Along the shores of beautiful Owi Island, a former World War II airfield, located in the Schouten Islands of Indonesia, may be seen the colourful signs, of many a fighter, and heavy bomber squadron.
But it is the general consensus of opinion, that the 403rd 'Mareeba Butchers', head the list of unique names, and colourful signs. They gained their grizzly cognomen, from an incident that happened, while they were based in Mareeba, Australia.
The story goes, that the 43rd Bomb Group, in conjunction with the old 19th Bomb Group, allowed a few of their bombs to stray, into a Geisha-girl house, while on a mission over Rabaul. The damage to the darlings of the Japanese soldiers, according to Madam Tojo, of Radio Tokyo Fame, was a little more than devastating, and she swore vegeance, on the 'butchers' of her 'innocent girls'.
The 403rd Squadron, of the 43rd Group, because several of their crews, had figured in the bombing, took an almost malicious delight, in the attention they received, and they adopted the name, 'Mareeba Butchers'.
Since that mission over Rebaul, the 'Butchers', laid down their bombs on targets from Lao to Davao. So well, they did their job, Madam Tojo, continued to threaten them, at frequent intervals, on her radio program, and the 'Butchers' accepted each threat, as an incentive, to live up to their name, and put more bombs, where they did the most good!
However, the name 'Mareeba Butchers', was not the 403rd's only claim to fame. They were also, the oldest heavy bomb group in the Southwest Pacific, and the first heavy bomb squadron in New Guinea.
The brave men, of the Mareeba Butchers Squadron, were:
Pilot, Reasor M Dawson.
Co-Pilot, John G Yeager.
Bombardier, Eugene K Edgett.
Navigator, Thomas D Galey.
Radio Operator and Gunner, Robert J Kowalsky.
Engineer and Gunner, James L Binkley.
Airplane Armorer and Gunner, Stuart B Eynon, Carl F Goodrich, Lees Broome, and Robert W Kerr.
