Australian veterans receive Legion of Honour 2005

[Kyt]

A bit of an old story but I found it whilst looking for information on 10 Squadron.

http://www.dva.gov.au/vetaffairs/mar2005/page1.pdf

As Australia and her allies gear up to mark the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II, six Australian veterans have been awarded France’s greatest decoration, the Legion of Honour.

Five of the WWII veterans were decorated by the French Minister for Veterans’ Affairs, Hamlaoui Mekachera, in a ceremony at the Australian War Memorial attended by Australia’s Veterans’ Affairs Minister, De-Anne Kelly Royal Australian Navy veterans Frank Appleton and Bernard Nelson, and RAAF veterans Tom Hughes, Sir Brian Inglis and William Kaus received the prestigious French honour in recognition of the service of Australians during the liberation of France.

Australian Army veteran Leslie Coleman was unable to attend the Legion of Honour presentation and is scheduled to receive his medal in a private ceremony.

Mrs Kelly said the French Government’s gesture was a tribute to the valuable contribution of Australian servicemen and women in the war in Europe.

“Australian servicemen and women served with distinction and pride in almost every theatre of World War II and played various roles in the liberation of France, including the famous D-Day invasion on 6 June 1944,” Mrs Kelly said. “The awarding of the Legion of Honour to six Australian veterans from that conflict is a source of pride for all Australians and demonstrates the high esteem in which our veterans are held by France.”

Frank Appleton, from the ACT, was attached to the Royal Navy and during the D-Day landings led a flotilla of 12 landing craft onto ‘Juno’ Beach, receiving the Distinguished Service Cross.

Leslie Coleman, from Victoria, fought his way ashore at ‘Gold’ Beach on D-Day as one of eight Australian Army observers attached to the Allied Expeditionary Force for the landings at Normandy.

Tom Hughes, from New South Wales, piloted Sunderland flying boats with 10 Squadron RAAF and flew patrols over the English Channel during D-Day to protect the Allied fleet from U-boats.

Brian Inglis, from Victoria, flew cover over the Allied beachheads on Normandy as a fighter pilot with 453 Squadron, which became the first British Empire fighter squadron to move officially to France after the Allied landings.

William Kaus, from Queensland, was attached to the RAF as a wireless operator/ air gunner with 161 Squadron and flew secret missions for the famous SOE (Special Operations Executive), receiving the Distinguished Flying Cross.

Bernard Nelson, from New South Wales, was attached to the Royal Navy and commanded HM LCT (Landing Craft, Tank) 1038, which landed tanks and soldiers on ‘Gold’ Beach and also supported landings at ‘Utah’ and ‘Omaha’ beaches.

[Kyt]

AWM Collection Record: P01864.018 - England, 1943. A portrait in profile of William Bernard Kaus, a RAAF serviceman serving with No. 161 Squadron RAF, wearing civilian clothing. For operations over occupied Europe, aircrew ...

England, 1943. A portrait in profile of William Bernard Kaus, a RAAF serviceman serving with No. 161 Squadron RAF, wearing civilian clothing. For operations over occupied Europe, aircrew routinely carried with them such "escape photographs", small official-looking portrait photographs of themselves dressed in civilian clothes. In the event of his being forced down in enemy territory, an airman could facilitate his escape by using the photographs on forged passports provided by the underground. He would not have to risk capture by going to a commercial photographer to have his photograph taken. (Donor W. Kaus)

Distinguished Flying Cross. 17 July 1945
Flying Officer William Bernard KAUS (Aus.414803), 161 Sqn

[Kyt]

Service file for

Name INGLIS, BRIAN SCOTT
Service Royal Australian Air Force
Service Number 418230
Date of Birth 3 Jan 1924
Place of Birth ADELAIDE, SA
Date of Enlistment 25 Apr 1942
Locality on Enlistment Unknown
Place of Enlistment MELBOURNE, VIC
Next of Kin INGLIS, ELLIOTT
Date of Discharge 15 Jan 1946
Rank Flying Officer
Posting at Discharge 453 Squadron
WW2 Honours and Gallantry None for display
Prisoner of War No

http://naa12.naa.gov.au/scripts/imag...54496&I=1&SE=1

Brian Inglis was knighted for services to industry in 1976.



