Page 42 - May 2019

Historical
Alf Barlow

and

Lancaster

‘Popeye’

by Charles Page

On 21 July 2004, the people of and discharged on 17 August 1942. Douglas Hancock (wireless operator),
Papendrecht, Netherlands honoured After turning 18, Alf enlisted in the Flt Sgt Samuel Kirkland (bomb aimer),
the crew of Lancaster ND913, ‘Popeye’ RAAF on 6 October 1942, and was and Sgt Arthur Middleton (mid upper
which had crashed 60 years previous. posted to No.4 Initial Training School, gunner). They were later joined by Sgt
The Dutch people had an undying Victor Harbor. He trained at No.1 Herbert Luton (flight engineer). At 19, Alf
respect for Allied servicemen who gave Wireless Air Gunners School, Ballarat was the youngest in the crew.
their lives, and the townspeople had and then No.3 Bombing and Gunnery The crew flew fighter affiliation and
taken the seven crew into their hearts, School, West Sale, flying in Oxfords and cross-country exercises, ending with the
and had tended the graves ever since Fairey Battles. He was above average ‘Bulls Eye’ night exercise. Final training
the crash. in gunnery, and was awarded his Air was given on Lancasters at 1678
The crew came close to surviving the Gunner badge on 24 June 1943. Heavy Conversion Unit, Waterbeach,
war, with only four operations remaining Alf was destined for Bomber Cambridgeshire.
in their Bomber Command tour. Two Command, and on 30 August 1943, On 29 March 1944, Alf and his
of the crew were Australian. The pilot, he embarked at Melbourne, bound crew joined 115 Squadron at RAF
Flying Officer Colin Clarey was a for UK. The usual route was by ship Witchford, near Ely, Cambridgeshire.
30-year-old Queenslander, married with to San Francisco, train to New York, In preparation for the invasion, Bomber
three children, while the rear gunner, and then troopship across the North Command had switched targets from
Flight Sergeant Charles Alfred Barlow, Atlantic to Firth of Clyde, Scotland. Germany to France. The new crew’s
was from Western Australia. He disembarked on 9 October, and first operation was to the Paris area,
Charles (Alf) Barlow was born in travelled by train to 11 Personnel and further ‘Ops’ included Wissant,
Wagin on 17 August 1924. The family Dispatch Reception Centre, Brighton, Gris Nez, Courtrai, Boulogne, Aachen
later moved to Mt Hawthorn, Perth, where RAAF crews stayed at the Grand and Caen.
where Alf attended Perth Boys School or Metropole Hotel, awaiting further On 6 June, ‘D’ Day, they bombed
and Senior Technical College. He posting. Alf enjoyed a short leave, with the big guns near Lisieux with 18 x
excelled at football, cricket, and skating, a visit to London, Australia House and 500lb bombs. Navigator Ted Line wrote:
and gained his Junior Certificate. After the Boomerang Club, and there were ‘Dawn had just broken and it was a
leaving school, he was taken on as a always plenty of dances and cosy marvellous sight to see the solid stream
junior machinery assembler (tractors English pubs. of Lancs, black against the white cloud.
and harvesters) at Massey Harris, It was a short respite for Alf, who We were the privileged ones because
Maylands. was soon posted to No.84 Operational ours was the last attack before the boys
Alf was one of the first to join Training Unit at Desborough, landed. As we approached, we could
the Air Training Corps, enrolling Northamptonshire. There he was given see the hundreds of boats waiting for us
with 77 Squadron, Claremont on 27 further gunnery training on Wellingtons, to finish. We bombed, and as we turned
November 1941. He passed his Stage 1 and crewed up with F/O Colin Clarey for home, the boats were approaching
Proficiency, was promoted to Corporal, (pilot), Sgt Edward Line (navigator), Sgt the coast. The guns we had bombed

42