Plane crash memorial - February 15, 2024 - The Standard - video Dailymotion

Four men killed in a plane crash off Lady Julia Percy Island have been remembered 80 years on.

Transcript

00:00 So on the 15th of February 1944 an Avery Anson of number two air

00:05 observer service school took off from Mount Gambier at 0800 to carry out a navigational exercise.

00:13 They were to fly from Mount Gambier to Douglas Point and then to Lady Julia Percy Island

00:20 returning home to Mount Gambier. Endeavours were made to contact the aircraft at 0830

00:27 but were unsuccessful. When the aircraft was not returned to base by 1230 overdue signals were sent.

00:35 At 1300 a search was carried out over the route of the exercise

00:40 where wreckage was sighted on Lady Julia Percy Island at 1430. The following morning a further

00:48 search by boats was conducted which resulted in the wreckage, sorry the recovery of some

00:53 wreckage including larger parts of the aircraft. The bodies of four crew members were never located.

01:01 Those crew members who have lost their lives in this tragic accident were as follows.

01:07 The pilot flight sergeant James Henry Mckellen 26 from Victoria. The instructor

01:16 flight sergeant Dennis Leslie Balderstone 22 from South Australia.

01:22 The leading aircraftman Norman Thomas Crutt 19 from Queensland.

01:30 And leading aircraftman Ryan Carter Ladyman 19 from WA.

01:39 you

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