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Jim's War Diaries

From the Iron Lung

Flight Lieutenant Jim Vickers-Willis (#409626 RAAF) served Australia proud during the second World War. He became an RAAF Flying Instructor based in Canada. In his autobiography ‘The Magic of Life’ Jim says he firmed up his idea of "joining the [air force] after we had our first 16-mile route march in the Army (before breakfast!)” Jim flew Harvards, Hurricanes, Mosquitos, and Spitfires.

Before War, Jim was a cadet journalist. Not surprisingly he kept diaries during his service years - what are now a unique historical eyewitness account. Jim's diaries are available to read via the FREE download link at right.

Like today’s reality TV shows, Jim's diaries provide a unique and intimate insight into typical day to day life of RAAF service men - revealing his training, his duties, his thoughts, his adventures, his loves, his hopes, his fears, his guilt, his Aussie humour, and the tragedies of his war.

Below are some quotes taken from the diaries, to give you a small glimpse of the moment in time revealed in Jim's dairies.

“Each morning we are supposed to get up at 6.15 for physical training, but as we don’t get enough sleep we dodge it when possible (i.e. usually). Those who go on the physical training parade have to sign their names on a list to show they were there. The list is left in the hall while the instructors are conducting the physical training and thereby hangs a tale. Usually one or two of us get up and wait till everyone is outside bending and stretching then quietly enter by the back door and sign the names of all the Aussies! Deep snores echo from our hut while outside they puff.”

“Today, I had my first trip in a Mosquito……Went solo after three more circuits and then pranged….I thought I’d had it.” (see post-crash photo at right).

“This morning a couple of pupils had a collision while dog fighting and one crashed in flames and was killed and the other managed to get down, but attempted to make a forced landing with his wheels down and pranged badly, going over on his back. However, he got out all right….In that crash the instructor, Flight Lieutenant Patterson, did a pretty good job. When the planes collided, the pupil's cockpit top was jammed and he could not bale out. Patterson could have baled out and left the plane to crash (it was practically out of control) but he stuck to the plane and managed to make a forced landing, and so saved the pupil's life - a good show."

“…..flew over a place where a couple of Canadian girls I know live and looped and rolled, did rolls off the top (immelmans) stall turns, etc… It was just sheer showing off and it is the first time I have done this in a plane, but it made me feel better. Later I found out the girls were not in!”

“At mess, we are supposed to wear ties and jackets. Although most of the Englishmen, Canadians, Americans, etc. etc. obey this regulation, none of the Aussies do and turn up in shorts with open shirts. Today, when we arrived for lunch, Corporals were on duty and sent all the Aussies back to put on the regulation uniform. The boys came back wearing their ties as bow-ties, with their hats on sideways like highwaymen, or pushed out at the top cowboy fashion, trousers rolled half way to the knees, etc. The whole mess was in fits as they came parading in past the NCO’s.”

“… I wasn't quite sure where we were when we were some distance from the drome and as I [the flying instructor] didn't want to let him know I was lost I told him to set a course for home and left him to it….We got there O.K.”

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A link to some very interesting profiles of more than 50 other RAAF service men - predominantly from World War II - is included at right (click on LINKS).