No. 1 Squadron RAAF Goes to War in Malaya

On 26 July 1950, No. 1 Squadron of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) conducted its first operations in support of Operation FIREDOG, the British Commonwealth’s air operations against insurgents during the Malayan Emergency. The operation consisted of two missions. The first operation involved two GAF Lincolns (A73-36 and A73-31), which dropped 20 1,000-pound bombs from an altitude of 5,000 feet in the Kota Tinggi area. The attack was commanded by the commanding officer of No. 1 Squadron, Squadron Leader Len Williamson. The second mission saw another two Lincolns (A73-39 and A73-31) attack targets in the Yong Peng area. This time, the attack was a combination of dropping bombs (20 x 1000lb bombs) from 5,000 feet and strafing. The Operations Record Book for 26 July noted that the British Army reported the attack on Yong Pend had been successful, while the success of the raid on Kota Tinggi was yet to be reported. These operations took place just 10 days after No. 1 Squadron arrived at Royal Air Force (RAF) Tengah in Singapore on 17 July 1950.

#OTDIH – No. 1 Squadron RAAF Goes to War in Malaya

Regards

Ross