Telegraphist/Air Gunner Derek Foster

	General experience.
	This page: includes inventory and audio clip.

TO PRINT THIS ARTICLE ... ... click on print-friendly pdf which opens in a new tab/window. To open PDFs you will need Acrobat Reader. Most computers will already have the Reader but if not there is a free download here

To view transcripts and enlargements which open in a new window you must have javascript switched on - most computers will have javascript enabled.

If you experience problems all such items can be found at Extras which opens in a new window but does not require javascript to be enabled.

Inventory of the Donation

• Tape-recorded
• Book for Chinese communication and a card with instructions in Chinese of what to do if the carrier is found injured
• Flying log book
• 2 photo albums and some loose photographs
• Souvenir of Sydney
• Photocopied articles
• Bulletin announcing the surrender of Japan
• Novelty certificate (King Neptune Proclamation)
• Chinese/Japanese leaflet

News Bulletin on H.M.S. Victorious announcing the unconditional surrender of Japan

Transcript

Book for Chinese communication

"The ship. H.M.S. Victorious at Leyte, Philippine Islands, May 1945, with the aircraft, Corsairs and Avengers, on deck"

Instructions on use of the Book for Chinese communication

From the Book for Chinese communication

Derek Foster Audio Clip:
Unable to drop his armed bombs due to a leaking hydraulic tank, Derek had to effect repairs with improvised materials in order to make the aircraft safe for landing.

Audio Clip Requires Real Player - free download here

Transcript of Audio Clip

It still would hold hydraulic if you filled it up again. So, I remember there's a tap on it, a screw-type tap, and the instruction always was to the flight mechanics to leave this finger-tight, well my fingers wouldn't open it so I was stuck with this thing tightly sealed. The only thing to do was to get the jungle knife that we carried, make a hole in it near the top, get the fluid into there and then of course it wasn't easy to get the fluid in with the aircraft swinging about so I remember there was a funnel for the urine tube, if you've a bladder weakness so I used that for my funnel and got the fluid in and took it out but this big hole meant that it wasn't airtight, it wouldn't operate, so I also carried a pack of chewing gum which I hated, I didn't like chewing gum. Anyway I chewed off a large piece of this chewing gum, managed to seal this hole and the hydraulics started working again to the extent he could get the flaps down so we landed on OK, but we landed on with the bombs still in the bomb bay and although I'd armed them ready for being dropped and I'd gone back and turned it to disarm, I'd never done this before so I didn't know if this worked or not y'know! So we landed down OK the flight deck was clear on that occasion there was generally a few goofers hanging around if an aircraft came back damaged and I scuttled out of the back of that Avenger I remember very rapidly and things passed off OK, except for the fact that my pilot had to speak up for me quite a bit when the stores officer, or the supplies officer, got very annoyed that I'd damaged this hydraulic tank and he hadn't got a spare one so the aircraft was not able to be used until they could get one and they laid a charge on me before the commanding officer for damaging an aircraft, but my pilot spoke up for me and I wasn't punished for doing that!

	General experience.
	This page: includes inventory and audio clip.