New Zealand-born Australian fighter pilot (1927?1967)
Vance Drummond
,
DFC
,
AFC
(22 February 1927 ? 17 May 1967) was a New Zealand?born Australian pilot who fought in the
Korean
and
Vietnam Wars
. He initially saw service in the New Zealand military, but joined the
Royal Australian Air Force
in 1949 and graduated as a
sergeant pilot
in 1951. Posted to
No. 77 Squadron
in Korea, he flew
Gloster Meteor
jet fighters and earned the US
Air Medal
for his combat skills. He was shot down by a
Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15
in December 1951 and
imprisoned
for almost two years. After returning to Australia he converted to
CAC Sabre
jets and in December 1961 became a
flight commander
with
No. 75 Squadron
; he subsequently led the squadron's Black Diamonds aerobatic team, and was awarded the
Air Force Cross
in 1965.
Drummond was promoted to acting
wing commander
in December 1965 and posted to
South Vietnam
on staff duties with the
United States Air Force
. He joined the US Air Force's
19th Tactical Air Support Squadron
, operating
Cessna Bird Dog
aircraft, as a
forward air controller
in July 1966. That month he earned the
Distinguished Flying Cross
for his part in rescuing a company of soldiers surrounded by
Viet Cong
forces. In October he was awarded the South Vietnamese
Cross of Gallantry with Silver Star
. Drummond took command of
No. 3 Squadron
, flying
Dassault Mirage IIIO
supersonic fighters out of
Williamtown
, New South Wales, in February 1967. His Mirage crashed into the sea during a training exercise on 17 May; neither Drummond nor the plane was found.
Early life and New Zealand military service
[
edit
]
The third child of Leonard Henry Vance Drummond and his wife Dorothy Josephine May,
nee
McKnight, Vance Drummond was born on 22 February 1927 in
Hamilton
, New Zealand. He had three brothers and two sisters. His education, in Hamilton and
Te Awamutu
, was cut short so he could farm with his father. Drummond enlisted in the
Royal New Zealand Air Force
(RNZAF) in May 1944 and trained as a navigator; he graduated in September 1945 and was discharged with the rank of
sergeant
in October.
[1]
He joined the
New Zealand Military Forces
in March 1946 and by July was serving with
J Force
, New Zealand's contribution to the
British Commonwealth Occupation Force
in Japan.
[1]
[2]
Returning to New Zealand in October 1948, Drummond tried to transfer to the RNZAF as a trainee pilot but was considered too old; he successfully applied to the
Royal Australian Air Force
(RAAF) and enlisted in August 1949.
[1]
His brother Frederick Agnew Vance Drummond (1921?1941) had died on active service with the RAAF during World War II.
[1]
[3]
RAAF flying training and Korean War
[
edit
]
On 23 October 1950, while a student with
No. 1 Flying Training School
in
Point Cook
, Victoria, Drummond ditched his
CAC Wirraway
into
Lake Corangamite
during a low-level exercise.
[4]
[5]
He was at an altitude of 200 feet (60 m) when he went to adjust his compass and accidentally knocked his control column forward, causing the Wirraway to dip and strike the water. Drummond remained with the floating plane for two hours before being rescued by boat. The RAAF investigation found that although Drummond was technically at fault, the "glassy" surface of the water and the awkward position of the compass in the Wirraway were the prime causes of his "aquatic adventure".
[5]
He was considered an above-average student and was not disciplined for his lapse.
[6]
After graduating first in his class in February 1951, Drummond was posted to
No. 78 (Fighter) Wing
as a
sergeant pilot
. The wing operated
North American P-51 Mustangs
and
De Havilland Vampires
out of
Williamtown
, New South Wales.
[1]
[7]
In August, Drummond was posted to
No. 77 Squadron
, based at
Kimpo
, South Korea. The squadron had gone into action a week after the outbreak of the
Korean War
in June 1950 and had recently converted from Mustangs to
Gloster Meteor
jet fighters.
[1]
[8]
North Korea's Chinese allies operated a Russian-built swept-wing jet, the
Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15
, that outclassed all other fighters in the theatre except the new
North American F-86 Sabre
.
[9]
[10]
The MiGs were often flown by seasoned
Soviet air force
pilots, whose deployment was unofficial, and denied at the time by the
Soviet Union
.
[11]
In its first months operating the Meteor, No. 77 Squadron conducted offensive sweeps up the
Yalu River
with USAF Sabres, bomber escort missions, and
combat air patrols
.