AWM Collection Record: UK1423 - FORD, ENGLAND. 1944-06-09. PORTRAIT OF 418230 FLIGHT SERGEANT B. S. INGLIS, GEELONG, VIC, AT NO. 453 (SPITFIRE) SQUADRON RAAF WITH THE ALLIED EXPEDITIONARY AIR ...

FORD, ENGLAND. 1944-06-09. PORTRAIT OF 418230 FLIGHT SERGEANT B. S. INGLIS, GEELONG, VIC, AT NO. 453 (SPITFIRE) SQUADRON RAAF WITH THE ALLIED EXPEDITIONARY AIR FORCE.

Chapter 9 Versus the V's; Underground Contact; Over the Rhine

Inglis, who comes from Ocean Grove (V.), flew on eighty sorties against V2, always wearing the A.F.C. brevet his father wore in the last war as a pilot in the Australian Flying Corps.

[Kyt]

Name NELSON, BERNARD MEADOWSTREAM
Service Royal Australian Navy
Service Number F/V32
Date of Birth 25 Jul 1920
Place of Birth BROOME, WA
Date of Enlistment 24 Mar 1941
Locality on Enlistment Unknown
Home Port/Port Division FREMANTLE
Next of Kin DOROTHEA
Date of Discharge 4 Jan 1946
Rank LIEUTENANT
Posting at Discharge HMAS Leeuwin
WW2 Honours and Gallantry None for display
Prisoner of War No

http://naa12.naa.gov.au/scripts/imag...20662&I=1&SE=1

[Kyt]

Name HUGHES, THOMAS EYRE FORREST
Service Royal Australian Air Force
Service Number 422523
Date of Birth 26 Nov 1923
Place of Birth ROSE BAY, NSW
Date of Enlistment 22 May 1942
Locality on Enlistment Unknown
Place of Enlistment SYDNEY, NSW
Next of Kin HUGHES, GEOFFREY
Date of Discharge 1 Feb 1946
Rank Flight Lieutenant
Posting at Discharge 2 EMBARKATION DEPOT
WW2 Honours and Gallantry None for display
Prisoner of War No

Hughes went on to have a very distinguished legal career:

http://www.nswbar.asn.au/docs/resour...n_winter05.pdf
(pages 66 to 71)

[Kyt]

Name COLEMAN, LESLIE GEORGE
Service Australian Army
Service Number 350289 (3165, VP7439, VX59352)
Date of Birth 4 Jul 1917
Place of Birth KEW, VIC
Date of Enlistment 18 Feb 1939
Locality on Enlistment SOUTH MELBOURNE, VIC
Place of Enlistment MELBOURNE, VIC
Next of Kin COLEMAN, MARGARET
Date of Discharge 21 Nov 1958
Rank LT COL
Posting at Discharge ARMY HQ
WW2 Honours and Gallantry None for display
Prisoner of War No


France adds veteran to its legion of heroes - National - www.theage.com.au

Australian World War II veteran Leslie Coleman received France's highest honour with a polite "merci beaucoup" in a ceremony at Point Lonsdale yesterday.

The 87-year-old former infantry lieutenant-colonel smiled broadly as French ambassador Patrick Henault pinned the Legion of Honour medal to his army uniform.

"It's their top award so I'm very happy to have it," Mr Coleman said later at his home.

Born in the Victorian country town of Birchip, Mr Coleman joined the army in 1939, a few months after the war started.

He was one of eight Australian Army officers sent to observe the Allies' D-day landing at Normandy in northern France in June 1944.

Within days of landing with a British unit, Mr Coleman was wounded in the right shoulder but recovered to take part in the advance across France and Belgium and into Germany.

With experience from the campaign in Europe, he returned home and later participated in Australian Army landings at Balikpapan in what was then Dutch Borneo.

Mr Coleman also served in the occupation force in Japan, finishing his army career in 1958. He owned a newsagency in Fairfield for 15 years before retiring.

His son, Damien Coleman, described his father as a stoic man who "did his duty as required" and rarely talked about his war experiences.

"We're very proud of him. He's been looking forward to this occasion for weeks," he said.

Mr Henault praised the efforts of Mr Coleman and other Australians who risked or gave their lives to liberate France from the Nazis.

"Nobody in France has forgotten the contribution of Australians to the freedom of our nation. Our debt to them is immense," he said.

Five other Australian serviceman who fought in France were awarded the Legion of Honour in a ceremony in Canberra on February 22.