9 December 1942 - Crash of a Beaufort at Wednesday Island

9 DECEMBER 1942
CRASH OF A BEAUFORT
AT WEDNESDAY ISLAND, QLD

beaufort.jpg (13398 bytes)
Bristol Beaufort

cape01.jpg (46572 bytes)

RAAF Beaufort A9-119 of 7 Squadron, ditched in the sea near Wednesday Island (near Thursday Island and Horn Island) after the aircraft caught fire during a transit flight at about 1006 hours E.A.S.T. on 9 December 1942. The crew was as follows:-

Flight Lieutenant Harold Roy Croker (290611)
P/O Victor Ernest Radford (275680)
Sgt. Robert Reginald Planner (11347)
Sgt. Robert John Higgens (401694)
Sgt. Jeffery Glenarvon Forrester (406780)
Sgt. Roy Thomas Ernest Langlands (40662)
ACI Malcolm Patrick Quinn (45304)
ACI Charles Alan Loughlin (80524)

NOTE:- The "Aircraft Crash Sites - Australia" list and Peter Nielsen's book "Diary of WWII - North Queensland", indicates A9-119 crashed at Horn Island.

NOTE:- Most of the above information was passed on to me by Ross McNeill (RossMcN@aol.com) of Worcestershire, UK, who is a researcher specialising in sea losses of Allied aircraft 1939-45. His Beaufort data comes from the RAF 800 movement cards held at the RAF Museum, Hendon. Ross spent a few months transcribing the info in about 1997.

SOURCE:- Aircraft Crash Sites - Australia

Crash: No. 164

Position: 10.32 - 142.33

Department of Aviation Chart No: 3097

REFERENCE BOOK

"Diary of WWII - North Queensland"
Complied by Peter Nielsen

"Aircraft and Markings of the RAAF 1939 - 1945"
By Geoffrey Pentland

Can anyone help me with more information?

"Australia @ War" WWII Research Products