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SWIFT TO DESTROY – An Illustrated History of 77 Squadron RAAF 1942-2012 [34.9MB PDF file]
AIR FORCE 100 PROJECT
The Royal Australian Air Force marks its 100 years as an independent service on 31 March 2021.
See: Air Force 100 – Centenary of Air Force Website
As part of this Centenary, in cooperation with the Fighter Squadrons Branch of the Air Force Association, the UON’s Cultural Collection/GLAMx team will be assembling historical narratives for the potential use of University of Newcastle Work Integrated Learning Student Projects to create a series of podcasts.
No. 77 Squadron (Williamtown) Living Histories
Fighter Squadrons Branch of the Air Force Association hold an archive of Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) documents, photographs and artefacts connected with the RAAF fighter squadrons and RAAF Williamtown. They are planning to digitise their archive and eventually make it accessible to the public through their our Living Histories @ UON and their own website https://fsb.raafansw.org.au/.
The No. 77 Squadron at Williamtown (N.S.W) has been in continuous operation since its formation in 1942. The No. 77 Squadron Chapter of the Association has an active interest in preserving that squadron’s history, and have (to date) published three editions of the squadron history in book form, ‘Swift to Destroy’, which is also the motto of the squadron.
Last year, the current Commanding Officer, Wing Commander Jason Easthope, agreed to provide the 77 Squadron Chapter with access to a large number of photographs compiled in a number of large photo albums kept over many years in the squadron crew room.
However, they needed some expert assistance to scope the task and develop a plan to digitise the squadron photo albums. If this proves successful they plan to move on to their other artefacts in forthcoming projects.
In May 2020 representatives of the Fighter Squadrons Branch approached the UON about whether we could help with their project, following recent publicity about the digital pioneering work being undertaken in the University of Newcastle Cultural Collection’s GLAMx Living Histories Digitisation Laboratory (in the Auchmuty Library).
From there a project team has been convened with Fighter Squadrons Branch reps, Cultural Collections/GLAMx, UON Student and volunteers to move the project forward.
As an introduction to the history of the 77 Squadron from 1942 – 2012 please download the free eBook kindly provided to the University’s researchers, students and wider community by the No. 77 Squadron Chapter of the Air Force Association.
We thank Alan Wylie for his assistance in compiling this introduction to the Air Force 100 Project.
Project Team Members
Peter Ring (No. 77 Squadron)
Alan Wylie (No. 77 Squadron)
Lesley Gent (No. 77 Squadron – Historian)
Anwar Karim (No. 77 Squadron)
William Chen Greentree (UON Student)
Ashlea Oliver (UON Alumnus – GLAM Museology)
Dr Ann Hardy (UON GLAMx Lab/WIL Coordinator)
Gionni Di Gravio (UON Archivist)
This post was compiled from historical materials provided by Lesley C. Gent, OAM, Historian and Archivist, No. 77 Squadron Branch for the Air Force 100 Project.
Prepared for the UON’s Hunter Living Histories by Gionni Di Gravio, OAM.
Air Force 100 Project: No. 77 Squadron Histories category link https://hunterlivinghistories.com/category/air-force-100/
For further information: Email Lesley Gent, Historian and Archivist, 77 Squadron kresilas@bigpond.net.au
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