BETTERIDGE, Richard

Richard Betteridge was born in London in 1882. He moved to Australia in 1911 and described his occupation as Wireless Operator. He was a single man, aged 23 years and eight months old, 5'5" tall, with black hair, brown eyes and a 'dark' complexion. He enlisted on 18 July, 1916, having been previouly rejected as unfit, and was appointed as an aircraft mechanic, sole wireless operator and signal man, attached to the Australian Flying Corps No 1 Squadron and on 27 July 1916, the squadron embarked on board RMS Malwa for the Middle East.

Betteridge served as an aircraft mechanic and wireless operator on early fighter planes in Egypt, Palestine and the Suez from 1916 to 1918, then in France, to which his squadron was sent in 1918. He was several times wounded by shrapnel, but in spite of the danger all round somehow managed to create a photographic record of his squadron and the battles they fought, which was strictly illegal. However, he managed to build a false bottom on his army trunk and bring them back to Australia. His children found the collection some twenty years after his death and donated it to the University of Queensland library. The 67th Squadron which he was serving in 1918 may even have spotted the famous German fighter pilot, the Red Baron Manfred von Richthofen who ruled the skies over France and Belgium till April 1918.

Richard Betteridge was returned to Australia on board the 'Plessy', leaving on 3 May, 1919. On 10 June, he was discharged from service and returned to civilian life. In 1920 , he moved to Lismore, NSW, and on 16 March, 1937, he applied for a War Service Home. 

He died on 11/ 11/ 1960.