Trapped by T Trumble Episode 4+5
Posted on: Mon 15 Jun 2020
Today we continue with the third of our four broadcast session about a group of RAAF personnel in Timor during WW2 and their remarkable fight for freedom
1942 RAAF Timor: ‘Trapped’ – Episode 4 Following the tragic death of Pilot Officer Peter Thompson, the stranded airmen head south for the Emergency Landing Ground (ELG). At great cost, the airmen make it to the ELG only for Darwin to rule out sending an aircraft to pick them up. With a Japanese patrol closing in, the airmen retreat into the jungle after Timorese villagers warn of an approaching Japanese patrol. Meanwhile, the RAAF makes a request to an ally to attempt a high-risk rescue.
1942 RAAF Timor: ‘Trapped’ – Episode 5 A light out to sea With all the airmen stricken with malaria, and food and supplies exhausted, survival seems unlikely for the men of the RAAF rear party. When a Timorese villager loyal to the Japanese delivers a letter to Flight Lieutenant Bryan Rofe demanding his surrender, the airmen must confront the truth that they may never make it home. And then hope is rekindled in the form of an unlikely, high-risk rescue attempt.
All photos and the ‘Trapped’ Episodes provided by/used with permission of Tom Trumble, the copyright holder. See all 6 episodes at AWM
