Pilot Officer John Beverley Halley MID - 05309

 

The telegram was delivered in February 1953 to the younger Mrs. Halley, who was staying with her husband’s parents, at the Rectory alongside Saint Barnabas’ Anglican Church in Leederville. It told of her still new husband’s presumed death in faraway Korea on 11 February. John Beverley Halley was shot down by enemy fire after flying 77 armed reconnaissance mission over Korea. He was posthumously awarded a commission and mentioned in dispatches.   

John Beverley Halley was the eldest child of Rev. Kenneth Beverley Halley, the minister at St Barnabas’ Church in Leederville for 18 years. Halley completed his schooling in Geraldton, prior to the family moving to Leederville. Halley wanted to be a pilot from his teen years.  He enlisted in the Air Training Corp in 1942 as a 16-year-old, applying to join the aircrew as opposed to the groundcrew.[1] One of his hobbies was flying models. (He also played Australian Rules football and cricket, swam, and enjoyed athletics.)

 Halley joined the RAAF as a trainee wireless maintenance mechanic in January 1945, but was demobilized in September that year. He reenlisted in the Air Force in 1947 and was accepted for pilot training at Point Cooke, Victoria in 1950. Halley realized his teenage dream and received his wings in February 1951.[2]

 Halley went to Malaya as a transport pilot in 1951 and applied for a short-term commission as a Pilot at that time.  He was unsuccessful in gaining a commission at this time due to the deficiencies in his spelling ability.[3] He was married in June 1952, and allocated for war service in Korea in October that year with No. 77 Squadron. While Halley was on service in Korea his wife Shirley came from NSW to stay with his parents in Perth.   

As he was leaving for Korea, Halley’s commanding officer described him as a pilot who “possesses the desired dash and spirit to make an excellent fighter pilot. Provided he is not careless he should go far. But he must learn to temper his dash with discretion.” [4]


 Halley beside a Gloster Meteor MK8 aircraft A77-134 in Korea.     

AWM C2083966 

On 11 February 1953 Halley was flying in third position of a section of four Meteor aircraft on an armed reconnaissance mission over North Korea. The four aircraft split into pairs to locate, identify, and strike enemy vehicle traffic along a route. It was reported that Halley was personally responsible for the destruction of five vehicles during two attacks on this mission and it was after the second attack he failed to return to base.  The pilot of the second Meteor saw Halley’s aircraft dive to attack and then the crashed aircraft burning on the side of a low hill.  He remained in the area as long as possible hoping to find evidence of Halley’s whereabouts and attempted radio communication with Halley’s Meteor.[5]   There was no answer.

A February 1953 article in a Melbourne paper tells us more about Halley’s war experiences. The Herald nominated Halley, (who they described as large, fair, and moustached), as one of the war’s most constant fighters.  When Halley was on leave from his squadron, he “went up the line with the Royal Australian Infantry and joined the RAR footslogging and firing away with his riffle.” [6] There is a postscript added to this article stating that the RAAF headquarters had just announced that Halley was missing after being shot down by communist ground fire while attacking enemy targets.

Halley being shot down made front page news in Perth on the same day the Herald article was published.[7] Halley was posthumously given a commission, backdated to the day before he was shot down. Halley’s repeated attempts at gaining an officer’s commission had finally been successful and unknown to him he had been recommended for the commission prior to going missing. The author of the official letter to his father informing him of this news hopes that “this recognition of his son’s splendid service may be of some comfort to him”.[8] His father wrote back saying the family were thankful that their son had gained a much longed for objective in being granted the Queen’s commission in the RAAF. [9]

Halley was honoured by being Mentioned in Dispatches in the Commonwealth of Australia Gazette in January 1954[10] and in the London Gazette in December 1954.[11] His citation reads:

“Flight Sergeant Halley participated in many successful attacks against heavily defended targets in North Korea and showed skill, aggressiveness and determination in pressing home his attacks.”[12]

Halley is one of 35 pilots from No. 77 Squadron to perish in the Korean War and one of 18 RAAF pilots to remain missing in action with no known grave from the Korean war. Halley’s name is on the Memorial to the Missing in the Australian Section of the United Nations Memorial Cemetery in Korea.

 

References

[2] “W.A. Trainees to Get Wings”, The West Australian, 22 February 1951, p.4.

[3] NAA: A12372, R/5309/H. HALLEY John Beverley: Service Number - 5309

[4]  Ibid.

[5]  Ibid.

[6] “The Home Touch in Korea”, The Herald, 13 February 1953, p. 5

[7] “W.A. Pilot Missing”, Daily News, 13 February 1953, page 1

[8] NAA: A705, 166/17/1642. HALLEY, John Beverley - (Pilot Officer); Service Number - A5309

[9] Ibid.

[10] Commonwealth of Australia Gazette. 13 January 1954. Page 45.

[11] London Gazette 31 December 1954. Page 7389

[12] NAA: A12372, R/5309/H. HALLEY John Beverley: Service Number - 5309

 

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