Pring in the Navy Army AirForce

PRINGs in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF)

Updated; October 2024

The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) has a history going back to an Imperial Conference held in London in 1911 to decide what aviation should be developed in the Armed Forces of the British Empire.

A Central Flying School (CFS) was formed in 1912 at Point Cook, Victoria, with early Aircraft Flights commencing there. The Australian Flying Corps (AFC) was initially a Militia Unit with personnel from the early Citizen Forces was formed as part of the Australian Army and responsible for Operational Aircraft and Flights during World War 1. The AFC operated firstly in New Guinea and the Solomon Islands in 1914. Operational Flights commenced in May 1915, in Mesopotamia, and later in France. In January 1916, No. 1 Squadron was formed at Point Cook, after Great Britain had requested that the AFC to raise a Squadron to join Britain’s Royal Flying Corps (RFC). No. 1 Squadron commenced operations In Egypt, operating against the aircraft of the Turkish Forces. It was during these operations that an Australian Pilot, Lieutenant Frank McNamara was awarded the Victoria Cross (VC) the only VC Award to the AFC during WW1. The Australian Flying Corps was part of the Army until 1919.

Separating from the Army, the AFC was formed as an Independent Service on 31st March 1921. In August of 1921 King George V granted the title ‘Royal’ forming the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). During this very early period the RAAF had 21 Officers and 128 Other Ranks, with some 170 aircraft left over from WW1.

By 1935 RAAF personnel had increased from 1,000 to 3,500 with 12 Squadrons by the start of WW2. At the end of WW2 The RAAF had some 70 Squadrons in Europe and the Far East/ Pacific with over 150,000 personnel.

This is a listing of PRINGs who joined the; Royal Australian Air Force. Amongst these PRINGs are ……….

Royal Australian Air Force PRINGs

Cecil Gwyn PRING (b. 16 Jan 1907 Cardiff, Wales)

- Leading Aircraftsman, Royal Australian Air Force

– Service No; 37761

- Enlisted; 8th Jul 1941 Sydney, NSW

- Deployed; 16th Feb 1945, to 9th July 1945 to the Dutch East Indies (now PNG/

Indonesia) Stationed at Noemfoor Island, Morotai Island, and Labuan.

- 76 Squadron comprised of P40E Kittyhawk Fighters and formed part of 73 Wing

RAAF, along with 77 Squadron, (Kittyhawks) & 79 Squadron (Spitfires).

- Wife; Marjorie Ruth PRING (nee; JAMIESON) (b. 1 Aug 1927 Wisemans Ferry

New South Wales)

– Father; Archibald PRING (b. 1883 Tiverton, Devon) Army Sergeant, Army Service

Corps – Service No; 308525.

Medals;

1939-1945 Star

Pacific Star,

1939-1945

Australia War Medal,

1939-1945

Australia Service Medal,

Returned Service Badge.

Arthur James PRING (b. 8 Oct 1905 Glanville South Australia)

- Leading Aircraftsman – Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF)

- Service No. 115008 – Enlisted; 16th Jul 1942 Adelaide SA,

- Deployed on Operational Service; 14th Apr 1943 – 8th Airfield Construction Squadron, Flemington, Victoria, and from 7th May 1943, 109 Mile Creek, Northern Territory. 5th Oct 1943 – 11th Works Supply Unit, Pine Creek, Northern Territory – 28th Aug 1944 Reserve Personnel Pools 54 Mile, Northern Territory. 2nd Oct 1944 - Personnel Depot, Adelaide.

- Medals; Defence Medal, 1939-1945 War Medal, 1939-1945 Australia Service Medal,, Returned from Active Service Badge

- Discharge; 24 Dec 1945

- NOK Wife; Irene Mary PRING (nee; SMALE) (b. 2nd May 1918 South Australia)

– Father; John PRING (b.16th Dec 1872 Ballarat, Victoria) - Australian Army Private, 50th Infantry Battalion, AIF. – Service No; 4855.

Bryan Robert John PRING (b. 5 Oct 1923 Lismore, NSW, Australia) Sergeant, Air Gunner – Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve (RAFVR), Service No; 1853987 - Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Squadron 467 based in 1943 at RAF Waddington, (Village of Waddington 4.2 miles south of Lincoln, Lincolnshire).

Aircraft; Lancaster Bomber Mk 1 LL846. .............

Aircraft Crew;

- Flying Officer Arthur Henry Birch (171883) (RAFVR) (Air Gunner) PoW

- Flying Officer Samuel Johns (425021) (Pilot) PoW.

- Flying Officer C E Langstone (J/27488) (RCAF) (Navigator) PoW

- Flight Sergeant Bruce Peter Molloy (419472) (Wireless Operator Air Gunner) PoW,.

