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The plaque commemorates the personnel who served in the 451 Squadron Royal Australian Air Force (R.A.A.F.)  during World War Two.

The plaque location is indicated by a red poppy in the second image. 

No. 451 Squadron was formed at Bankstown, New South Wales, on 12 February 1941 and began flying operations on 1 July as part of the North African ampaign in Egypt and Libya. No. 451 Squadron was withdrawn for refitting in early January 1942 and spent the remainder of the year performing garrison duties in Syria. In January 1943, it was transferred to Egypt to contribute to local air defence but saw almost no combat. This inactivity caused morale among the Squadron's personnel to greatly deteriorate.

The Squadron returned to combat in April 1944 when, operating from bases in  Corsica, it took part in the Italian Campaign and Allied invasion of Southern France ntil September. No. 451 Squadron moved to Italy between September and October 1944, but was transferred to the United Kingdom in November. From January to April 1945, it took part in the liberation of Europe by escorting Allied bomber units and conducting air strikes against German V-2 rocket sites and transportation targets. Following the war, the Squadron was deployed to Germany from September 1945 as part of the Allied occupation forces, but was disbanded on 21 January 1946 when the Australian Government dropped plans for a permanent Australian contribution to the occupation of Germany due to a shortage of volunteers for this duty.

Note: This plaque was dedicated on 1 November 2002 at a ceremony held at the Australian War Memorial. Note that the dedication ceremony for this plaque was rescheduled, and as such differs from the date as inscribed on the plaque.

Location

Details

Dedication