[12]
Drummond was recommended for the US
Air Medal
for "courage, aggressiveness, tactical skill and devotion" in operations from 1 September to 28 October 1951.
[13]
He was commissioned as a probationary
pilot officer
on 30 November.
[1]
[14]
On 1 December, he was among a formation of twelve Meteors attacked by a superior force of Soviet-piloted MiGs; three Meteors, including Drummond's, were shot down.
[15]
He ejected but was captured by the North Koreans and incarcerated in a prisoner-of-war camp.
[1]
[15]
Drummond and four other prisoners broke out of the camp in April 1952 but were recaptured after two days. The North Koreans beat Drummond and another escapee, and put all five on trial; Drummond was sentenced to a month in confinement.
[1]
[16]
He was promoted to
flying officer
on 30 November.
[17]
An
armistice
ended the fighting on 27 July 1953, but
prisoner exchange
stretched over several weeks.
[18]
[19]
Drummond was released on 1 September and repatriated to Australia shortly afterwards.
[19]
[20]
His award of the US Air Medal was confirmed on 30 October 1953 and promulgated in the
Commonwealth of Australia Gazette
on 5 November.
[21]
Sabre pilot
[
edit
]
After returning to Australia, Drummond undertook No. 8 Advanced Navigation Course.
[22]
In April 1954 he was one of six navigators who made a graduation flight from
East Sale
in Victoria?home of the RAAF School of Air Navigation?to New Zealand in
Avro Lincoln
bombers.
[23]
[24]
He was then posted for flying duties with
No. 2 Operational Training Unit
(OTU) at Williamtown, where he completed No. 3 Fighter Combat Instructors Course.
[22]
Drummond was a founding member of the Sabre Trials Flight, established in November 1954 as part of No. 2 OTU under Wing Commander
Dick Cresswell
, former commanding officer of No. 77 Squadron in Korea.
[1]
[25]
The
CAC Sabre
was the RAAF's first swept-wing,
transonic
aircraft; belonging to the Trials Flight was, according to the official history of the post-war RAAF, "the Air Force's ultimate status symbol".
[25]
Drummond was promoted to
flight lieutenant
on 30 May 1955.
[26]
On 9 September, he married Margaret Buckham, a law clerk, in St Peter's Anglican Church, Newcastle; the couple had a son.
[1]
In February 1959, Drummond was assigned to
Headquarters Operational Command
, located in
Glenbrook
, New South Wales.
[22]
[27]
From January to December 1961, he undertook No. 15 Course at the
RAAF Staff College
in
Canberra
.
[1]
[28]
He then joined
No. 75 Squadron
as a
flight commander
and was raised to
squadron leader
on 1 January 1962.
[1]
[29]
No. 75 Squadron operated Sabres and was home to the Black Diamonds aerobatic display team, which frequently appeared at events in
Australia and its territories
; Drummond was appointed leader of the team in October 1962.
[1]
He also played a major role in squadron mobility exercises.
[30]
Drummond was posted to the staff of the
Department of Air
in Canberra in December 1964.
[1]
On 1 January 1965, he was awarded the
Air Force Cross
for his "loyalty and devotion to duty, plus a very high sense of responsibility" while serving with No. 75 Squadron.
[22]
[31]
Vietnam War
[
edit
]
Drummond was promoted to acting
wing commander
on 16 December 1965 and posted to
South Vietnam
on the staff of the
Second Air Division
,
United States Air Force
(USAF). Based in
Saigon
, he was to observe US methods of air transport, reconnaissance, ground attack, and air defence.
[32]
[33]
In July 1966?apparently at his own behest, according to the official history of the RAAF in the
Vietnam War
?he joined the
19th Tactical Air Support Squadron
as a
forward air controller
(FAC); he flew in a two-seat
Cessna Bird Dog
aircraft called "
Snoopy
".
[1]
[34]
Drummond was the first of several RAAF FACs attached to the USAF during the war.
[35]
The FAC posting was highly prized by RAAF fighter pilots as they otherwise had little opportunity to serve in Vietnam.
[34]
Their role was to fly low over enemy territory, spotting for ground-attack missions and checking the outcome. The nature of the work meant that, according to the official history of the post-war air force, "the FACs had probably the most hazardous job of any RAAF aircrew in the war".
[35]
On the evening of 24 July 1966, having already flown that day, Drummond and his US pilot were called out to assist a company of soldiers besieged by
Viet Cong
troops. Throughout the night and into the early hours of the next morning, in the face of heavy anti-aircraft fire, they marked enemy positions and directed air support until friendly troops arrived by helicopter to relieve the surrounded company. By the end of the mission, the Bird Dog crew had flown for eleven hours in several
sorties
.
