The Lake Boga Flying Boat Base

Gemma Symons – Making History 2015 1

Passing through Lake Boga today visitors

would describe the town as a small country

town whose main appeal is its lake. Now,

this observation presents the town as quiet

and tranquil to strangers, however those who

know of the town’s history are proud that the

lake is the main feature of their small

country town. In the Second World War

Lake Boga was a key instrument in the

town’s contribution to the war effort as it

allowed access to the Lake Boga Flying Boat

Base, where damaged planes were repaired

and sent back out into the warzone. This

article aims to highlight how the Lake Boga

Flying Boat Base and the people involved,

contributed to the war effort and what

adversities they had to overcome along the

way.

Australia's WWII Safe Haven

[Above] A USN Black Cat 08465, #9 taking off

from Lake Boga as part of a demonstration.

(Source: Brett Freeman 1995, p. 187)


BROOME’S DAY OF DARKNESS

Prior to the establishment of the base at Lake Boga,

an event occurred that became one of the main

contributing factors towards the necessity of the

base. On the third of March 1942, ‘the Japanese

made their first air attack on Broome’i, an attack that

would leave behind unrepairable devastation.

Moments before the attack sixteen flying boats

packed with evacuees from Java, laid ‘at their

moorings in Roebuck Bay’ii waiting to leave for

their next destinations. Suddenly, ‘uncamouflaged

Japanese Zero fighters’iii swept in and began open

firing on the flying boats and their exhausted

passengers. Due to the devastation that this attack

caused ‘it was decided that a reserve flying boat

base’iv, a secret base, was needed to prevent attacks

like the one on Broome did not occur again.

WHY LAKE BOGA?

Since 1938 Lake Boga had been considered as a

possible site for the establishment of a base that

would specialise in the servicing and repairing of

flying boats. However, it was not until the attack on

Broome that it really hit home that an inland flying

boat base would be a safer option as well as a smart

choice. Initially, ‘both Lake Boga and Kangaroo

Lake’v were inspected as possible sites for the base,

but it was Lake Boga that was successfully chosen

due to its excellent location and the state of the lake.

The decision in favour of Lake Boga was made due

to the site being closely aligned to the railway line,

the highway and within close proximity to Swan

Hill. Also, the lake itself was free of obstacles

allowing a clear space for flying boats to take off

and land around the lake. Once it was established

that Lake Boga was the best choice for the flying

boat base, construction began almost immediately.

THE SECRET SAFE HAVEN

In April 1942 construction of the flying boat base

began and the first RAAF (Royal Australian Air

Force) personnel arrived alongside their commander

Flight Lieutenant G.S. Moffattvi. The twelfth of July

that year saw the base welcome ‘its first Catalina

flying boat’vii, arriving to be repaired at the base

which would later be referred to more commonly as

the No.1 Flying Boat Repair and Service Depot. As

the base grew and more personnel arrived to

contribute to the war effort the base grew to be ‘the

largest inland flying-boat establishment in the

world’viii, it is therefore remarkable that such a large

base was capable of staying a secret from the rest of

Australia for two years. This secret was

eventually revealed to the world by the

media on the eighth of August 1944 as the

base was ‘removed from secret

classification’ix, as it was believed that the

base was no longer under threat from an

attack by the Japanese. Furthermore, the

flying boat base since its development in

1942 right up until it ‘was finally

vacated’x on the twelfth of November

1947, dedicated it’s time and energy to

repairing various flying boats which

contributed significantly to the war effort.

STRONG AND UNITED: LAKE BOGA’S CONTRIBUTION TO WWII

View of the Lake Boga Flying Boat Base in 1945.

(Source: Brett Freeman 1995, p.242)


THE PROCESS OF SUCCESS

The flying boat base serviced and

repaired numerous types of flying

boats throughout the time that it

was in operation. These flying

boats included; Catalinas,

Sunderlands, Dorniers, Walrus,

Martin Mariners and Kingfishers.

Often when a flying boat arrived at

the base it was obvious that the

workers would be ‘changing [the]

engines and replacing damaged

panels’xi, however there was also a

more extensive list of repairs and

checks that would need to be

completed. Once the flying boats

were admitted to the base it often

took around about a month to complete the

necessary servicing and repairing. The process of

repair often involved the engines being stripped

from the planes, the instruments being checked and

reset, servicing of the propellers and if needed the

replacement of them, the wiring and controls were

checked and then finally a test flight was

performedxii. The test flights were an essential part

of the process as they determined whether the

aircraft was ready to leave the base, they also

provided the personnel at the base the opportunity to

have a little bit of fun in the process. After, the

official test flight the pilots often liked to fly at a

very low level above the main street of Swan Hill,

which gained mixed responses from people within

the town, some saw the fun side of the ‘test hops’xiii

others of course did not. However, no harm ever

came of the pilots’ adventurous antics and the

aircrafts passed their final tests, and were flown to

the Rathmines base to collect personnel on their way

back out to the warzones. Therefore, the various

personnel who came from different walks of life and

possessed numerous skills came together as

a team, and consequently played a major role in the

success of the base.

