April 1945 - May 1946

The personnel of 724 communication squadron at Mascot
airport, Sydney with one of their initial 2 Beech Expeditor
C. Mk,II aircraft. image courtesy of Raymond Playford ex AM(E) 724 NAS.
Formation and work-up
724 squadron
formed at RNAS Bankstown on April 10th 1945 as a Naval Air Communications squadron under the command of Lieutenant (A) J.H.L. Evans RNVR. They received 2 Expeditor C.IIs from
723 squadron which that had been operating the communications flight until their arrival.
Operations in
Australia
The squadron operated out of the nearby civil airport at Mascot as the grass surface at Bankstown was unsuitable for the heavy twin engine aircraft and received an additional 2 Anson Mk Is They operated regular flights to Melbourne, 5 times a week, and to
RNAMY Archerfield 3 times, carting passengers and light stores. In the New Year the range and frequency of services was increased; the
Archerfield service was extended, after an overnight stop the aircraft continued on to
RNAS Maryborough, the most northern of the RN sites in Australia, a 1400-mile round trip. The Melbourne service became a daily one and from June six days a week a twice daily service to
the Air Stations at
Nowra and
Jervis bay began. At its peak the squadron operated as many as 20 aircraft, each wearing its Australian radio call sign on the rear fuselage above the roundel – VJ-AAA to VJ-AAZ were allocated.
Disbanded
When RNAS Bankstown was closed on March 31st 1946 the squadron moved to nearby
RNAS Schofields but was disbanded there two months later on May 31st
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Content revised:
09 June 2020
Sources used in compiling this account:
Sturtivant, R. & Burrows, M. (1995)'Fleet Air Arm
Aircraft 1939 to 1945' Tonbridge Wells, Air Britain
(Historians)
Sturtivant, R & Balance, T., (1994)'Squadrons of the
Fleet Air Arm' Tonbridge Wells, Air Britain (Historians)
beech18-part-6.pdf
Information about individual aircraft and
Australian civil radio call signs. Accessed 17
February 2010
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