The Association has learned of the death of S/Lt(A) Donald Oakley Randle RNVR on 3 June 2018 aged 93. He is survived by two daughters, Deborah and Sarah and seven grandchildren who all live in the USA.
From Records
Donald served from 1942 – 1946.
He was a member of 44th Pilot’s course and flew with 1771 NAS, HMS Implacable and 1772 NAS, HMS Indefatigable.
Extract taken from ‘The Friendly Squadron 1772 Naval Air Squadron 1944 – 1945’ Compiled and Edited by Teddy Key
DON RANDLE
Pilot
Don with his Observer Forêt Millar, together with Stu Jobbings and his ‘looker’ Rhys Heaven, were posted to 1771 Squadron, embarked on HMS Implacable, on 14th May 1945. They had been with 1772 for about a year. They flew to Jervis Bay and landed on Implacable on 23rd May. They sailed the following day for Manus in the Admiralty Islands. Before that we had the joy of joining the old squadron at Canungra in Queensland for jungle training, the course was “army-directed”. What we wanted was “jungle survival”.’
With 1771 he was involved in Operation INMATE, the assault on Truk. This operation was on 14/15th June, his first operation and his first take-off by catapult. These two old 1772 crews were with us on the final assault on Japan in that they were part of the British Task Force in June/July 1945. 1771 Fireflies were the first British aircraft to attack mainland Japan on 17th July. Stu Jobbings and Rhys Heaven managed to ditch safely during this spell of operations. Don also admits to a barrier prang while on Implacable.
In 1979, en route from Tokyo to Honolulu, Don did a diversion to Micronesia and stopped 48 hours in Truk. He snorkelled over the Japanese ships. It was a truly amazing experience for him. These ships had been sunk in 1943 by the devastating bombardment of the US Navy.
Don spent his working life in the tobacco industry and was eventually the Chief Executive officer of a major company. His work took him round the world by sea and air a dozen times and to virtually every country in the world. He covered 46 of the 50 States of the USA. He claims to have had a very full and fascinating life. He married Margaret in 1950 and he has two daughters and now seven grandchildren.
Don was hospitalised on return to Sydney in 1945 and then shipped back to the UK in the hospital ship MAJOLA. The reason was the need for a shoulder operation. He was demobbed on 7th May 1946 after a brief posting at Ternhill.
One day, the thwarted trip in the back of the Historic Flight Mark 6 Firefly will be honoured. He won that seat in a reunion raffle, proceeds to the Historic Flight, but the little operation was stymied by…..a taxi-ing accident!