“Taffy” Prosser - In Memoriam
In the 1950's 208 was based in Egypt, at RAF 
Abu Sueir. In early 1953 one of our pilots, "Taffy" Prosser, had a farewell party in the Officers' Club and left on attachment to 77 Squadron, RAAF in Korea. He didn't last long, being brought down by ground fire. It was suggested that the non-jettisoning of ventral tanks led to higher losses.
I've never seen any mention of " Taffy" in any publication. He was ex-Cranwell with a good career prospect, sadly cut short. A mention in the Squadron history would be appropriate.
Desmond Penrose
No 77 Squadron RAAF
No 77 Squadron RAAF flew their first combat operations over Korea on 2 July 1950. By the time the Armistice came into effect on 27 July 1953, the Squadron had flown 18,872 sorties, 3,872 in Mustangs and 15,000 in Meteors. Thirty-three Australian pilots were killed and another six taken prisoner. Owing to the shortage of trained RAAF fighter pilots during the Korean War, 37 pilots from the Royal Air Force served with No. 77 Squadron in Korea. Of these, six were killed in action, one of whom was “Taffy” Prosser, and one was shot down and captured. Of the squadron's 90 Meteors, 54 were lost during the war. Overall, the squadron's casualty rate in Korea was twenty-five percent killed or captured.
A number of online histories of No 77 Squadron RAAF may be found by clicking on the pictures below:
