Project of Geoff Swallow. Please LIKE my page and SHARE with your friends. Sadly, on the 18th September 1945, after six years of war for Australia and just one month after the Japanese surrender a Dakota C-47 Aircraft of 38 Squadron RAAF left New Guinea for Australia with a nurse, Sister Marie Eileen Craig (MiD). 6 RAAF crew and three RAAF passengers, returning 18 sick Army patients to Australia when it crashed with the loss of all on board. From: ozatwar/ozcrashes/qld150.htm At 6.00am on 18 September 1945, RAAF C-47 Dakota, A65-61, VH-CUT, of 38 Squadron RAAF, took off from Wama Airfield on Moratai in New Guinea. It arrived at Mokmer airfield on Biak Island at 10.30am. The Dakota then took off in clear weather at 11.15am enroute to Townsville via Horn Island. Normal procedure for aircraft departing from Biak was to radio in 15 minutes after take-off and then again when they had reached their cruising height. A65-61 did not make its first 15 minutes radio call and totally disappeared along with its 28 occupants. No trace was found during searches in New Guinea. It was thought that it would not have reached the Australian mainland. Penny Stibbard told me that her uncle, Noel Royce Stibbard, was on this flight when it disappeared in Papua New Guinea. Penny told me that the aircraft wreckage was found in 1968. On 16 October 1968, an American Missionary, Jerry Reeder, was flying his aircraft across the Nassau Range in West Irian at 14,500 feet when he saw a flash of light below him. He flew down lower to discover the wreckage of a large silvery aircraft on the side of Mount Carstens. In mid 1970, Jerry Reeder returned with two American timbermen from the D.E. Lowe Corporation in a Bell Ranger helicopter and landed near the wreckage. They were able to determine that it was a WW2 Dakota military aircraft. The camouflage had faded from the metal fuselage but they were able to find the letters CUT in faint yellow letters on the tail of the wrecked aircraft. They found many scattered human bones and a half-burnt womens shoe near the wreckage. The Dakota had hit the side of the valley with one of its wingtips which then slewed the aircraft into the 3,000 feet high mountain side. It then fell to the valley below and caught fire. Although in a valley, it was located at a spot 13,500 feet above sea level. 28 military personnel were killed in this crash:- 38 Squadron AIRCRAFT CREW RAAF 411069 Warrant Officer Arthur Jack Hunter RAAF 414566 Warrant Officer Albert Clifford Hughes RAAF 405949 Warrant Officer Eric Wilkinson RAAF 27141 Flight Sergeant Kenneth Robert Wiles RAAF 6188 Flight Sergeant Allan George Sawrey RAAF 47042 Sergeant Francis Leonard Henry Blackmore RAAFNS 501399 Sister Marie Eileen Craig ==================================================================== AIRCRAFT CREW RAAF 411069 Warrant Officer Arthur Jack Hunter Aged 25, Son of Mr and Mrs A Hunter, of Lambton, New South Wales. RAAF 414566 Warrant Officer Albert Clifford Hughes Aged 24, Son of Florence Kate Hughes; husband of Joyce Mona May Hughes, of Warialda, New South Wales. RAAF 405949 Warrant Officer Eric Wilkinson Aged 32, Son of James Henry and Susan Wilkinson; husband of Margaret Sophia Wilkinson of Silkstone, Queensland. RAAF 27141 Flight Sergeant Kenneth Robert Wiles Aged 23, Son of Leslie Horace and Florence Evelyn Wiles; husband of Margaret Wiles of North Footscray, Victoria. RAAF 6188 Flight Sergeant Allan George Sawrey Aged 33, Son of George David and Jane Sawrey; husband of Phyllis Sawrey of Concord, New South Wales. RAAF 47042 Sergeant Francis Leonard Henry Blackmore Aged 28, Son of Charles Henry and Amy Blackmore; husband of Isabel Jean Blackmore, of Welland, South Australia. RAAFNS 501399 Sister Marie Eileen Craig Aged 31, Daughter of Alexander and Jessie Craig, of Drummoyne, New South Wales. ============================================================================= RAAF PASSENGERS RAAF 421110 Flying Officer Noel Royce Stibbard Aged 24, Son of Ronald and Edith Stibbard; husband of Joan Stibbard of Wollongong, New South Wales. RAAF 412376 Warrant Officer Allan Campbell Aged 26, Son of Robert and Winifred Campbell of Taree, New South Wales RAAF 170241 Leading Aircraftsman William Royce Dunderdale Aged 19, Son of William Charles and Victoria Dunderdale, of Oxley, Queensland. =================================================================== ARMY PASSENGERS Private Leonard Thomas Oakley (2/31 Australian Infantry Battalion) Aged 21, TX16004 Son of Edward Thomas Oakley and Clara Dover Oakley of Burnie, Tasmania. Private SX25862 Laurie Anthony Coombe (2/4 Pioneer Australian Infantry Battalion) Aged 35, Son of Mr. and Mrs. Anthony Lean Coombe; husband of Grace Hope Coombe, of Camden, South Australia. Private QX6044 Ian Scott McDowall (Australian Army Ordnance Corps 1 Parachute Maint. Platoon) Aged 23, Son of Andrew Roderick and Marjorie Campbell McDowall of Brisbane, Queensland. Trooper QX28187 George Phillip Duffy (2/5 Australian Commando Squadron) Aged 22, Son of Francis Edric and Isabel Mary Duffy, of Clayfield, Queensland. Private QX54584 John McAlorum (2/23 Australian Infantry Battalion) Aged 21, Son of James P. and Mary Jane McAlorum of Red Hill, Queensland. Trooper QX60160 Ronald Leslie Mathieson (2/6 Australian Commando Squadron) Aged 20, Son of William Norman and Ethel Maud Mathieson of Maryborough, Queensland. Private QX 60848 Arthur Trevor Jorgenson (2/31 Australian Infantry Battalion) Aged 20, Son of Arthur Peter and Wilhelmina Joregensen, of Toowoomba, Queensland. Private NX/08177 Keith John Bowden (2/12 Australian Infantry Battalion) Aged 22, Son of Walter Garner and Clara Myrtle Bowden, of Sans Souci, New South Wales. Trooper NX114117 (N228055) Frederick Joseph Ireland (2/5 Australian Commando Squadron) Aged 23, Son of Montague Leo and Jessie May Ireland, of Maroubra Junction, New South Wales. Private NX126131 James Ivan Tindall (2/16 Australian Infantry Battalion) Aged 32, Husband of Mary Tindall of Narooma, New South Wales. Corporal NX31956 George John Welch (Australian Army Service Corps 2/102 Gen. Transport Coy) Aged 34, Son of David and Florence Welch of Queanbeyan, Australian Capital Territory Private NX78164 Mervyn John Ford (2/31 Australian Infantry Battalion) Aged 24, Son of John David and Linda Maud Ford, of Parramatta, New South Wales. Lance Sergeant NX88349 Arthur John Hyde (30 Works Coy Australian Army Labour Service) Aged 38, Son of William Frances and Mary Anne Hyde; husband of Nellie Hyde, of Croydon, New South Wales. Private NX92958 Donald William Smith (2/31 Australian Infantry Battalion) Aged 23, Son of James and Vera Smith of Milton, New South Wales. Private NX203686 Ian Thomas Lawler Ray (2/31 Australian Infantry Battalion) Aged 19, Son of Stanley James Lawler Ray and Dulcie Isobel McEwen Ray, of Canberra. Sapper NX 204635 James Francis MacDougall (5 Mech Eqpt Coy Royal Australian Engineers) Aged 24, Son of James Kenneth and Olive Wilks MacDougall of Mayfield, New South Wales. Sapper NX128663 John Matthews (9 Workshop and Park Coy Royal Australian Engineers) Aged 22, Son of Brier Scotts Matthews and Ida Florrie Matthews of Orange, New South Wales. Gunner TX8234 Trevor Eiszelle (2/8 Field Regt Royal Australian Artillery) Aged 24, Son of Ernest Albert and Minnie Maud Eiszele; husband of Phyllis Nancy Eiszele, Sandy Bay, Tasmania. The safe route from Biak to Horn Island was to fly across Geelvink Bay and then across the narrow Vegelkop neck of land and down the west coast of New Guinea to Horn Island. It would appear that Dakota A65-61 flew the almost direct route to Horn Island across the main mountain range, where many of the peaks were above 16,000 feet, some covered in snow. It was located about 120 miles east of the Geelvink-Volgelkop Neck route. It is believed that the aircraft was flying north at the time of impact suggesting that it may have encountered clouds while flying in the high valley, and then decided to turn around to fly back out of the valley. On 3 December 1970, the Australian military implemented Operation Tropic Snow to recover the remains of those killed in this tragic crash. Support aircraft that flew into Biak were three Hercules C-130s, two Iroquois, a Caribou and an Army Pilatus Porter. After some delays due to bad weather, a RAAF Iroquois winched down two personnel to the crash site. They were winched out about 90 minutes later with the remains of the victims of this crash. The remains were taken to Port Moresby for identification. The remains were buried in the Bomana Port Moresby War Cemetery with full military honours on 26 January 1971. The Pacific Island Regiment together with its Pipes and Drums took part in the moving ceremony, attended by service representatives and families of the deceased. Last post ceremony for Sister Marie Eileen Craig MiD RAAFNS awm.gov.au/collection/PAFU2013%2F013.01/ ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Id like to thank Penny Stibbard for her assistance with this home page. REFERENCE BOOK Diary of WWII - North Queensland Complied by Peter Nielsen Aircraft of the RAAF 1921- 71 By Geoffrey Pentland & Peter Malone Last Flight of Dakota A65-61 by Bruce McMaugh, of 2/31 battalion
Posted on: Fri, 09 Jan 2015 08:53:54 +0000
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