Tribute to Squadron no. 22 (City of Sydney) and Carew Joseph Trevor NORTHCOTE

To commemorate Anzac Day in 2020, I would like to make a tribute to my father, Carew Joseph Trevor NORTHCOTE, and the No. 22 (City of Sydney) Squadron of the Citizen Air Force in Australia, which was formed on 20 April 1936. My Dad belonged to Squadron no. 22 when he was in the Citizen Air Force in the 1950s.

In 2019 I visited the memorial plaque of Squadron no. 22 at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra, with friends Dot and Cathy.

No. 22 (City of Sydney) Squadron plaque

The plaque was made in the same year that my Dad died, 2002, and it was dedicated on 16 March 2003 at a ceremony held at the Australian War Memorial.

For more information about the no. 22 Squadron, go to:

No. 22 (City of Sydney) Squadron - Plaque details and location

No. 22 Squadron - History 

No. 22 Squadron (RAAF), 77 Strike Wing, 1st Tactical Air Force - SW Pacific, Virtual War Memorial Australia 

No. 22 Squadron, Australian War Memorial

No. 22 Squadron (RAF),  Australian War Memorial

No22 (City of Sydney) Squadron Association 

No. 22 Squadron RAAF, Wikipedia 

Dad often spoke of his time in the airforce. He especially enjoyed the friendship with his mates, the travel between airforce bases as well as working on the planes. Dad's specialty was working on the electrical instruments and meters that were used in to fly the planes. His time in the airforce left him with a lifelong love of planes, flying and airports.

Dad at Daley Waters Airport, 1955

Darwin airbase, 1955

Dad at Pearce Airbase, Perth, with machine gun bullets for a Vampire plane

Refuelling with portable pump at Woomera, en route to Darwin, 1955

Earlier this year, I purchased a replica of a patch from Dad's Airforce squadron - Squadron 22.

Rest in peace, Dad.

1932-2002

My Dad, one of Lorraine Dawson's Dancing Darlings

A rainy afternoon in isolation came in handy for scanning in some old framed photos that emerged from Mum's garage a few months ago … this was one of them ...

Dad was dressed as Little Lord Fauntleroy in the photo above. He looks about 6 or 7 in this photo, so it was probably taken about 1938 or 1939. 

Dad's father was a tailor and often created amazing costumes for him to wear as a young child. apparently he loved dressing up in these costumes and attending fancy dress events. Dad was a member of Lorraine Dawson's Dancing Darlings.

Source of public domain image: https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C397589

In a pile of old documents, we found an old program for one of the events he entered. He is listed as item no. 4, "Dream House", in the second part of the show.

By 1949 when he was a teenager, Dad was still performing. This is a photo of Dad playing a devil (in the red costume on the left) in a concert, on 19 December 1949.