Australian pilot Gordon Tweedale died while defending Malta at the age of 24.Tomorrow marks the 98th anniversary of the ill-fated landings by British Empire and French troops on the Gallipoli peninsula in Turkey during the World War I.
Ever since that fateful day in 1915, the anniversary has been commemorated annually as Anzac Day in Australia and New Zealand. With the passage of time this commemoration has also come to include the casualties of other conflicts and peace-keeping operations.
It is not a celebration of war. It is the solemn commemoration and remembrance of lives that have been lost or shattered – as well as the physical, mental and social consequences of such conflicts.
During World War II, a number of Australian pilots participated in the defence of Malta.
One of these was Gordon Tweedale. He was born in Queensland, Australia, on April 18, 1918. After finishing school he did a stint as a junior clerk with an insurance company before taking up employment as a stockman on one of the many rural properties. He was also an accomplished poet and musician; he played the violin.
During his short time on the island, he was not only greatly liked among his fellow pilots but also managed to build up an impressive tally
As with many young men throughout the world, the gathering storm clouds in Europe were to have far-reaching consequences. In Tweedale’s case, it was to end in tragedy for his family.
He enlisted in the Royal Australian Air Force in Brisbane on July 19, 1940. His enlistment papers record that he was 22 years and three months old, was five feet and nine and a half inches tall and weighed 141 pounds. He was of medium complexion and had blue eyes and brown hair.
After initial training he ended up in England. In January 1942 he was promoted to Sergeant and appointed to No. 43 Squadron, but, due to lack of activity, he wasted no time in submitting a special application to be posted to Malta.
Before departing, he sent a letter to his family in which he mentioned that the island was reputed to be “the hottest place this side of hell”.
He flew to Gibraltar and on to Malta on a Sunderland flying boat which arrived at the island on February 21, 1942. This aircraft was due to fly out again that evening but was strafed by a Bf109, which caused damage to the starboard wing and tail section. Although repairable, rough seas aggravated the damage, to the extent that it sank two days later.
Upon arrival, Tweedale was attached to No. 185 Squadron based at Ħal Far. On March 9, he chased a Ju88 to within 16 kilometres of Sicily before managing to shoot it down. He was then pounced upon by a group of German fighters but managed to return to Malta even though he was completely out of ammunition. Despite being wounded in the left heel, he managed to crash-land his badly damaged Hurricane and was then taken to hospital where he was to stay for about three weeks.
Up until March 1942, the mainstay of Malta’s fighter defence was the Hawker Hurricane MkII. These were considered to be too slow and lightly armed to be very effective against the enemy aircraft. However, as of that same month, a number of Supermarine Spitfires MkV, armed with Hispano 20mm cannon, arrived from HMS Eagle.
Unfortunately, due to the intensity of combat over Malta and not being available in sufficient quantities, only a handful could be scrambled to intercept enemy aircraft at the best of times.
Also during March, convoy MW10, comprising of Breconshire, Clan Campbell, Pampas and Talabot, escorted by four cruisers, 16 destroyers and six submarines sailed for Malta. Regretfully, only three of the merchant ships reached the island – and all were sunk before they could be completely unloaded.
Many incriminations followed, as it was felt that more should have been done to unload the ships around the clock and hence ensure the safe delivery of their important cargo.
Air Marshall Sir Arthur Tedder, Air Officer Commanding Middle East, paid a brief visit to Malta on April 12.
While inspecting Ħal Far, the airfield was strafed by Bf109’s. Just three days later, on April 15, King George VI awarded the George Cross to the island fortress of Malta.
On April 20, the first big reinforcement of Spitfires, over 40 aircraft, arrived in Malta as part of Operation Calendar. Due to various factors they were reduced to some 17 serviceable aircraft within 48 hours of their arrival. During the morning of April 23, Tweedale shot down a Ju87 which crashed and came to rest on its back in shallow water in Marsaxlokk bay.
On May 7, a Sunderland flying boat of No. 10 Squadron Royal Australian Air Force, arrived at Marsaxlokk during an air raid, carrying the new Governor, Lord Gort. After a hurried handover, the former Governor, Lieutenant-General Dobbie and his family, boarded the aircraft which later departed for the UK.
May 9 saw the biggest ever attempt to reinforce Malta with Spitfires. Some 64 aircraft were flown off the aircraft carriers USS Wasp and HMS Eagle as part of Operation Bowery. Eleven of these Spitfires landed at Ħal Far at around 11am. One of these, BR248, had been flown to the island by Canadian Pilot Officer C.A. “CY” King.
At 1.12pm a formation of incoming enemy aircraft was being tracked in the Sector Operations Room at the Lascaris War Rooms. Among the aircraft scrambled to intercept them were five Spitfires from No. 185 Squadron. One of the pilots who scrambled to intercept this raid was Tweedale, who up until this point in time had only flown Hurricanes.
Indeed, after having flown the Spitfire BR248 to Malta, CY King remained in the aircraft pen with Tweedale in order to explain how the aircraft performed and answer any questions he may have had.
However, his lack of adequate hands-on experience with Spitfires most probably contributed to his being shot down and killed.
His aircraft came down in Saviour Street, Lija, where it caused the death of 8109 Gunner Seraphim Cauchi of 30 Battery, 3rd Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Malta Artillery.
He was the 29-year-old son of Nicolò and Michelina Cauchi (née Camilleri) and was buried at the Pietà Military Cemetery – where today’s commemorative ceremony is being held.
Tweedale was buried at the Malta Naval Cemetery in Kalkara and on December 1942, he was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Flying Medal and promoted to Flying Officer.
During his short time on the island, he was not only greatly liked among his fellow pilots but also managed to build up an impressive tally – seven aircraft destroyed, two damaged and two probables.
After the war, the Malta Girl Guides Association sent an offer through the Australian branch of the Red Cross to visit any graves of Australian servicemen on behalf of their relatives, in appreciation for help received from the Girl Guides of Australia towards the rebuilding of their war-damaged headquarters.
Even after the Girl Guides halted this activity, Margo Bonello faithfully continued to place flowers on the graves every year until recently.
Last December, several relatives of Tweedale made the trip from Australia to pay their respects at his graveside. Such pilgrimages prove that the sacrifices brought upon families are not forgotten despite the passing of time. They also serve to foster relations between peoples from different nations around the world.