These profiles and stories were donated to the RAAF Museum by the Gold Coast Branch of the Air Crew Association.

Service Profile: Geoff Cornish

Early in 1939, supported by the RAAF, Britian was recruiting young Australian men for training as pilots in the RAF, graduating with a Short Service Commision. Geoffrey James Cornish recognised the value of the offer, particularly as RAAF vacancies were limited. Accordingly, he applied and was accepted.

Geoff and 21 other young men sailed from Freemantle in the SS Orama for the UK on 21 August 1939 via Colombo. Leaving Colombo on 30 August the ship sailed westwards and was diverted to Mombasa on the coast of Kenya when war was declared on 3 September 1939. From Mombasa the ship sailed into the South Atlantic Ocean around the Cape of Good Hope to Cape Town, South Africa, then to Freetown, Sierra Leone. Orana sailed from Freetown on 2 October, reaching Southampton on Friday 13 October 1939, nearly eight weeks after leaving Freemantle.

Initial training commenced at Cambridge, followed by pilot training firstly at RAF Anstey in Warwickshire then to 'wings' standard at RAF Cranwell, flying Airspeed Oxfords. A further posting took Geoff to RAF St. Athan in Wales for navigation training before operational training at Oxford.

In October 1940 Geoff was posted to RAF No. 50 Squadron at Lindholme to fly Hampdens on operations in the European theatre. At age 19, he was the youngest aircraft captain in Bomber Command.

Geoff was shot down near Eindhoven, Holland, on 10 April 1941 and spent the remainder of World War 2 as a prisoner-of-war. He was a prime mover in the building of the Great Escape Tunnel at Stalag Luft 3 and was liberated on 3 May 1945.

He returned to Australia in May 1946 after discharge from the RAF holding the rank of Flight Lieutenant.

As it Happened: War! (100K PDF)