Australia Service Medal : Leading Aircraftman A O Brealey, 452 Squadron, RAAF

Australia Service Medal. Impressed around edge with recipient's details.

Associated with the service of 46389 Leading Aircraftman Arthur Oliver Brealey. Brealey was born in Boulder, Western Australia on 21 June 1908. He was 33 years old when he enlisted with the RAAF at Kalgoorlie, WA on 12 February 1942. By the end of 1942, Brealey was training with 4 Recruiting Centre, Perth as aircraftman class 1. Before enlistment Brealey was an engine driver and had eleven years experience of internal combustion engines.

Brealey spent most of his service with the RAAF in Australia as a flight mechanic. He later upgraded to fitter IIE and was promoted to leading aircraftman. On 8 June 1944 Brealey transferred to 452 Squadron, which moved to Sattler in the Northern Territory in July. The protection of Darwin had been handed over to two Royal Air Force squadrons, allowing 452 Squadron to be employed in a ground attack role for the rest of the war.

Initially, the squadron operated against targets in the Dutch East Indies from Sattler but on 11 December 1944, it joined the 1st Tactical Air Force and relocated to Morotai in the Indies to support Australian operations in Borneo. The squadron's ground staff established themselves at the newly captured airfield on Tarakan on 10 May 1945, but the state of the landing field meant that it was not fit for the squadron's aircraft to arrive there until 29 June. They began operational sorties the next day. Following the landing at Balikpapan on 1 July, a detachment of 452 Squadron aircraft moved there on 15 July to support the land campaign. The squadron's last sorties of the war were flown on 10 August 1945. 452 Squadron disbanded on 17 November 1945. Brealey was demobilized on 1 February 1946.