33 SQUADRON DIARY

Allan Reginald Page was born 22 September, 1913 in Perth Western Australia. His parents moved to Melbourne and lived in Surrey Hills Melbourne. He worked as a salesman for 7 years and then as a Section Controller in J G Coles in Melbourne and there he married Marie on 7 September, 1940. 

He enlisted in the RAAF as a trainee aircrew member at 1 Recruit Centre on 3 January, 1941. On 4 March, 1941, he was posted to 3 Elementary Flying School at Essendon - Victoria on 10 Course, where he flew his first solo flight on 25 March, 1941.

On the 4^th May, 1941, he was posted to 3 Service Flying Training School at Amberley – Queensland. On 31 July 1941, a son, Barrie Allan was born. After receiving his wings on 20 August 1941, he was promoted to the rank of Sergeant on 25 August, 1941.

On 1 September, 1941, he was posted to 2 Air Observers School -Mt. Gambier. He left Mt. Gambier on 25 February, 1942 on posting to 33 Squadron, which was a Flying Boat Squadron. From 1 April, 1942, he was in the crew of a Catalina and later he flew 7 times in A18-14, a Short Sunderland Flying Boat, including two trips to Port Moresby. In his diary, which is a meticulous one, he states he was posted back to 2 Air Observers School on 12 April, 1942 because they had a loss of planes in 33 Squadron. On the 1 April 1942, he was promoted to Flight Sergeant.

 13TH BOMBARDMENT SQUADRON LOG

On 12 May 1942, he was commissioned as a Pilot Officer and posted to THE 13th Bomb Squadron - USAAF arriving at Charters Towers - Queensland on 23 May, 1942 where he flew 8 missions against the Japanese, bombing targets at Lae, Salamaua, Buna Bay and Buka. He was KIA on 4 September, 1942, while in very bad weather in a B-25 piloted by Gustave M. Heiss, Jr. After bombing a Japanese Cruiser between Hood Point and the Queensland coast, the plane crashed into the sea with no survivors. His Flying Officers rank must have been posthumous, as there is no mention of it in his records.