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The Second World War
Old Haleians who lost their lives serving with the Royal Air Force and the Royal Australian Air Force during the course of the Second World War, in the European Theatre of Operations.Plaque No 44:
Astley Cooper
Astley Cooper lived in Albany and attended Hale School in the mid-1930s
After leaving school he joined the Union (Commonwealth) Bank and worked there until he was recruited as a cadet in 1937 by the British Royal Air Force.
He travelled to England in company with Wally Kyle and Hughie Edwards (both later to become governors of Western Australia) and began pilot training in 1938, just prior to the commencement of World War II hostilities.
Tragically Astley was killed in a training accident over Wales in that same year. He was 20 years of age.
Laid by his cousin, Mrs Kathleen Rigg, assisted by her sons John and Peter Rigg.
Plaque No 45:
Charles Lee Steere (Hale School 1921-1926)
He was the son of Sir Charles Lee Steere, a pastoralist of Toodyay who attended Hale School from 1881 to 1883.
The younger Charles attended Hale from 1921 to 1926 and then went on to attend Oxford University where he gained a 'blue' for athletics.
While working on the family estate in Surrey he joined the Royal Auxilliary Air Force and trained as a pilot. He was then posted to number 601 City of London squadron, flying Hurricane fighters. He was posted 'missing' while covering the British Army's retreat toward Dunkirk in 1940. He was 30 years of age.
Laid by his sister, Mrs Muriel DawkinsPlaque No 46:
R.Y. (Roderick) Lee-Steere
He was a younger brother of Charles. He attended Hale School in the mid 1920s and was best known for his rowing prowess.
He joined the navy on the outbreak of hostilities and served as an officer on corvettes in the Atlantic and Mediterranean Theatres.
The ship on which Lieutenant Lee Steere was returning to Australia and the South-West Pacific Theatre was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine in 1944 and Roderick was lost at sea.
Later, Hale School won at least one Head of the River race in the 1950s in a racing VIII, donated by the Lee Steere family and named the 'Roderick Lee Steere'.
Laid by his sister, Mrs Muriel Dawkins
Plaque No 47:
B.R.R. (Rinian) Rutherford
He lived in Subiaco and attended Hale School in the late 1920s. His mother was the Matron at the Hale School boarding house in
After leaving school 'Rinny' attended St George's College at UWA.
He joined up early in 1941 and after graduating from No. 11 course of the Empire Air Training Scheme at Cunderdin he was posted to England for further training on heavier aircraft.
He was killed while flying from an aerodrome in Yorkshire on the 19th May 1942. He was 22 years of age. Less than three months later his brother Allan was also killed while flying a bomber aircraft.
Laid by his nephew, Mr Rinian Rutherford
Plaque No 48:
P.R. (Phillip) Mitchell (Hale School 1931-1932)
He was a red-headed boarder from Narrogin. He was a nephew of the then Premier of the State, Sir James Mitchell.
He attended Hale School in 1931 and 1932 and when war broke out he trained as a pilot in Western Australia before sailing to England .
He trained for service in bomber aircraft before joining the Royal Air Force No. 12 Squadron flying Wellingtons .
He was posted missing after a hazardous night-time operation laying sea mines in the Kiel Bay area of Germany on 26th September 1942. He was 26 years of age.
Laid by Haleian, Mr Vic Ferry who was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross during the war for operations with No 578 Squadron of the Royal Air Force.
Plaque No 49:
Hugo Throssell Armstrong (Hale School 1929-1932)
He was named after his uncle, Hugo Throssell, a Victoria Cross winner on Gallipoli during the first World War. "Hoogie" lived in Cottesloe and attended Hale School from 1929 to 1932.
He left school to work for the family in their motor vehicle business. He gained a reputation as a fanatical racing driver. It was a family joke that he put petrol in his cereal for breakfast. His father disapproved so Hoogie merely changed his name and went on racing.
