LEN BOWEN on A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE F.O.B.

Len Bowen will show photographs and tell a few stories about humorous incidents that happened to him and his unit when he was stationed in Borneo. Len spent three years as an Air Movements Officer in Borneo and the Far East with the Royal Air Force from 1965 to 1968, including a year during the Indonesian 'confrontation'.


A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORWARD OPERATING BASE

The Indonesian Confrontation was a three-year conflict on the island of Borneo and the Malay Peninsula, with Australian troops involved as part of a Commonwealth force under British command. The armed conflict from 1963 to 1966 stemmed from Indonesia's opposition to the creation of the state of Malaysia from the Federation of Malaya. Although it was an undeclared and even unknown war, at its height 17,000 Commonwealth troops were involved. These were supported by the Royal Air Force. Len Bowen was stationed at a Royal Air Force Forward Operating Base in Borneo.

Len won't be telling war stories but will reveal some of the more amazing incidents that happened to himself and his unit. Such as the time the aircraft they were travelling in knocked down a power pole as they were taxiing on the edge of the runway. When they called Air Traffic for help the reply came "that help could not be called as some damned fool had knocked down a power pole".

LEN BOWEN

Len Bowen's father was a WW2 RAF Air Gunner and his mother was a WW2 Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve nurse, living in Scotland and then England. Len joined the Royal Air Force (RAF) in December 1963, and was commissioned in June 1964. He was posted to RAF Labuan, East Malaysia in August 1965 as an Air Movements Officer (AMO) during the Indonesian "confrontation".  His duties were normal aircraft handling on RAF, British Army and Royal Navy fixed wing planes and helicopters. He also did two years with the RAF Far East Air Force and the Mobile Air Movements Squadron, operating in Singapore, West and East Malaysia, India, Nepal, South Vietnam and Mauritius. He further served back in the UK and Malta; he resigned from the RAF in 1977 and joined the RAAF where he served until 1999. He also served 14 years in the RAAF Active Reserve.

CONTACT:       Len Bowen.     0417 669543.       plbowen@bigpond.com


Len Bowen, on active service


RAF Avro Vulcan bomber landing in Malaysia, c. 1965










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