Narromine Aviation Museum secures funding for World War II memorial wall

The upgrade will have a personal significance for Narromine Aviation Museum chairman Peter Kierath, who is the nephew of Flight Lieutenant Reginald 'Rusty' Kierath, who was taken prisoner by the Germans after an aerial battle over the Tunisian coast.

"My uncle was involved in the Great Escape, so that's why it means so much to me," Mr Kierath said.

The memorial wall will be constructed using old English-style red bricks and, when complete, will stand 1 metre high and have a 30-degree slope.

Mounted along the top will be 38 plaques, honouring all of the pilots who trained at No. 5 Elementary Flying Training School at the Narromine Aerodrome.

Mr Kierath said many who visit the museum already have familial connections with pilots who trained at the facility and he expects the memorial will attract more World War II history buffs to the site.

"We get quite a few visitors who come in saying their uncle or grand-father or great-uncle trained here, so I have no doubt it's going to give us a big uplift in tourism," he said.

In 1940, the Narromine Aerodrome was handed over to the Royal Australian Air Force in July 1940 for the establishment of No.5 Elementary Flying Training School. The school was one of a dozen such schools around Australia forming part of the Empire Air Training Scheme.

From May 1940 to May 1944, 2,850 pilots went through the school - more than a fifth of all pilots trained in Australia during that period.

Local women also got involved with the training school - forming the Narromine Voluntary Aid Detachment of the Australian Red Cross and assisting at the RAAF base hospital in a variety of ways over the next five years.

Sadly, 16 men died during training and about 780 pilots who trained at the facility served in the war but never returned home.

Announcing the successful grant for the aviation museum upgrade, member for Dubbo Dugald Saunders said the memorial will be another drawcard to the aerodrome - already a popular spot for flying enthusiasts.

"The region is still internationally renowned for its fantastic thermals, and is widely considered one of the top three locations in the world for gliding," he said.

"This memorial wall will be a great tribute to the region's military history, and I can't wait to see the finished product!"

The grant comes from the NSW Government's $660 million Stronger Country Communities Fund designed to support growing regional centres, activate local economies and improve services and community infrastructure in the regions.

"I'm just so pleased that the State Government has seen the value in this project," Mr Kierath said.

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