He was to be one of the first to join the RAAF after the outbreak of war and after training on Tiger Moths at Cunderdin he sailed for England and joined No 452 Squadron as a Spitfire pilot. Eventually he was promoted to command an English squadron, No 611 and was awarded two Distinguished Flying Crosses after scoring 12 confirmed 'kills' and a string of probables.
On his 150th operation over enemy territory on the 5th February 1943 he was forced to bale out of his aircraft. It is thought probable that he hit the tailplane and was fatally injured. He was 25 years of age.
Laid by a good friend at school, and also in No.1 Empire Air Training Scheme course in 1940, Mr Selwyn Clark, himself a fighter pilot and also a worthy recipient of the Distinguished Flying Cross in World War II
Plaque No 50:
D.T. (Dudley) Everett (Hale School 1924-1929)
He attended Hale School from 1924 to 1929. He was in both the 1st XI and 1st XVIII.
After school he qualified as an accountant and represented the state as a cricketer.
Before the war he was also a prominent member of the Aero Club and upon the outbreak of war was mobilised as a flying instructor.
Eventually he was posted to the Central Flying School in England but while en route he test flew several aircraft in Canada and it was while on one of these flights he crashed and was killed on the 3rd May 1943. He was 31 years of age.
Laid by his nephew, Mr Godfrey Everett.
Plaque No 51:
E.F. ('Ned') Kirwan (Entered Hale School 1922)
He was the son of the President of the Legislative Council of Western Australia, Sir John Kirwan.
He attended Hale School as a boarder from Kalgoorlie from 1922 onward.
Later, he and his brother John transferred from Hale School to Downside School in Somerset in England and both boys joined the Royal Air Force after the outbreak of the war.
He served with number 540 Squadron Photo Reconnaissance Squadron and flew in Mosquito aircraft on more than 50 operations over enemy territory. He was killed on 11th July 1943 when his aircraft was badly damaged and he was forced to crash land after making it back to his Scottish base. He was aged 28 years.
Laid by his cousin, Dr Michael Quinlan.
Plaque No 52:
A.F. (Frank) Shapcott
He lived in Crawley . His father was a prominent civil servant (Head of State Gardens Board) and was directly responsible for Royal Fresh Water Bay Yacht Club acquiring the Keane Point site on which their premises now stand.
He was a member of the Commonwealth Air Force prior to the war and upon the outbreak was posted to New Guinea as a Squadron Leader on administration duties.
Early in 1941 he resigned his commission and re-mustered the following day to train as a pilot at Cunderdin and Geraldton. He was then posted to Ireland for final training on Wellington torpedo bombers.
Upon graduation he was transferred to operations in Scotland but was accidentally killed during a familiarisation flight on the 8th August 1943. He was 29 years of age.
Laid by his sister, Mrs Elaine Connell of Geraldton, assisted by Mr Anthony Horn.
Plaque No 53:
G.W. (Guy) Ward
He came to Hale as a boarder from York where his father was the local doctor. Guy was a prefect at School, a member of the 1sts cricket, football and swimming teams.
Following one year of his medical course he enlisted as a pilot trainee in No 9 course at Cunderdin. After gaining his wings on twin-engined aircraft at Geraldton, Guy travelled to England and was eventually posted to No. 102 Squadron, Royal Air Force, to fly Halifax bombers over Germany .
On his 10th operational flight his aircraft was shot down over Nuremburg on the 11th August 1943. He was 21 years of age.
At Hale today the Guy Ward prize is still awarded annually to the boarder who has shown the most outstanding leadership qualities throughout the year.
Laid by Mrs Jenny Fowler, Mrs Susan Denham and Mr Tim Boyle,
his nieces and nephew.Plaque No 54:
W.C. (Cyril) Nelson (Hale School 1928-1930)
He attended Hale School as a boarder from the wheatbelt town of Tammin , between 1928 and 1930.
He joined up in 1940 and after completing his flying training at Cunderdin and Geraldton and then in England , he was eventually posted to No 50 Squadron of the Royal Air Force to fly Lancaster bombers.
He was killed in action on the 23rd September 1943. He was 29 years of age.
Laid by his brother Mr John Nelson, assisted by his son David.
Plaque No 55:
Ken A. Sinclair (Hale School 1933-1938)
He lived in the Bunbury region at Picton Junction. He attended Hale School between 1933 and 1938 with the nickname of "Spud".
After leaving school, He worked for the stock agents Goldsborough Mort in Bridgetown .
He joined the Royal Australian Air Force on the 21st June 1941 and subsequently trained as a navigator.
He then embarked for Canada and England in October 1942 and was then posted to No 630 Squadron of the Royal Air Force.
He was killed over Brunswick , Germany on 23rd May 1944. He was 22 years of age.
Laid by Haleian Mr Tony Craig, a Distinguished Flying Cross recipient as a bomber pilot during the war, and a friend of the Sinclair family
Plaque No 56:
Kim Roberts (Hale School 1936-1940)
He was a boarder from Bunbury. He attended Hale School between 1936 and 1940, was a prefect, the stroke of the Head of the River crew, was in the football, boxing and athletics teams and was a member of the School cadet unit.
He joined up in 1940 and after training on various types of aircraft was posted to No 619 Squadron of the Royal Air Force, flying Lancaster aircraft.
He was subsequently awarded a Distinguished Flying Cross for operations over Occupied Europe but was shot down on his penultimate flight on the night of D-Day in June 1944, close to the village of Auvers in Normandy . He was 21 years of age.
A memorial now stands for Kim in the village churchyard of Auvers.
Laid by his Haleian brother, Mr Newton Roberts, his sister, Mrs Moya Rotheray, assisted by his Haleian nephew, Mr Kim Roberts Junior.
Plaque No 57:
Lindesay R. Brine
He lived in Mount Lawley and was the son of Mr Bill Brine who was Chairman of the Board of Governors at the time that this land was purchased at Wembley Downs for a future School site. Brine House is named after Bill Brine, who did so much for the School in the difficult years during the 1930s.
He attended Hale between 1934 and 1939 then began an engineering course at UWA in 1940.
He joined the Royal Australian Air Force in 1941 and after training in Canada and then instructing in the United Kingdom for two and a half years he was posted to No 467 Squadron of the Royal Australian Air Force for a tour of operations.
After only several flights, however, he and his crew were killed over Zwillbroek on the Dutch/German border on the 22nd June 1944. He was 22 years of age.
Laid by his niece, Jennifer Brine.
Plaque No 58:
(Dr) W.T. (Bill) Cuthbertson (Hale School 1922-1931)
He lived in West Perth and attended Hale with his two brothers from 1922 to 1931. He had the unique distinction of being DUX of the School in both 1930 and 1931, seventy years ago.
After gaining his Master of Science degree from UWA he sailed for England and there completed his PhD before embarking on a career as a research scientist.
He joined the Royal Air Force and trained as a navigator, being posted eventually to No 101 Squadron for operations on Lancaster aircraft.
His aircraft was shot down on the 29th June 1944. He was 29 years of age.
Laid by his cousin Sir Ronald Wilson.
Plaque No 59:
Harry Hale (Hale School 1930-1938)
Lived in Cottesloe and attended Hale School from 1930 to 1938.
He trained as a lawyer then joined the air force in 1942. He was subsequently posted to England and then joined No 625 Squadron of the Royal Air Force.
He was killed over the English Channel on the 1st July, 1944. He was 22 years of age.
Laid by a close friend at School in the 1930s, Mr Peter Salmon, the Senior Vice-President of the 2/28th Australian Infantry Battalion Association in Western Australia .
Plaque No 60:
J.T. (James) Lowe (Hale School 1935-1937)
He came to Hale as a boarder from 1935 to 1937. After leaving School he worked for the Bank of New South Wales before joining up late in 1941.
After training in Australia and Canada he sailed to England and was eventually posted as a bomb aimer to number 15 Squadron of the Royal Air Force at Mildenhall.
