by Charles Page
With all his talents and achievements, it could be said that Horace Harler was the perfect schoolboy, and could look forward to an outstanding future. His main passion was flying, and with the looming war, he was determined to join the RAAF and gain his ‘Wings’.
Horace William Harler was born on 31 March 1924 in Randwick NSW. The family later moved to Karoo Street, South Perth. From 1936, Horace (Horrie) was educated at Wesley College, where he shone academically and in sports. He was Dux of Form IIA, Captain of the U/14 football team, and gained his Junior Certificate in eight subjects.
By 1942 he was a prefect and Vice Captain of the 1st XI cricket team. His friend, Peter Cook remembers Horrie’s ‘subtle high trajectory slow leg break bowling.’ Horrie’s younger brother John recalled, ‘Apart from cricket and tennis, Horrie played in one of the first hockey teams fielded by the college, and in athletics, high jump was his forté.’
John also recalled, ‘Horrie had a very real musical talent, with which he astounded the music teacher by playing at a school function, Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue on the piano, no mean feat for someone who only had limited lessons as a small boy.’
On one occasion, the teacher was playing the piano at assembly and hit a key so hard it flew up about five feet. Showing great reflexes, Horrie leaped off his chair and caught the ivory as it came down. A stunned silence was followed by enthusiastic applause. Horrie’s musical talents extended to the harmonica, which he played in expert fashion, in the style of Larry Adler.
Yet another of Horrie’s talents was drawing, in which he gained a distinction in his Leaving Certificate. His friend Ray admired his, ‘artistic skills in drawing and painting, and in particular his interest in drawing aircraft’.
Despite his many talents and achievements, Horrie is remembered as ‘a fairly shy sort of a chap’, unassuming but determined. He was also a member of the ‘Wesley Hundred’, a corps of senior boys committed to community service.
Horrie also enjoyed the outdoors, as John recalled: ‘We spent many happy hours canoeing on the river, ‘I being the younger by three years used the homemade canoe designed and built by Horrie out of galvanised sheet, the joints riveted and sealed with soft solder.’
However, Horrie’s greatest passion was aero modelling, as William Wilson recalls, ‘he had a great talent for the design and construction of model aeroplanes.’ He flew them at the oval just opposite the zoo on Labouchere Road, South Perth. Most of them were rubber powered, as few enthusiasts could afford the engines. He also flew them fast and furious on the school oval, to the delight of his younger schoolmates.
It was thus no surprise when Horrie joined Air Training Corps 75 Squadron, Perth. This, together with his Leaving Certificate in seven subjects, gained him acceptance into the RAAF. He enlisted on 5 December 1942 and was first posted to No.5 Initial Training School, Clontarf. He progressed to No.9 Elementary Flying School, Cunderdin on 4 March 1943, where he trained on Tiger Moths.
His next posting, on 9 May 1943, was to No.4 Service Flying Training School, Geraldton, where he flew the twin engine Avro Anson. He was awarded his pilot’s ‘Wings’ on 20 August 1943. Like many of his peers in the RAAF, Horace was destined for Bomber Command, and embarked from Melbourne on 27 September 1943. After crossing the Pacific, he disembarked at San Francisco on 16 October 1943, and travelled by train to New York. After a few days leave and sightseeing, he embarked for UK, arriving on 9 November 1943.
While awaiting posting, Horace was sent on a Ministry of Information Tour, and also enjoyed some leave. Then on 11 April 1944, he was posted to No.15 (P) Advanced Flying Unit at RAF Babdown Farm, Gloucestershire, where he was given further training on the twin engine Oxford. He was also assigned to the instrument flying course at No.1532 Blind Approach Training Flight. On 27 June 1944, Horace progressed to No.84 Operational Training Unit at Desborough, Northants, where he trained on the twin engine Wellington bomber, and formed a crew.
Horace and his crew were then posted to No.3 Lancaster Finishing School at 31 Base Stradishall, though they would be flying from the satellite airfield at Feltwell, Norfolk. After completion of this course, they would be posted to an operational Lancaster squadron.
On 18 December 1944, Horace and crew were detailed for a night ‘Bullseye’ cross-country in Lancaster R5674 (squadron code A5-K). They took off from Feltwell at 1855 hrs, behind Lancaster R5846, which was five minutes ahead and on the same exercise.
This was the final exercise in the course, and involved air to air firing, and circuits and landings at Waterbeach, Methwold and Tempsford. The weather was fine, and nothing further was heard from the aircraft. Then at 2150 hrs, two aircraft were seen flying close together, south of Feltwell airfield, and a minute later there were explosions and flames seen to the south-east of the airfield.
The two Lancasters had collided in mid-air and crashed just south of Hockwold village, with about 500 yards between the wrecked and burning aircraft. The rear fuselage of Horace’s Lancaster was about 150 yards from the main wreckage, and had been cut through by a propeller of the other Lancaster. The rear turret was another 100 yards further back, but the body of the rear gunner was not found inside, and it was obvious the turret detached mid-air. The landing gear was found in the down position, indicating the Lancaster was on approach to land. The other Lancaster came straight down in a vertical dive and disintegrated and burned. All seven crew members of both Lancasters were killed. The Court of Enquiry established that the visibility was clear, both aircraft were in the outer ‘Drem lighting system’ circuit area and had their navigation lights on, but neither crew had seen the other aircraft.
At 1030 hrs on 23 December 1944, Pilot Officer Horace Harler was buried in Cambridge City Cemetery, known locally as the Newmarket Road Cemetery. As per standard procedure, his personal effects were sent to his next of kin. These included a souvenir locket from New York, a pilot’s Wings badge, a model aircraft kit, and a harmonica.
His family still remembers him as: ‘The most wonderful person’. In 1984, the Anglian Aeronautical Preservation Society searched the crash area and found four Merlin engines, machine guns, and other equipment, which are now displayed at the Norfolk and Suffolk Museum in Flixton, Suffolk.
With all his talents, who knows what Horace Harler could have achieved. He was only 20 years and nine months when he was killed. He is commemorated on Panel 177 of the International Bomber Command Centre, Lincoln; the Australian War Memorial; State War Memorial, Kings Park, Perth; Wesley College, South Perth; Air Training Corps Honour Boards at RAAFA Bullcreek and RAAF Pearce.
Sources:
NAA A9300
NAA A705
CWG
IBCC
Wesley College
