John Charles Fardon
Stephen LearmonthJohn was born on the 15th of December 1918, the third of four children to Charles and Jessie Ann (née Seaton) Fardon of Corryong. Both of John’s brothers, Noel and James, would enlist in World War 2.
John enlisted in the RAAF on the 30th of January 1942 being allocated the Service Number 410472. He gave his occupation as farmer and his residence prior to enlistment as Indi Bridge, Victoria.
His initial posting was to No.1 ITS (Initial Training School) at Somers on Port Phillip Bay. Some of the topics he was trained in included mathematics, navigation, law, administration, signals, medicine, physical training, science, ornaments, gas defence and hygiene.
This was followed by a three month period at No. 2 AOS (Air Observers School) at Mt Gambier in South Australia. From the 22nd of August 1942 until the 18th of October he was posted to No. 2 BAGS (Bombing and Gunnery School) at Port Pirie, also in South Australia. He then spent over a month at No. 2 ANS (Air Navigation School) at Nhill in Victoria, followed by a four month stint at No. 1 ES (Engineering School) at Ascot Vale in Victoria.
John embarked on a troopship at Melbourne on the 15th of January 1943, disembarking in England on the 17th of March. Upon arriving in England, all Australian aircrew were posted to No. 11 PDRC (Personnel Despatch and Receiving Centre) at Brighton on the south coast. After a short stay John was posted to No.29 EFTS (Elementary Flight Training School) based at Clyffe Pypard in Wiltshire for two weeks before moving onto No.9 AFU (Advanced Flying Unit) at Llandwrog in Wales for one month. Next was a sixteen week course at No. 15 OTU (Operational Training Unit). Situated at RAF Harwell, its purpose was to train night bomber crews on the Vickers Wellington two-engined bomber. The last course that John attended before being sent to an operational unit was No. 1664 HCU (Heavy Conversion Units). At this stage John would have been part of an entire crew. The RAF had a unique method of getting personnel to “crew up”. Airmen of every type needed for a crew (pilots, navigators, gunners etc) were placed in a large open hanger and told to walk, get to know each other, and form up into a crew. The HCU course was designed to assist crews to fly the heavier four-engined bombers such as the Lancaster and Halifax. In the case of John’s crew they would train on the Handley Page Halifax.
On the day that John and his crew were posted to 138 Squadron RAF, the 17th of November 1943, twenty-one other personnel, three complete crews, also arrived.
No. 138 Special Duties Squadron supported SOE (Special Operations Executive), MI6 (Secret Intelligence Service), MI9 (British Directorate of Military Intelligence), the Free French and resistance movements throughout occupied Europe. Apart from dropping agents by parachute, most of the weapons, sabotage stores and money to finance resistance arrived by parachute during moonlit periods. 138 Squadron was based at RAF Tempsford, Sandy Bedfordshire, UK.
On the night of the 4th/5th of January 1944, John and his crew undertook their first special operational flight. At 2115 hours Halifax aircraft “P” took off on Operation John. The target was somewhere in France and the operation consisted of dropping containers and packages to the French Resistance. As there was no reception, i.e. signal, from the Resistance on the ground, the aircraft did not drop the material but returned home, landing at 0440 hours back at base. The same outcome occurred on their next operational flight on the nights of the 6th/7th of January and the 27th/28th January. Finally, on their fourth operational flight on the night of the 4th/5th of February success was at hand. The crew once again took off in Halifax aircraft “P” on Operation Trainer 109 at 2028 hours. This time they were carrying containers, packages and carrier pigeons. The Resistance made contact with the aircraft and the materials were parachuted onto the ground below. The aircraft made it back to base at 0433 hours.
The very next night the crew of Halifax “P” took off at 1945 hours on Operation Tinker 4. This time, as well as the usual containers and packages, they had an agent who was to drop into enemy occupied Belgium. The operation was partially complete as the containers were dropped but the agent was unable to drop due to sickness. The crew landed back at base at 0255 hours. The following night the squadron lost two aircraft and 14 aircrew who failed to return from their mission.
John’s role in the crew was as the air bomber/observer. He was to act as the eyes of the navigator throughout the flight and then, when approaching the target area, to position himself in the Air Bomber’s position to enable him to direct the pilot over the target, identify the aiming point and trigger the release of the bombs, or in the case of 138 Squadron, the canisters loading with equipment for the Resistance fighters. Whilst John’s position when operating as the air bomber was in the nose of the aircraft, he would have spent the bulk of the flight seated beside the navigator so that he could provide location fixes and weather reports to help the navigation process.
Over the next four months, John and his crew would undertake a further twenty-four missions. Of these, seventeen would be successful while the other seven were not able to be completed due to various reasons including engine failure, weather and no communication from the Resistance. Most of the operations would be conducted over France, however they would also fly two over Belgium and two over Norway. During that time fourteen aircraft would not return from their mission, resulting in the death of 98 aircrew.
On the night of the 1st of June 1944 John and his crew in Halifax LL289 took off from Tempsford detailed to carry out a Special Operations Executive (SOE) Operation Percy 7. Nothing was heard from the aircraft after take-off and it failed to return to base. It was reported that the aircraft was shot down by anti-aircraft fire and crashed at Longue Jumelles, south-west of Angers in France. Five of the crew members were killed and two taken prisoner, both of whom later escaped.
The crew members of LL289 were:
Flight Sergeant Alfred Henry Dickel (1470099) (RAFVR) (Wireless Air Gunner)
Pilot Officer John Charles Fardon (410472) (Air Bomber)
Flying Officer Dennis Hargreaves (142090) (RAFVR) (Navigator)
Pilot Officer Douglas Anthony Hayman (409996) (Pilot)
Pilot Officer G G Houston (175631) (RAFVR) (Air Gunner) PoW, Escaped
Pilot Officer A Lyall (161432) (RAF) (Rear Gunner) PoW, Escaped
Sergeant Denis Arthur Page (1649720) (RAFVR) (Flight Engineer)
Sergeant Lyall who was injured was returned safe to the UK on the 23rd of September and hospitalised. He later reported as follows: “Both Pilot Officer Hayman and Pilot Officer Fardon were killed when the aircraft was shot down by German ground defences when returning from the mission in France. Five of the crew lost their lives and myself and the Rear Gunner escaped.”
John flew a total of 33 missions with 138 Squadron. He is remembered on the Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, the International Bomber Command Centre Memorial, the Monument á la Mémoire des Aviateurs at 49 Maine et Loire, France and the Corryong War Memorial. For his service, he was awarded the Air Crew Europe Star, the Defence Medal, the War Medal 1939-1945 and the Australian Service Medal 1939-1945.
