SAVILLE, DONALD TEALE (1903-1943), aviator and air force officer, was born on 22 December 1903 at Portland, New South Wales, younger of twin sons and second of five children of English-born parents John Saville, engineer, and his wife Isabella, née Teale. Donald was educated at All Saints' College, Bathurst, Sydney Church of England Grammar School (Shore), the Friends' School, Great Ayton, Yorkshire, England, Bathurst High and Sydney Grammar schools. Unsettled and restless, Saville worked in several mechanical engineering jobs at Bathurst and in Sydney before finding a post with Commonwealth Portland Cement Co. Ltd in 1925. He joined the Citizen Air Force, Royal Australian Air Force, as a cadet in May 1927 and completed flying training at Point Cook, Victoria. Receiving a short-service commission in the Royal Air Force, he embarked for Britain in December. On his return to Australia in May 1932, he was appointed to a four-year commission as flying officer, C.A.F. Reserve. Saville was employed testing private aircraft at Mascot, Sydney, until 1935. He had been chosen in 1934 to pilot a twin-engined monoplane, planned to be built for the MacRobertson England-Australia Air Race, but the machine was not finished on time. After working as an assistant flying instructor with the Tasmanian branch of the Australian Aero Club, he became a senior pilot with Australian National Airways Pty Ltd in 1937. While holidaying in England in 1939, Saville joined the R.A.F. Volunteer Reserve and rose to squadron leader. Because of his age, he was employed ferrying aircraft from factories to air force bases. In 1941 he accepted a reduction in rank to transfer to Bomber Command. Following operational training, Flight Lieutenant Saville was posted to No.12 Squadron, R.A.F., the first of three units equipped with Wellington bombers with which he served. In December that year he joined No.458 Squadron, R.A.A.F.; he became a flight commander shortly before the squadron was deployed to Fayid, Egypt, in February 1942. In August Saville was promoted acting wing commander and given command of No.104 Squadron, R.A.F., at Kabrit. The unit moved to Malta in November. Within a fortnight Saville had taken part in numerous sorties, including low-level night-attacks against targets in Tunisia and Sicily. In December he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for his inspiring leadership. On completing a full tour of operations in March 1943, with no break he took over No.218 Squadron, which operated Stirling bombers from Downham Market, Norfolk, England. On his fifty-seventh mission, during the night of 24/25 July, his aircraft was hit and caught fire over Hamburg, Germany. He kept the bomber steady until four of his crew parachuted to safety, but he was unable to escape before it crashed. He was buried in Ohlsdorf military cemetery, Hamburg. Saville was a seasoned pilot with more than 10,000 flying hours. His reputation as a 'fearless commander' who chose to participate in the 'more difficult sorties' was recognized by the award of the Distinguished Service Order, gazetted two days after his death. Select Bibliography J. Herington, Air War Against Germany and Italy 1939-1943 (Canb, 1954); P. Alexander, We Find and Destroy (Syd, 1979); Sydney Morning Herald, 3 Feb, 31 May 1934; Weekly Courier (Launceston), 30 May 1935; F. R. Chappell, A Biography of Wing Commander Donald Teale Saville (manuscript, Australian War Memorial); operations record book, 458 Squadron, RAAF, 1939-45 (Australian War Memorial). More on the resources Author: David Wilson Print Publication Details: David Wilson, 'Saville, Donald Teale (1903 - 1943)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 16, Melbourne University Press, 2002, pp 180-181.
Heres a piece with a photo too ! No.218 Squadron Wing Commanders - Wing Commander Donald Teale SAVILLE DSO, DFC
Great info Annie. Even though I started the thread I forgot to add this one to my database. Thanks again. Cheers Geoff
I missed this when first posted. There is a book about him: Casemate Publishers and Book Distributors, L.L.C. - BOMBER COMMANDER: Don Saville DSO, DFC - 'The Mad Australian
I missed this as well (very sneaky, Geoffrey). Will check my copy of Alexander's We Find and Destroy over the weekend to see what mention he gets.
Strange that I did not include him in the database. I have found three more Aussies in the RAF this week. I also came across the website of the roll of honour of 3 sqn which tells how all the lads died in the Middle East and those who left 3 sqn and died elsewhere. WW2 Annotated Roll of Honour
That's a good link. I keep coming across the circumstances of losses but then forget to let you know. Scholes' Air War Diary has listed one so far so I'll get that to you and go back through McAuley's Against All Odds.
