Tragically Pilot Officer Henry Dudley Andrews (age 24) died today 68 years ago - He served on peacekeeping duties in Korea from 11 November 1953 to 31 May 1954.
Today we remember Pilot Officer Henry Dudley Andrews (Service no. O5464) and those who served in the Korean War.
We pay tribute and give honour, recognition, and thanks to the many military men and women who lost their lives in Korea fighting for freedom and peace.
Based in Japan as part of the British Commonwealth Occupational Force, 77 SQN was finalising preparations in late June 1950 to return to Australia after its tour of duty. However, with the sudden North Korean invasion of South Korea, 77 SQN was immediately re-rolled into the Korean War. Within days, 77 SQN flew its first combat operations over Korea on 2 July 1950 having been on continuous operations overseas since 1943. It was the first British Commonwealth and United Nations unit to see action in the war.
For the next 3 ½ years, 77 SQN flew with distinction in the Korean War. Its performance in the early days of the war has been cited as a factor in the United States' decision to ratify the ANZUS treaty in September 1951. 77 Squadron was credited with shooting down five MiG-15s and destroying 3,700 buildings, 1,408 vehicles, ninety-eight railway engines and carriages, and sixteen bridges. The squadron flew over 18,870 sorties, including 3,870 in Mustangs and 15,000 in Meteors and transitioned from Mustang to jet aircraft while in theatre – a remarkable achievement.
Meanwhile, the squadron's casualty rate in Korea was high - 25 percent killed or captured. Forty-one pilots died (thirty-five from the RAAF and six Royal Air Force exchange pilots).
The war ended and the Korean Armistice Agreement was signed 27 July 1953.
In May 1954, 9 months later, two Meteors, now operating out of Kunsan, collided in mid-air, destroying both aircraft and killing Pilot Officer H. Andrews; the last 77 Squadron pilot to die in Korea.
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