The Australian was Flight Lieutenant 'Tich' Whiteley and he had been tasked with delivering three American-built Martin Maryland aircraft to Malta to be used for reconnaissance. Each aircraft had a crew of three: a pilot, an observer or navigator, and a Wireless Operator/Air Gunner (WOp/AG). With few specialist navigators available, pilots with navigation training were considered. One was Warburton, the other was Paddy Devine. Taking two pilots in place of two navigators also gave Tich more flexibility. This was a fortuitous decision. Tich said later, 'Warburton had already demonstrated to me that he was a capable and reliable officer just looking for a challenge.' The new unit created was 431 Flight. It created a legend.