WONZ 282 – David Barnston

Guest: Flt Lt David Barnston, RAF/RNZAF retired Host: Dave Homewood Recorded: 1st of September 2023 Published: 10th of September 2023 Duration: 1 hour 17 minutes, 47 seconds In this episode Dave Homewood talks with 99-year old fighter pilot veteran David Barnston, who was born in London, and went to school next to RAF Hendon as a lad. He joined the Royal Air Force when he was 17-years-old, and trained as a pilot on Tiger Moths in Guinea Fowl, near Bulawayo in Southern Rhodesia, and advanced to Harvards at No. 22 SFTS at Thornhill at Gwelo (now called Gweru). After a spell in Durban he was sent to India destined to be posted onto the Vultee Vengeance bombers, but discovered on arrival these aircraft had already departed. After going from pillar to post around India he was sent back to Africa and ended up doing a fighter Operation Training Unit course on Hawker Hurricanes at Ishmailia, in Egypt. Once he was qualified on fighters he returned to India and eventually joined No. 123 (East India) Squadron at Yelahanka, where he began flying Republic P-47D Thunderbolts. The squadron moved up to the Arakan in Burma and he flew operationally in Thunderbolts from September 1944 till March 1945. He was then sent home to Britain for a furlough leave. When he returned in July 1945 his squadron had been renumbered as No. 81 Squadron. In October 1945 No. 81 Squadron and another Thunderbolt squadron, plus a Mosquito squadron, moved to Java in the Dutch East Indies to get involved in the war called the  Indonesian National Revolution, or the Indonesian War of Independence. There they were involved in keeping ‘safe roads’ clear from rebels who were attempting an uprising so the refugees trying to get to the coast to escape could do so in safety. David flying Spitfire XVI SM750