[1]
[36]
Drummond was recommended for the
Distinguished Flying Cross
(DFC) for his "outstanding courage and unselfish devotion to duty".
[37]
On a mission in September, Drummond guided a US patrol into action with a Viet Cong force; the Americans captured the enemy's flag and subsequently gave it to Drummond, who sent it to Australia where his wife and a representative of the
Chief of the Air Staff
presented it to the
Australian War Memorial
, Canberra.
[38]
Drummond was awarded the South Vietnamese
Cross of Gallantry with Silver Star
for a mission on 27 October.
[1]
He finished his tour of duty with the USAF in Vietnam the following month, having flown 381 sorties.
[1]
[36]
Fatal accident and court of inquiry
[
edit
]
Drummond's acting rank of wing commander became
substantive
on 1 January 1967.
[1]
[39]
He took command of
No. 3 Squadron
on 3 February.
[40]
Recently returned to Williamtown following duty at
Butterworth
, Malaysia, the unit was to convert from Sabres to
Dassault Mirage IIIO
supersonic fighters.
[40]
[41]
Drummond undertook No. 9 Mirage Course with No. 2 Operational Conversion Unit (OCU), commencing on 10 April.
[42]
He was on a high-altitude combat exercise with three other Mirages on 17 May when his aircraft dived into the sea around 50 nautical miles (93 km) north-east of Williamtown. Drummond had sounded no alert, nor had the jet suffered any obvious structural failure. The other Mirages searched the area but spotted only an oil slick; an air-and-sea search continued for several days but did not locate Drummond or his aircraft.
[41]
The court of inquiry into the accident investigated several possible explanations including engine problems, oxygen system failure, and pilot incapacity. It found that the Mirage was fully serviceable prior to the flight. The inquiry also considered Drummond's flying ability and physical fitness. It noted that he was an above-average pilot with "exceptional leadership abilities" based on career assessments and evaluation by the USAF during his recent tour of duty in Vietnam. His medical officer testified that Drummond had been fully assessed four months previously and was fit to fly without restriction. Margaret Drummond was also called as a witness. She said that over the past six weeks her husband had suffered instances of severe headache, double vision, chest pain and heartburn. In response, the medical officer opined that Drummond may have had a heart attack in the air, pointing out that a
cardiovascular
issue that was manageable on the ground could be exacerbated under flying conditions, and meant that the pilot would be unable to use his radio. The court concluded that such an attack was the most likely explanation for the accident; the Air Officer Commanding Operational Command considered it "reasonable to assume that the cause lay in pilot incapacity".
[41]
Later that year, the former
Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee
, Air Chief Marshal
Sir Frederick Scherger
, was quoted as saying that it "looked like a pilot collapse".
[43]
Air Commodore Mark Lax, writing in the
Defence Department's
Aviation Safety Spotlight
magazine in 2017, considered that Drummond was "well on track to become the Chief of the Air Staff", and speculated that he may have kept quiet about his symptoms to avoid any restrictions on flying.
[41]
Wing Commander
Jake Newham
succeeded Drummond as commanding officer of No. 3 Squadron.
[40]
Drummond's DFC was
gazetted
on 26 September 1967, backdated to 14 September.
[44]
Margaret Drummond, accompanied by the couple's son, was presented with the decoration at
Government House, Canberra
, in April the following year.
[1]
In 2013 and 2014, local newspapers reported plans to salvage the Wirraway that Drummond ditched in Lake Corangamite in 1950.
[45]
[46]
In August 2021, a specially designed gantry was used to lift the fuselage of the Wirraway out of the lake.
[47]
Notes
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
i
j
k
l
m
n
o
p
q
r
s
t
u
Newton, Dennis.
"Vance Drummond (1927?1967)"
.
Australian Dictionary of Biography
.
Australian National University
.
Archived
from the original on 9 July 2018
. Retrieved
22 June
2018
.
- ^
Gillespie,
The Pacific
, p. 307
Archived
5 October 2018 at the
Wayback Machine
- ^
"Drummond, Frederick Agnew Vance"
.
World War Two Nominal Roll
.
Department of Veterans' Affairs
.
Archived
from the original on 9 July 2018
. Retrieved
6 July
2018
.
- ^
"Pilot clings to plane in lake for 2½ hours"
.
The Herald
. Melbourne. 23 October 1950. p. 1
. Retrieved
27 June
2018
– via
National Library of Australia
.
