Carina Pascoe ANZAC Story

Carina Pascoe ANZAC Story

Carina Pascoe – Graphic Designer Gowing Bros Ltd. holding a photo of her Grandfather: Edgar Arthur (Curly) Pascoe, WWII.

Edgar Arthur Pascoe was known by everyone as Curly as he had big curl at the front of his hair from childhood.
On the 17th September 1940 he enlisted at Sydney for War Service in the Royal Australian Air Force aged 22, he had to apply for service with the RAAF as they did not take enlistments without trade qualifications, so he underwent an examination at Engineer School as a Fitter Class 11E and received a 75% pass.
He trained at Wagga, Richmond, Narromine, Canberra, Corowa and Sydney. He previously worked at the local Ford dealers as a mechanic for several years. Curly’s rank was of a Leading Aircraftman Corporal and later a Sergeant. He was with the with the 33 squadron unit and served in New Guinea from 1944 to 1945.
He discharged from the RAAF as there were no local trades people available in his home town and the wheat harvest was under way and the country desperately needed food, so the local garages requested his return.
In his service in New Guinea he often talked about the planes he worked on and the runs they would do, he was not in combat but a team of them kept the planes going such as air drop deliveries were used for tune ups, he knew how fast the different planes went and how well they handled.
The No. 33 Squadron transferred to Port Moresby in January 1943, providing air transport to Australian forces involved in the New Guinea campaign. Transport needs were so desperate in New Guinea that even the Tiger Moths were employed, delivering a total of 77 kilograms (170 lb) per trip. In September–October 1943, the squadron began taking delivery of fifteen Douglas C-47 Dakotas to replace its assortment of aircraft. By the time it transferred to Milne Bay on 1 January 1944, it was operating Dakotas exclusively, and continued to do so for the rest of the war.