403rd Squadron, "The Mareeba Butchers" of the 43rd Bomb Group

403RD SQUADRON
"THE MAREEBA BUTCHERS"
43RD HEAVY BOMB GROUP
IN AUSTRALIA DURING WW2

visits since 4 November 2001

The 403rd Squadron of the 43rd Bomb Group was stationed at the following locations during World War 2:-

Melbourne, Australia	27 February 1942 - 14 March 1942
Laverton, Australia	14 March 1942 - 27 August 1942
Torrens Creek, Australia	27 August 1942 - 17 October 1942
Iron Range, Australia	17 October 1942 - 23 November 1942
Milne Bay, New Guinea	23 November 1942 - 21 January 1943
Mareeba, Australia	21 January 1943 - 11 May 1943
Port Moresby	11 May 1943 - 13 December 1943
Dobodura, New Guinea	13 December 1943 - 12 March 1944
Nadzab, New Guinea	12 March 1944 - 28 July 1944
Owi, Schouten Islands	28 July 1944 -

Vic, of Camp Hill was a young bank worker in Mareeba during WW2. He wrote to the Good Mail column of the Sunday Mail to indicate that during a visit by General Douglas MacArthur to inspect the 43rd Bomb Group at the Mareeba airfield, he was shown the food preparation area in the kitchen. He apparently ran his finger over the cutting blade of a meat slicer and found that it had a fine layer of animal fat on it. MacArthur commented "You'd better get this cleaned up properly, soldier".

The following evening, Tokyo Rose stated during her broadcast "And how are the Mareeba butchers tonite? Have you got the meat slicer cleaned yet?"

The 403rd Bomb Squadron of the 43rd Bomb Group was known as the "Mareeba Butchers". It has been suggested that they got their name from the above incident.

LINKS TO OTHER PAGES

"The Mareeba Butchers"
403rd Squadron Briefing Room

Ken's Men
5th Air Force
43rd Bomb Group

REFERENCES

Good Mail column, Sunday Mail 16 March 2003