- ^
a
b
RAAF Headquarters,
Accident to Wirraway A20-714
, p. 6
- ^
RAAF Headquarters,
Accident to Wirraway A20-714
, p. 11
- ^
No. 78 Wing,
Operations Record Book
, p. 214
- ^
Stephens,
Going Solo
, pp. 224?225, 231?233
- ^
Stephens,
Going Solo
, pp. 229?230
- ^
Hurst,
The Forgotten Few
, pp. 67, 83
- ^
Hurst,
The Forgotten Few
, pp. 107, 140
- ^
Stephens,
Going Solo
, pp. 234?236
- ^
"Recommendation: United States Air Medal"
.
Australian War Memorial
.
Archived
from the original on 9 July 2018
. Retrieved
18 June
2018
.
- ^
"Royal Australian Air Force"
.
Commonwealth of Australia Gazette
. Canberra. 14 August 1952. p. 3426
. Retrieved
28 June
2018
– via National Library of Australia.
- ^
a
b
Hurst,
The Forgotten Few
, p. 171
- ^
O'Neill,
Combat Operations
, p. 552
- ^
"Royal Australian Air Force"
.
Commonwealth of Australia Gazette
. Canberra. 23 July 1953. p. 2066
. Retrieved
28 June
2018
– via National Library of Australia.
- ^
Stephens,
Going Solo
, p. 242
- ^
a
b
"Exchange of prisoners near end"
.
The Advertiser
. Adelaide. 2 September 1953. p. 4
. Retrieved
18 August
2018
– via National Library of Australia.
- ^
"Pilot tells of death march"
.
The Daily Telegraph
. Sydney. 14 September 1953. p. 7
. Retrieved
6 July
2018
– via National Library of Australia.
- ^
"United States Air Medal"
.
Commonwealth of Australia Gazette
. Canberra. 5 November 1953. p. 2993
. Retrieved
3 July
2018
– via National Library of Australia.
- ^
a
b
c
d
"Awarded the Air Force Cross: Squadron Leader Vance Drummond"
(PDF)
.
Australia and the Vietnam War
. Canberra: Department of Veterans' Affairs. Archived from
the original
(PDF)
on 20 September 2013
. Retrieved
30 June
2018
.
- ^
"6 RAAF men in special flight"
.
The Herald
. Melbourne. 30 April 1954. p. 2
. Retrieved
7 July
2018
– via National Library of Australia.
- ^
Stephens,
Going Solo
, pp. 149?150
- ^
a
b
Stephens,
Going Solo
, p. 348
- ^
"Royal Australian Air Force"
.
Commonwealth of Australia Gazette
. Canberra. 28 July 1955. p. 2299
. Retrieved
28 June
2018
– via National Library of Australia.
- ^
Stephens,
Going Solo
, p. 69
- ^
Hurst,
Strategy and Red Ink
, p. 185
- ^
"Royal Australian Air Force"
.
Commonwealth of Australia Gazette
. Canberra. 20 December 1961. p. 4707
. Retrieved
28 June
2018
– via National Library of Australia.
- ^
"Nineteen in honours list".
RAAF News
. Vol. 7, no. 1. January?February 1965. p. 3.
- ^
"No. 43530"
.
The London Gazette
(Supplement). 1 January 1965. p. 40.
- ^
"Royal Australian Air Force"
.
Commonwealth of Australia Gazette
. Canberra. 13 January 1966. p. 101
. Retrieved
28 June
2018
– via National Library of Australia.
- ^
"RAAF appointment"
(PDF)
(Press release). Canberra:
Department of Air
. 22 December 1965
. Retrieved
24 June
2018
.
- ^
a
b
Coulthard-Clark,
The RAAF in Vietnam
, pp. 262?263
- ^
a
b
Stephens,
Going Solo
, p. 305
- ^
a
b
"RAAF pilot decorated for Vietnam service"
(PDF)
(Press release). Canberra: Department of Air. 12 September 1967
. Retrieved
6 July
2018
.
- ^
"Awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross: The late Wing Commander Vance Drummond"
(PDF)
.
Australia and the Vietnam War
. Canberra: Department of Veterans' Affairs. Archived from
the original
(PDF)
on 20 September 2013
. Retrieved
30 June
2018
.
- ^
"Latest souvenir for Memorial"
.
The Canberra Times
. Canberra. 7 October 1966. p. 4
. Retrieved
21 July
2018
– via National Library of Australia.
- ^
"Royal Australian Air Force"
.
Commonwealth of Australia Gazette
. Canberra. 27 October 1966. p. 5349
. Retrieved
28 June
2018
– via National Library of Australia.
