Valston Hancock - World War II

World War II

In March 1940, Hancock's Directorate of Works and Buildings was transferred from the office of the Chief of the Air Staff to the newly formed Organisation and Equipment Branch under Air Marshal Richard Williams. Considered a key part of the Air Force's expansion during the early part of World War II, "Works and Bricks" quickly absorbed all staff with civil engineering and building experience in the RAAF active reserve. As Director, Hancock was responsible for surveying and developing a military aerodrome at Evans Head, near the Queensland and New South Wales border, which became home to No. 1 Bombing and Gunnery School (No. 1 BAGS). Promoted to wing commander, he held command of No. 1 BAGS, operating Fairey Battle single-engined bombers, from August 1940 until November 1941. He was promoted to acting group captain in April 1941. Appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) on 1 January 1942, Hancock became Assistant Director of Plans at Allied Air Forces Headquarters, South West Pacific Area, that April. He was made Director of Plans at the Air Force's main operational formation, RAAF Command, when it was established in September. In 1943–44, he served as Staff Officer Administration for RAAF Western Area, which maintained two bomber squadrons for anti-submarine patrols and two fighter squadrons to guard against possible attack on the mainland by Japanese carrier-borne aircraft.

Hancock finally achieved a combat command in January 1945, when he took charge of No. 100 Squadron, flying Bristol Beaufort light bombers during the Aitape-Wewak campaign in New Guinea. That month, the unit attacked Japanese positions at Maprik, below the Prince Alexander Ranges, and Cape Moem, near Wewak. On 1 April, Hancock took over No. 71 Wing, which came under overall control of RAAF Northern Command and nominally comprised Nos. 7, 8 and 100 Beaufort Squadrons, as well as a flight of CAC Boomerang fighter-bombers from No. 4 (Army Cooperation) Squadron. It was soon augmented by two more Beaufort units, Nos. 6 and 15 Squadrons. Providing close air support to Australian ground troops in the lead-up to the final assault on Wewak, the wing flew over 1,400 sorties and dropped more than 1,200 tons of bombs in May alone. By mid-year, however, Hancock's forces were acutely short of fuel and ordnance, to the extent that his squadrons took to arming their Beauforts with captured Japanese bombs. In July, enough supplies arrived to enable the wing to continue operating at normal strength. No. 71 Wing was active to the very last day of the Pacific War, flying its final combat mission involving 30 Beauforts only hours before news of victory arrived on 15 August 1945. Hancock's "distinguished flying on operations in Northern Command" earned him the Distinguished Flying Cross; the award was published in the London Gazette on 22 February 1946.