WWII veteran Mr Ronald Harry Leckie will spend his 99th birthday marching in the ANZAC Parade. The former RAAF Navigator and St Ives resident has marched every year, with the exception of 2020.
“ANZAC Day always has a special significance to me, not only a time I remember the wonderful friendships I made during the war and the fallen comrades during and after, but it is also my birthday, 99 this year in the 100th year of the RAAF,” Leckie says.
Ronald Leckie enlisted in the Royal Australian Air Force in 1942 when he was 20 years old. He joined No. 31 Squadron as a Navigator and Flying Officer, eventually receiving the rank of Flight Lieutenant during his service.
The 31st Squadron formed on the 14th of August 1942 at RAAF Base Wagga Wagga. It consisted of 30 pilots and navigators and 100 airmen who serviced and supported the planes in the squadron. The squadron was equipped with Bristol Beaufighters, a twin-engine strike aircraft that was commonly used by the RAAF in both the North West and South West Pacific theatres of war. The heavily armed aircraft had long ranges and were ideal for surprise attacks. It required only two people (a pilot and a navigator) to operate it.
Leckie commenced his training at Wagga Wagga in November 1942. His squadron was soon moved to Coomalie Creek in the Northern Territory. For the next two years, Coomalie Creek served as the main operational base, allowing the squadron to patrol the northern coast of Australia and raid enemy shipping, shore installations and airfields.
The squadron’s first combat operation took place on the 17th of November 1942, when six Beaufighters raided Japanese positions in Timor. On the 2nd of December, the 31stSquadron raided Penfoei and caught 40 Japanese fighters and bombers on the ground. During the surprise attack, the 31st Squadron destroyed eighteen enemy aircraft without loss to themselves. In February 1942, the squadron inflicted another successful strike, destroying twelve enemy aircraft and damaging ten, despite facing intense anti-aircraft fire.
In late 1943, the 31st Squadron’s base was moved to Noemfoor, Papua. From here, Leckie and his squadron attacked Japanese positions in Borneo, Celebes and Halmahera Islands, by conducting strikes on enemy airfields, shipping, stores and troop concentrations.
“Flights to attack the enemy were long, averaging between four to five hours. Our Squadron was always in close contact, where possible, with our very brave soldiers hiding in jungles and attacking the Japanese in Timor and other islands,” says Leckie.
By the time hostilities had ceased on the 15th of August 1945, the squadron had flown 2,660 offensive sorties, destroyed 74 enemy aircraft and damaged 46. The squadron had also destroyed nine ships and damaged four. Leckie’s individual flying time in the war was 651 hours, mainly in action and in the Beaufighter.
Immediately following the cessation of hostilities, Leckie and his squadron formed part of the occupation force in Japan. During this time, Leckie and his colleagues also caught the train to Hiroshima.
The 31st Squadron was disbanded at RAAF Williamtown, NSW, on the 6th of July 1946. Leckie returned home to marry his sweetheart, Joyce (née) Lloyd, who he had met in Narromine during training exercises. Joyce served in the Women’s Auxiliary Australian Air Force (WAAAF).
Ronald Leckie now has three sons, eight grandchildren and two great grandchildren.