After three months on operations his aircraft was destroyed over Germany on 4th December 1944. He was 22 years of age.
Laid by his brother, Mr Peter Lowe.
Plaque No 61:
B.H. ( Burton ) Elliot (Hale School 1940-1941)
He attended Hale School from Kalgoorlie in 1940 and 1941. He was a prefect in his final year.
He joined up and trained as a navigator, then was posted for service with No 467 Squadron of the Royal Australian Air Force.
On the night of the 2nd February 1945, He managed to parachute from his stricken aircraft and successfully reached the ground. His aircraft, however, crashed closeby and Burton lost his life in the ensueing explosion. He was 21 years of age.
Laid by his cousin Mr Brien Taylor of Katanning,
himself an operational pilot during the 2nd World War.Plaque No 62:
W.H.P. (Bill) Mitchell
He lived in South Perth and attended Hale School in the mid 1930s. He was the Dux of his form in Year 10 but a later report records a slight decline: "A boy with abundant ability but with attention detracted from his work by his interest in girls."
Bill enlisted in 1921and trained as a pilot before subsequently being posted to No 192 Squadron of the Royal Air Force.
He lost his life flying over Germany on the 23rd February 1945. He was 24 years of age.
Laid by Mr Don Meredith, himself a World War operational pilot in England , India and Burma and the South-West Pacific Theatres of Operations. Mr Meredith is a Past President of the Highgate Branch of the R.S.L., a body who have been very helpful in promulgating the Hale School Memorial Grove project.
Plaque No 63:
J. (Keith) Vickers (Hale School 1939-1940)
He attended Hale School in 1939 and 1940 and was in the 1941 Head of the River rowing crew.
After leaving school he worked at the AMP Society for a short time until he joined the air force.
He trained at Cunderdin and the Geraldton before being posted to the United Kingdom for further pilot training on heavier aircraft.
On the 8th April 1945, while on night flying exercise near Oxford , he crashed and was killed. He was 21 years of age.
He was one of the 42% of pilots who lost their life in training exercise during the war.
Laid by his niece, Mrs Judith Andrews.
Plaque No 64:
J.R.B. (James) Williams
We know little of J.R.B. (James) Williams. He spent some time at Hale School and then joined the RAAF during the war.
He reached the rank of Flight Sergeant (No 415709) and had joined the 20th Operational Training Unit when he was killed on the 23rd January 1944 in England . He was 33 years of age.
Plaque No 65:
Plt Off. D. (Danny) McDaniel (Hale School 1925-1932)
No 1 E.A.T.S. RAAF
Died On Active Service
Aden , Egypt
1940, aged 24 yearsHe was from a pearling family in Broome. His father was one of the well know pearling masters in the early days of the industry. Danny attended Hale School as a boarder from 1925 to 1932. He was captain of both the School's swimming and life saving teams. He was a member of the Royal Life Saving Society's team which won the London Trophy against teams from all over Australia .
When war broke out he applied to join the air force and was accepted into the Number 1 course of the Empire Air Training Scheme to train as a pilot. After initial training he was posted to the United Kingdom for further training.
Following this he unfortunately fell ill and his journey looked like it may be delayed. However, he covered up his condition and embarked for the long voyage. On the way his illness worsened and he was put off at Aden in the Suez Canal where he died from a ruptured appendix late in 1941.
Today one of the pearling luggers that can be seen in the Broome tourist precinct has been named the "D Mc D" in his memory.
Dedicated by his family.
Laid by a nephew, Haleian Mr Dan McDaniel (who is a Vietnam veteran) supported by Mr Selwyn Clark DFC, a friend of Danny's at School and a fellow member of the No 1 Empire Air Training Scheme during the early years of the war.to the Middle East Theatre Plaques
Havelock Street,West Perth .
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MEMORIAL GROVE
Pre WW1 (1)
WW1
Western Front (16-43)
WW2
RAAF/RAF (44-65)
Middle East (66-83)
South West Pacific (84-121)
Korea (122-123)
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