Forage cap : Flight Sergeant S A Carr, Royal Australian Air Force

Places
Accession Number REL34821.001
Collection type Heraldry
Object type Headdress
Physical description Oxidised brass, Plastic, Polished cotton, Velveteen, Wool barathea
Maker Unknown
Place made Australia
Date made c 1940-1944
Conflict Second World War, 1939-1945
Description

RAAF blue wool barathea forage cap with oxidised brass other rank's cap badge attached to the front left side and pair of black plastic RAAF buttons. The crown opening has been sewn up with large black running stitches in heavy black thread. The crown is lined with brown polished cotton twill which bears various white stencilled markings, of which only the broad arrow acceptance mark is now clearly visible. The inside edge of the cap has a sweat band of dark blue cotton velveteen.

History / Summary

Associated with the service of Sidney Alwyn Carr, born 16 April 1920, at Port Lincoln, South Australia. Carr was a trainee motor mechanic when he enlisted in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) on 14 May 1940, and trained as a Fitter IIE, qualifying in Wasp rotary engine maintenance in February 1941. He was promoted to leading aircraftman in July 1941; to corporal in August 1942; sergeant in June 1944, when he also qualified as a flight engineer; and to flight sergeant on December 1944. In May 1945, after completing officer training he was commissioned as a pilot officer. Apart from a brief period attached to 24 Squadron in 1942, then operating Wirraways out of Townsville, Carr served with 11 Squadron, operating Catalina aircraft out of Rathmines from May 1942, and finally with the newly raised 42 Squadron, from August 1944, also operating Catalinas. When Carr first transferred to the latter unit the squadron was flying out of Melville Island in the Northern Territory, on reconnaissance and escort duties to New Guinea, and later in mine laying operations over the Celebes in the Dutch East Indies. By the beginning of 1945 most of the squadron’s aircraft had moved to Morotai, again involved in mining laying in Brunei Bay, Tarakan, Sanadakan, Surabaya and the Philippines. At the end of the war, in August 1945, the squadron helped in the evacuation of prisoners of war from Manila in the Philippines, and returning army personnel from Labuan in the Dutch East Indies. Pilot Officer Carr was discharged on 29 November 1945.