From We Seek and Destroy - A History of 458 RAAF Squadron by Peter Alexander: Page 16 - Ops over Europe in Wellingtons On 11 December four crews, led by Mather, Johnston, Moore and F/L DT Saville bombed Koln without observed results, owing to the usual visibility. Visibility was such that only from the amount of flak thrown up at them and from the fact that it was the estimated time of arrival at target, were they able to recognise the target area. Saville, of the RAF, who took over a Flight from S/L Mellor, was another Australian and had been a civil pilot in Australia. Page 19 Finally for 1941, on the 27th, ten raids were launched: seven on the marshalling yards at Dussldorf and three on docks at Boulogne in France. The weather, extraordinarily, was excellent in both areas. Saville, who went to Dusseldorf, after dropping some of his bombs, passed over an enemy aerodrome with its runway lights on and a Heinkel 111 landing. Saville came in astern and the front gunner, Sgt Howlett, opened fire on the He 111. It was hit and ran off the runway. Proceeding on hisway Saville and his gunners machine-gunned a train from end to end and completed the night's entertainment by dropping a bomb on a gasometer. In January the weather was bitterly cold but slightly less difficult for operations. It was the last month of operations for 458 Squadron at Holme-on Spalding Moor, with Bomber Command and in Britain. 6 January was the first night of ops in the New Year and the German battleships at Brest the objective...Of 458's five attacking aircraft, Saville and Laver dropped their bombs across the docks... Page 25: S/L Johnston, F/L Leslie and S/L Sargeaunt, as the remaining experienced officers, conducted a ballot to determine which of them should stay behind at Holme-on-Spalding Moor for a period to organise the departure of groundstaff. S/L Mellor had been posted away from the Squadron some months before, together with many 458 groundstaff. He subsequently became a W/C and CO of 150 Squadron. S/L Saville, his successor, was not inlcuded in the ballot as he had Middle East experience which it was deemed desirable for him to use with the Squadron. It was Johnston who drew the rather unwanted slip which determined he should stay. Page 28 - 458 relocating to Egypt Laver and Bond had been delayed at Gibraltar with engine defects. They were joined there by S/L Saville. After fourteen hours at Malta they too flew to Kilo 26. The three crews had a peculiar experience when they were nearing Egypt. It was light over the Mediterranean but near the Egyptian coast everything went dark. They thought they had flown into a heavy sandstorm but when they landed they found there had been a total eclipse which, apparently, it had been nobody's business to tell them about. F/S "Windy" Gale of Laver's crew described the experience as "amusing". He was heard to remark that, near E Hamman, with landing lights on, they couldn't see the ground from 500 feet up. Page 63: The detachment of 458 aircrews to 70 Squadron at Abu Sueir and 104, 108 and 148 Squadrons at Kabrit lasted until the end of August 1942. Operations throughout the period had been intense and continuous and had used up many flying hours. S/L Don Saville, one of the Flight Commanders, did not return to 458, becoming CO of another squadron. He was a most experienced pilot as this story of his leaving Moreton-in-the-Marsh illustrates - he was the first to leave for the Middle East. The Station Commander having done some checking up, sent for S/L Sargeaunt and asked if Saville had done the two hours' night-flying training called for by standing instructions. "No, sir," said Sargeaunt. "Who does he think he is? How many night-flying hours has he got?" "Three thousand, sir," "I asked fornight hours, not total flying." "Yes, sir, 3,000 night - 10,000 total." While CO of 104 Squadron, S/L Saville, taking off at last light from Kabrit with a 4,000 lb bomb aboard had an engine cut when too low to jettison, so with it still aboard, he landed in the desert near Fayid. He then walked some way to Fayid and being hot from his exertions, made for the bar and had a quick couple of beers. He then answered the question of where he'd come from, saying he had landed with a 4,000 lb bomb just outside. No one believed him and even said a Wellington wouldn't carry a 4,000-pounder. However they agreed to get a gharry and take him back to the aircraft. They all then had great difficulty in finding the aircraft in the darkness before the exactitude of Saville's story became clear.
No worries, Geoff. Enjoy hunting these guys out. Just have to remember what books I've got! Yes, he was rather experienced, wasn't he?!