- ^
a
b
c
RAAF Historical Section,
Fighter Units
, pp. 6?7
- ^
a
b
c
d
Lax, Mark (April 2017).
"A lack of oxygen or something else?"
(PDF)
.
Aviation Safety Spotlight
. Defence Aviation and Air Force Safety. pp. 38?42. Archived from
the original
(PDF)
on 18 September 2017
. Retrieved
24 April
2024
.
- ^
Susans,
The RAAF Mirage Story
, p. 128
- ^
"Fuel part seen as jet fault"
.
The Sydney Morning Herald
.
Fairfax Media
. 16 October 1967. p. 1
. Retrieved
22 August
2018
.
- ^
"No. 44415"
.
The London Gazette
(Supplement). 26 September 1967. p. 10427.
- ^
"Wirraway to surface"
.
Camperdown Chronicle
. Camberdown, Victoria: WD News Publications. 21 November 2013.
Archived
from the original on 19 August 2018
. Retrieved
18 August
2018
.
- ^
"Ocean Grove diver's 15-year bid to rescue a sunken war plane"
.
Geelong Advertiser
. Geelong, Victoria:
News Corp Australia
. 13 February 2014
. Retrieved
18 August
2018
.
- ^
Coates, Jessica (31 August 2021).
"Ditched World War II plane recovered from Lake Corangamite"
.
Geelong Advertiser
. Retrieved
1 September
2021
.
References
[
edit
]
- Coulthard-Clark, Chris (1995).
The RAAF in Vietnam: Australian Air Involvement in the Vietnam War 1962?1975
.
The Official History of Australia's Involvement in Southeast Asian Conflicts 1948?1975
. Vol. 4. St. Leonards, New South Wales:
Allen & Unwin
in Association with the
Australian War Memorial
.
ISBN
1-86373-305-1
.
- Gillespie, Oliver (1952).
The Pacific
.
Official History of New Zealand in the Second World War 1939?45
. Wellington: War History Branch,
Department of Internal Affairs
.
OCLC
491441265
.
- Hurst, Doug (2001).
Strategy and Red Ink: A History of RAAF Staff College 1949?1999
(PDF)
. RAAF Base Fairbairn: Aerospace Centre.
ISBN
0-642-26558-5
.
- Hurst, Doug (2008).
The Forgotten Few: 77 RAAF Squadron in Korea
. Crows Nest, New South Wales: Allen & Unwin.
ISBN
978-1-74175-500-8
.
- No. 78 Wing (1943?1959).
Operations Record Book
. RAAF Unit History sheets (Form A50). Canberra:
National Archives of Australia
.
{{
cite book
}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (
link
)
- O'Neill, Robert
(1985).
Combat Operations
.
Australia in the Korean War 1950?53
. Vol. 2. Canberra: Australian War Memorial &
Australian Government Publishing Service
.
ISBN
0-642-04330-2
.
- RAAF Headquarters (1950?1951).
Accident to Wirraway A20-714
. Canberra: National Archives of Australia.
- RAAF Historical Section (1995).
Fighter Units
. Units of the Royal Australian Air Force: A Concise History. Vol. 2. Canberra: Australian Government Publishing Service.
ISBN
0-644-42794-9
.
- Stephens, Alan (1995).
Going Solo: The Royal Australian Air Force 1946?1971
(PDF)
. Canberra: Australian Government Publishing Service.
- Susans, M.R., ed. (1990).
The RAAF Mirage Story
(PDF)
. RAAF Base Point Cook, Victoria:
RAAF Museum
.
ISBN
0-642-14835-X
.
External links
[
edit
]
- AWM photograph (1), taken 1 September 1953, of Drummond and four of his comrades, following his release from Korean Prisoner of War camp.
- AWM photograph (2), taken 2 September 1953, of Drummond on Australian transport plane, following his release from Korean Prisoner of War camp.
- AWM photograph (3), taken 2 September 1953, of Drummond on Australian transport plane, following his release from Korean Prisoner of War camp.
- AWM photograph (4), taken 2 September 1953, of Drummond on Australian transport plane, following his release from Korean Prisoner of War camp.
- AWM photograph (5), taken 2 September 1953, of Drummond following his release from Korean Prisoner of War camp.
- AWM photograph (6), taken 2 September 1953, of Drummond following his release from Korean Prisoner of War camp.
- AWM photograph (7), taken September 1953, of Drummond's return (with five other POWs) to Australia following his release from Korean Prisoner of War camp.