248810 Grp Capt. Ralph Noel McKern Royal Air Force 547 Squadron from:Sydney, NSW, Australia Wing Commander Ralph Noel McKern was OC 547 Squadron at RAF Station Davidstow Moor, Camelford, Cornwall from May 1943 to April 1944. Prior to this he completed refresher flying and staff duties with HQ 18 Group Coastal Command (July 1942 to April 1943) after spending several weeks in a transit camp at Karachi, India.
He needed the time spent here for he had been OC 62 Squadron RAF in Malaya for a short period following time spent as OC 100 Squadron RAF at Seletar. McKern was posted to Australia with other 36 and 100 Squadron pilots and aircrew in November 1941 to ferry Australian-built Beauforts to Singapore. He flew one of these aircraft to Seletar, arriving on 6/12/41, and he ferried another Beaufort back to Australia shortly afterwards as these aircraft could not be used operationally due to numerous defects.
From 547 Squadron he undertook liaison duties on the staff of the Commander-in-Chief Portsmouth, Admiral Little, for the invasion of France. From September 1944 to April 1945 he was: - OC RAF Milltown,
- OC 295 Wing in West Africa during May-July 1945,
- August 1945 to August 1946 he was Staff Officer with 228 (Administrative) Group, Calcutta;
- Staff Officer i/c Administration with 64 Group at York from October 1946 to August 1948,
- RAF Staff College at Bracknell from August 1948 to February 1949,
- Far East Air Force Singapore, Personnel Administration from April 1949 to August 1951,
- OC RAF Changi Singapore from August 1951 to February 1952 (rank of Group Captain),
- OC Western Zoyland to May 1954,
- 25 Group RAF Manby Staff Officer i/c Administration.
He died at Scone in 1959.
The interesting thing about Ralph is that he completed a 12 month apprenticeship with the Bank of Scotland, West End Branch in Edinburgh before starting on his Air Force career. On 26 June 1931 he was appointed to a short service commission for flying duties with the rank of Pilot Officer, July 1931 to June 1932 he was at 2 FTS Digby, Lincs, for pilot training, 1 Squadron at Tangmere for flying duties up to August 1935, Central Flying School, Upavon for flying instructor's course September to December 1935,7 FTS Peterborough for instructional duties January-September 1936, 36 (TB) Squadron at Seletar, Malaya as a pilot, Air HQ Air Staff Singapore, January 1939 to December 1941 OC 100 (TB) Squadron.
And the rest they say is history.
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