RAAF PERSONNEL’S HARD WORK

When the RAAF personnel first began work at the

base they enlisted the help of civilian workers as

well, thus providing more employment opportunities

for local people. The RAAF, civilian workers and

later the WAAAF (Women’s Auxiliary Australian

Air Force) filled various occupations throughout the

base. These occupations included; carpenters,

welders, electricians, painters, instrument makers,

aeroplane fabric workers, plumbers, cipher experts,

wireless assistants, radio mechanics, clerks,

armorers, boat repairers and various types of

mechanic expertsxiv. All of these occupations even

though they differed played a major role in ensuring

that the flying boats were serviced and repaired

efficiently and as quickly as possible, so that

A Catalina performing a ‘test hop’ over the main street

of Swan Hill. (Source: Brett Freeman 1995, p. 78)


Australia was not left unprotected for any

length of time. It was often necessary to fill

occupations that would have normally been

filled with RAAF personnel with WAAAF

members, as the RAAF personnel were in

high demand in various warzones.

WAAAF TO THE RESCUE

The Women’s Auxiliary Australian Air Force

was not a very strong presence at the

beginning of operations at the base, this was

because there was enough RAAF personnel to

fulfil duties throughout the first few months.

However as the war heated up and more

servicemen were distributed to warzones, it

became necessary for women to fulfil these

duties ‘on a temporary basis’xv whilst the men

were away. Also as the WAAAF ‘was the first

of the women’s defence Services established

in Australia’xvi it meant that there was a large

amount of women waiting to be dispatched to

bases in need of extra hands. The women were

capable of fulfilling various duties such as the

ones that were listed previously.

However, it is interesting to discover that some

women’s occupations before the war differed from

the ones they were employed in at the base. Audrey

Lorraine was ‘a window designer and decorator’xvii

prior to the war, once she arrived at the base she

worked as a fabric worker’s assistant, and Billy

Anderson who was a singer became an equipment

assistant.

For all of the women just like Audrey and Billy

taking on new occupations it was their ability to

adapt to new situations and duties that allowed them

to be successful contributors to the war effort. Also,

for those adapting to a new environment and set of

responsibilities it was their Commanding Officers’

leadership skills that helped guide all personnel in

the right direction.

A Black Cat being repaired by depot personnel at the base (Source:

Brett Freeman 1995, p. 184)


INFLUENTIAL LEADERS

Within the flying boat base it was the role of the

Commanding Officer to ensure that the repairs and

servicing was getting done properly and efficiently,

whilst at the same time looking out for the wellbeing

of the staff. The first Commanding Officer Wing

Commander Geoffrey Marshall set the standard for

how the base was going to run for the following

years. Even though W/Cdr Marshall was influential

in setting the standard for high quality results and

efficiency, there was another Commanding Officer

who was held in high regard by the personnel at the

base. Wing Commander George Urquhart (Scotty)

Allan became the Commanding Officer of the base

in September 1943, and was held ‘in high regard for

his all round abilities…[and] cautious skilled

tutelage’xviii by the personnel present at the base.

Therefore it was not just the personnel’s hard labour

that made the base successful, the guidance the

Commanding Officers gave their workers allowed

the base to run smoothly, efficiently and kept their

morale up which improved their quality of work.

OVERCOMING ADVERSITY

The flying boat base ran smoothly most of the time,

however the times that it did not in fact run

smoothly it was due to elements outside of the

Commanding Officer’s or personnel’s control.

Particular adversities that arose that were out of the

CO’s control involved the event of a fire, this event

happened to occur twice within the duration of the

base, both of these fires happened within ten days of

each other. Brett Freeman refers to the second fire in

his book, this fire occurred in the Sergeant’s Mess

and when asked about the incident a Sergeant who

was witness claimed that he ‘saved the beer’xix from

the fire. This piece of information gives an insight

into the fact that the personnel at the base were just

regular, down to earth people. Another struggle that

the workers endured was putting up with the

unbearable heat at Lake Boga in the summer which

caused ‘great discomfort… [to those] working

within the confines of intolerably hot aircraft

fuselages’xx and led to reduced morale throughout

the base. Finally, the greatest dilemma the base

faced throughout its five years was the

occurrence of ‘frequent dust storms’xxi which

could at times black out the whole town. Due

to these black out stages the dust storms

decreased ‘operational efficiency and

morale’xxii, in an attempt to combat these issues

a plan to provide irrigation to the troublesome

areas of land was put in place. Therefore even

though the flying boat base faced adversities

that attempted to thwart their reputation as the

No.1 Flying Boat Repair and Service Depot, it

still managed to persevere with its commitment

to successfully aiding the war effort.

