At the age of 18, in 1943, Ron Guthrie joined the RAAF and received his wings at 19. He spent the final years of World War II flying Fairey Battle aircraft. The during the years 1946-1950 he operated as an Air Traffic Controller but flew Kittyhawks and Mustangs at Oakey in Queensland and Dakotas on the run to Japan from Sydney. After a brief time at a posting with Bristol Freighters his skills were required in the Korean Theatre.
At Williamstown he flew Australia’s first jet fighters and became a low-level aerobics demonstration pilot of the newly formed 75 Squadron.
While flying Meteor operations from Kimpo in Korea he was shot down by a MiG-15 fighter and spent the next two years in a Prisoner Of War camp in North Korea. In 1980, after 37 years of service, Ron retired as a Squadron Leader.
pp. 200 Illustrated, endpp maps #040316 Signed by the author. (Best regards from Ron Guthrie.”)