Aerodrome memorial call

THE Evans Head Aerodrome is the ideal place for a public memorial to Bomber Command in Australia for the Australians who served in it, Evans Head Memorial Aerodrome Committee president Richard Gates believes.

No.1 Bomber and Gunnery School at Evans Head was the beginning of the Empire Air Training Scheme, so many of those who graduated from Evans Head went to Bomber Command where they joined RAF squadrons to fill in gaps left by lost crew, rather than joining RAAF squadrons, Dr Gates said.

"Bomber Command had high mortality rates of approximately 50%, which explains the high casualty rate of those who trained at Evans Head where more than 1000 personnel were lost, representing one-fifth of all RAAF losses during WWII," Dr Gates said. "The Evans Head Memorial Aerodrome Committee and the Evans Head Living Museum are working to gain that recognition through National Listing of the aerodrome.