CO W/Cdr G.U. (Scotty) Allan socialising with personnel at the

Lake Boga Flying Boat Base (Source: Australian War Memorial)


MONUMENT TO AUSTRALIA’S NO.1

REPAIR DEPOT

In order to honour the dedication given from all

those involved with the Lake Boga Flying Boat

Base, a museum has been built on a portion of the

former base site. The Lake Boga Flying Boat

Museum tells the story of the base and has even

incorporated a restored PBY5 Catalina A24-30 as a

solid reminder of what the personnel at the base

could achieve. Many have praised the achievements

of the base highlighting that ‘Lake Boga was an

integral part of allied defence during’xxiii the war and

provided a much needed ‘safe haven’xxiv for

Australia’s valued resources; the flying boats.

Therefore it is clear to anyone who has visited the

museum that the museum itself acts as a monument

to everyone that was involved in the development of

the flying boat base and what they did for Australia,

by ensuring the flying boats got back to defending

the country as quickly as possible. Furthermore, the

Lake Boga Flying Boat Base and the personnel

present there were successful in overcoming

uncontrollable events in order to serve Australia

efficiently. Also, the base brought a small country

town to life and gave them a sense of pride in their

town’s contribution to winning the war for

Australia.

The Lake Boga Flying Boat

Museum erected on the

former site of the base.

(Source: author’s own)

Restored PBY5 Catalina A24-30 inside the Lake

Boga Flying Boat Museum (Source: author’s

own)


NOTES

i Brett Freeman, Lake Boga at War: The Inside Story of the

Secret RAAF Inland Flying Boat Unit – WWII (Swan Hill:

Catalina Publications, 1995) 32. ii Ibid. iii John Gunn, Challenging Horizons: Qantas 1939-1954

(Queensland: University of Queensland Press, 1987) 57. iv John Gunn, Challenging Horizons: Qantas 1939-1954

(Queensland: University of Queensland Press, 1987) 62. v Brett Freeman, Lake Boga at War: The Inside Story of the


Catalina Publications, 1995) 35. vi Lake Boga Flying Boat Museum, ‘History’, Lake Boga

Flying Boat Museum [website], (2015) <

http://www.flyingboat.org.au/index.php/about/history>,

accessed 12 Sept. 2015. vii Brett Freeman, Lake Boga at War: The Inside Story of the


Catalina Publications, 1995) 49. viii ‘Big Flying Boat Base on Lake’, News, 16 Aug. 1944, 8, in

Trove [online database], accessed 9 Oct. 2015. ix Brett Freeman, Lake Boga at War: The Inside Story of the


Catalina Publications, 1995) 188. x Graham Gardner, Murray-Mallee Country: Swan Hill and

District 1836-1986 (Swan Hill: Swan Hill and District 150th

Anniversary Committee, 1986) 120. xi Kathryn Wells, ‘Flying boats of Australia’, Australian

Government, (30 Oct. 2013), para. 21, <http://www.australia.

gov.au/about-australia/australian-story/flying-boats-of-

australia>, accessed 11 Oct. 2015. xii Jean Coote, ‘David Mark: Lake Boga Flying Boat Museum

– an amazing glimpse into a past era’, The Legacy Hour

[podcast], (Radio Adelaide, 28 Sep. 2015) < https://radio.

adelaide.edu.au/david-mark-lake-boga-flying-boat-museum-

an-amazing-glimpse-into-a-past-era/>, accessed 10 Oct. 2015. xiii Brett Freeman, Lake Boga at War: The Inside Story of the


Catalina Publications, 1995) 78. xiv ‘Australia’s Great War Effort’, The Australian Worker, 23

Aug. 1944, 6, in Trove [online database], accessed 1 Oct.

2015. xv Brett Freeman, Lake Boga at War: The Inside Story of the


Catalina Publications, 1995) 82. xvi D. Collett Wadge, (ed.), Women in Uniform (London:

Imperial War Museum, 2003) 224. xvii Elizabeth Auld, ‘S.A. Girls’ Unusual Job on Catalinas’, The

Mail, 20 Jan. 1945, 3, in Trove [online database], accessed 10

Oct. 2015. xviii Brett Freeman, Lake Boga at War: The Inside Story of the


Catalina Publications, 1995) 132.

xix Brett Freeman, Lake Boga at War: The Inside Story of the


Catalina Publications, 1995) 97. xx Brett Freeman, Lake Boga at War: The Inside Story of the


Catalina Publications, 1995) 90. xxi Ibid. xxii Brett Freeman, Lake Boga at War: The Inside Story of the


Catalina Publications, 1995) 189. xxiii ‘Ross recalls his Catalina flying boat days’, Times, 6 Nov.

1997, 12, in Trove [online database], accessed 10 Oct. 2015. xxiv Brown, Emma, ‘Second World War flying boat base in

Victorian Mallee welcomes veteran back’, ABC Rural, (18

Sept. 2015) < http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-09-18/lake-

bogas-black-cats-remembered-70-years-on/6785594>, para. 2,

accessed 12 Oct. 2015.


BIBLIOGRAPHY

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Catalinas’, The Mail, 20 Jan. 1945, 3, in Trove

[online database], accessed 10 Oct. 2015.

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Images

The Images of the Lake Boga Flying Boat Museum

and the Restored PBY5 Catalina A24-30 were taken

by Gemma Symons on the 26th of September 2015.

The Lake Boga Flying Boat Base

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