cross; a cap badge and wings once pinned to the uniform of a young RAAF officer – for more than 20 years these wartime treasures lay hidden in storage at Meadow Springs, but not anymore.
80 years after the end of World War II, a rare collection of historic artifacts have been collated for a new heritage display that honours the airmen and women of the RAAF, thanks to an enthusiastic voluntary team at RAAFA’s popular Meadow Springs estate. And at its heart is a cabinet built 25 years ago, as a tribute to one particularly outstanding Perth pilot.
“The centrepiece was built to honour Danny Reese, a Lancaster pilot who twice brought his crippled bomber home to save his crew,” explains Ted King, a member of the Meadow Springs grounds maintenance team and self-confessed enthusiastic war historian who took part in the restoration project.
And so, what began as a passing conversation soon became a dedicated project, thanks to estate manager, Jade Lund, maintenance supervisor Craig Hunter, and residents Douglas Whitfield and Ted’s father, Roger King, all of whom joined forces to form a new heritage group.
Over the following months, the team researched each relic and carefully prepared and mounted every artifact, with painstaking precision. “Decades of hidden history has been brought into full view for everyone at the estate to see,” says Ted. “Every piece of history inside the heritage display was donated by former residents of the estate, and we think that’s what makes this project really special and personal.”
The historic collection includes a Mercator navigator’s calculator, the logbook of pilot Daniel Conway and the cap badge and wing patch of Bob Maynard, another former resident and RAAF officer. “A pilot’s logbook is his flying career,” says Ted. “Conway’s takes you from his Tiger Moth training to bombing raids over Germany, where he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. “To find something like that tucked away in storage is just incredible, the entire heritage group felt it should be on show so that everyone at the estate could share this history.”
And to say this project was a team effort is quite the understatement.
While Douglas Whitfield spent hours researching the aircraft instruments and creating the display plaques fellow resident Peter Sacuik, utilised the estate’s hobbyshop to craft the timber stand and carefully mount each instrument. “One altimeter is more than 100 years old, dating back to the First World War,” explains Ted. These are just incredible pieces of aviation history.”
Significantly, the group took time to ensure that the display honoured both the men and women who served in the RAAF. As a result, wartime recruitment posters calling for volunteers sit alongside panels telling the story of the Women’s Auxiliary Australian Air Force. “The WAAAF panel honours the thousands of women who volunteered in the war effort,” explains Ted. “They paved the way for women to serve in the RAAF today, including frontline pilots, and we didn’t want that to be forgotten.”
And from the feedback received so far, the group’s efforts are already being celebrated for the meticulous attention to detail that has gone into the project.
“We took particular care in the photographs included in the display,” adds Ted. “Every image used in the display was originally taken 80 years ago during WWII and I worked with AI technology to colour the photos, restoring vibrancy to faded uniforms and bringing young faces back to life. “We wanted to show these young men in the prime of their youth, in full colour, the way their families would have seen and remembered them.”
Fast-forward to today, and the finished display has already become a centrepiece of the estate, captivating residents with its mix of nostalgia and history. “The feedback has been wonderful,” admits estate manager Jade Lund. “The display has become a real talking point, it looks incredibly professional and our whole community can now appreciate each item and it’s fascinating history.”
And for Ted, working alongside his father Roger on the project has held special meaning. “To work beside my dad on this project, the man who taught me what service really means, as well as everyone else, well that has been very special,” he says.
The project has also given the heritage group an opportunity to acknowledge those at the estate who came before. “We would be remiss not to recognise David Oxley, who looked after that cabinet for more than 20 years,” adds Jade. “What the group has done has built tremendously on his dedication. At the end of the day, the heritage display is a reminder of the legacy that connects everyone at Meadow Springs.”
“Every name and each piece of the collection represents someone who served, or someone who never came home. If it makes just one person pause and consider what that generation sacrificed for the life we have today, we’ve done right by them. Not just on Anzac Day or Remembrance Day, but every single day.”