- Flight Sergeant Matthew John O'Leary (426379) (Bomb Aimer) PoW.

- Sergeant Desmond Kenneth James Phillips (1866742) (RAFVR) (Flight Engineer). KIA.

- Sergeant Bryan Robert John Pring (1853987) (RAFVR) (Air Gunner) PoW.

Lancaster, LL846, took off from RAF Waddington on the 28 Jul 1943, on mission to Stuttgart, Germany. Lancaster; LL846 was hit by Flak over Le Havre, ditched into the sea 5 miles off Le Havre. Due to the skilled flying of Flight Officer Johns (Pilot) the Lancaster made a perfect ditching, all of the Crew survived with the exception of the Flight Engineer Sergeant Desmond KJ Phillips who was badly injured and could not be saved.

Sergeant Bryan RJ Pring became a POW, captured; 29 Jul 1943, and held @ Stalag 3 (A) at LUCKENWALDE, Brandenburg, 52k south of Berlin. In 1945 The POW’s were freed at the end of WW2 by advancing Allied troops.

- Father; Reginald John PRING (b. 23 Jan 1897 Honiton, Devon) Farmer, Lower Moolham Farm, Merriott, Chard, Somerset, (1939

Frederick Vivian PRING (b. 1931 New South Wales)

- Signaller & Warrant Officer – Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF)

- Service No; A33853

– Enlisted; 1948

– Discharge; 27 Feb 1956

– Father; Frederick Albert PRING (b. 20 Jan 1911 Sydney,. NSW) Australian Army Sergeant, -Service No; NX 149787 & N437252.

Jack William PRING, aka William Jack PRING (b. 1 June 1824 Concord, NSW)

– Army Gunner, Australian Artillery,

- Service No; N207372

– Enlisted; 1st Jun 1942, Homebush, NSW – Discharged; 8th Feb 1943

– Re-Enlisted 9th Feb 1943 Sydney, NSW, as William Jack PRING, Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF)

- Service No; 433011

- Squadron 462 – Halifax Bomber Squadron. 462 Squadron was reformed in August 1944 at RAF Driffield, East Riding of Yorkshire.

From early 1945 452 Squadron was part of 100 Group, Bomber Command and Stationed at RAF Foulsham, 15 miles North-West of

Norwich. – Warrant Officer William Jack PRING was Air crew as Wireless Operator June to September 1945.

– Discharged 13th Mar 1946 as Warrant Officer

– Wife; Ellen Elizabeth PRING (nee; Macfarlane).

- NOK; Father; Samuel Gammon PRING (b. 1890 County Wexford, Ireland).

Gabrielle Anne PRING (b. 13th Jul 1915 Sandgate. Queensland)

- Section Officer, Women’s Auxiliary Australian Air Force (WAAAF)

- Service No; 98922

– Enlisted: 23rd Mar 1942, Brisbane, Age 28yrs.

- Re-engaged; 9th Apr 1943 for duration of Hostilities

– Commissioned from the Ranks to Section Officer (28th Jun 1944)

– Section Officer, Engineering School 1944 to 1946

- Discharge; 29th May 1946

– NOK; Mother, Edith PRING (nee; RUTKIN) (b. 1879abt). -

- Father; Frederick Richard PRING (b. 21st May 1876 Queensland).

Source:

1. Aces High: A Tribute to the Most Notable Fighter Pilots of the British and Commonwealth Forces in WWII, by Christopher

Shores, Pub. Grub St. London, 1994. – ISBN 1-898697-00-0

2. Australian War Memorial (AWM) Roll of Honour, Canberra ACT 2061, Australia (https://www.awm.gov.au/people/roll-

search/roll_of_honour/)

3. Oxford University Roll of Service by E.S. Craig MA and W.A Gibson BA Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1920.

4. British History On-line (Digital Library) – Greenwich: The Hospital for Seaman –

(http://www.british-history.ac.uk/old-new-london/vol6/pp177-190)

5. Find My Past (FMP) World Records - Military, Armed Forces and Conflict - (http://www.findmypast.co.uk/)

6. Royal Navy Medals, Honours & Gallantry Awards Part 4, Battle of Jutland – London Gazette Editions 29751 & 29752

Sept. 1916 - (http://www.naval-history.net/WW1NavyBritishLGDecorations1916Jutland.htm)

7. Flight Sergeant A.M. PRING - Full Acknowledgement to; Royal Air Force Commands (RAF Commands)

( See; http://www.rafcommands.com/india/in-the-skies-of-calcutta-a-tribute-to-maurice-pring/).

Further acknowledgement to; Bharat-Rakshak.com

(see; http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/IAF/History/WW2/1093-In-the-Skies-of-Calcutta.html)

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