Herb Plenty
Group Captain Herbert Clarence Plenty, DFC and Bar, (2 February 1921 – 13 May 2013) was an officer in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF).
[1] According to his interview for RAAF Historical Section on 5 November 1996, Plenty was born into a farming family in Napperby, South Australia.
Plenty's interest in flying was kindled as a boy reading the exploits of aviation heroes such as Kingsford-Smith and Bert Hinkler.
Australia declared war on the 3rd of September 1939 and the following day Plenty arrived at RAAF Base Point Cook for initial training.
In the RAAF Historical Section interivew Plenty recounted that on the morning of 10 December 1941, he was on a reconnaissance flight over the South China Sea off the coast from Kuantan, when the crew sighted Force Z and witnessed the attack and sinking of the Prince of Wales and Repulse.
His Hudson was also rapidly shot down, however he managed to get it onto the sea without serious injury and the crew were all able to evacuate, inflating their life raft after the Zero’s had departed.
The crew, aided by local Chinese made their way to the mainland near Mersing, and on foot down the coast walking for two days before finding a hidden Malay boat and sailing to the Johore radar station where they were picked up by a British mine sweeper and returned to Singapore on 29th of January.
[12] At the end of February Plenty was evacuated to Broome, Australia, but was unable to get a seat on a forward flight until the morning of 2 March.
100 Beaufort Squadron at Milne Bay, Papua New Guinea, on 8 November 1943, flying bombing strikes against Japanese positions on New Britain, on occasions leading formations of up to thirty bombers.
1 Communications Unit based at Essendon aerodrome, Melbourne from October 1945 to August 1948, during which time he was promoted to Wing Commander.
In 1952 Plenty was commander at RAAF Momote Manus Island, overseeing the rebuilding of the airstrip and other structures destroyed during WWII.
Plenty was Director of Flying Safety in Canberra from 1960 to 1962 at the time of the CAC Sabre tragedies (A94-924, A94-926 & A94-937[16]) which occurred over a nine-week period in 1960.
[2] It wasn't until the third fatality investigation confirmed Plenty's initial report, that the Sabre's were grounded until a new canopy release system was engineered.
[17] Plenty was Commanding Officer Central Flying School at RAAF Base East Sale, Victoria, from January 1962 to June 1964.
Shortly after taking command the RAAF Aerobatics team the Red Sales, flying de Havilland Vampire aircraft, experienced one of the RAAF's worst peace time training accidents when all four aircraft impacted the ground during a barrel roll, killing all six aircrew.
[18][19] In order to restore confidence, as soon as the immediate shock had eased Plenty announced the creation of a new aerobatic team, the Telstars,[20] which he initially led, before handing over to Sqn Leader Lyle Klaffer.
Plenty's first wingman, Flt Lt Peter Scully (later Air Vice marshal[21]) described the rebuilding process as a ‘very impressive piece of leadership’.
Whispering Death, Allen & Unwin, 2011 King, Colin, M. Song of the Beauforts Air Power Development Centre, 2008, Canberra Murphy, R. RAAF Personalities Manuscript kept by the Australian War Memorial, 1998, Canberra National Archives of Australia, NAA_ItemNumber30718974 PLENTY Herbert Clarence Service Number 03103 National Archives Of Australia, NAA_itemNumberA9186-21 RAAF Unit History sheets (Form A50) [Operations Record Book - Forms A50 and A51] Number 8 Squadron Oct 39 - Jan 46 National Archives of Australia, NAA_Item number A9186,123 RAAF Unit History Sheets (Form A50) Operations Record Book - Forms A50 and A51 Number 100 Squadron Mar 42 - Aug 46 Odgers, G. Air War Against Japan 1943-45 Australian War Memorial 1957, Canberra Plenty, H.C. Singapore Slip Len Pty Publishing, 1990, Canberra RAAF Historical Section interview 5 November 1996 Shores, Christopher et al., Bloody Shambles Volume One the Drift to War to the Fall of Singapore, Grub Street, 1992 Shores, Christopher et al., Bloody Shambles Volume Two the Defence of Sumatra to the Fall of Burma, Grub Street, 1993 Stephens, Alan.
