| Accession Number | P10396.001 |
|---|---|
| Collection type | Photograph |
| Object type | Black & white - Print silver gelatin |
| Maker |
Auto Studios |
| Place made | Australia: Queensland, Brisbane |
| Date made | 1939-1945 |
| Conflict |
Second World War, 1939-1945 |
| Copyright |
Item copyright: Copyright expired - public domain
|
Studio portrait of 6188 Flight Sergeant (Flt Sgt) Allan George Sawrey, 37 Squadron, RAAF. Flt Sgt ...
Description
Studio portrait of 6188 Flight Sergeant (Flt Sgt) Allan George Sawrey, 37 Squadron, RAAF. Flt Sgt Sawrey was a taxi driver and a keen motor cyclist, chosen to represent Australia in the prestigious Isle of Man Tourist Trophy Race in 1939. The war intervened and he enlisted in the RAAF in November 1939, aged 28. He served throughout the war, only to die when Dakota A65-61, of which he was a crew member, crashed in mountainous terrain on 18th September 1945, with the loss of all 29 service men and women on board. The plane had been on a medical evacuation flight from Morotai , Dutch New Guinea (Papua), to Townsville . The wreck of the aircraft was found in 1968; remains were recovered and buried in the Bomana Port Moresby War Cemetery in 1971 and 2005. See also S04617.