| Place | Oceania: New Guinea1 |
|---|---|
| Accession Number | OG0501 |
| Collection type | Photograph |
| Object type | Black & white, Landscape |
| Physical description | Black & white, Landscape |
| Maker |
Harrison, John Thomas |
| Place made | Australia: Queensland, North Queensland, Cairns |
| Date made | 27 January 1944 |
| Conflict |
Second World War, 1939-1945 |
| Copyright |
Item copyright: Copyright expired - public domain
|
Informal group portrait of the crew of Beaufighter A19-142 of 30 Squadron RAAF, which, on 22 ...
Description
Informal group portrait of the crew of Beaufighter A19-142 of 30 Squadron RAAF, which, on 22 January 1944, met and guided an air sea rescue Catalina flying-boat to Warrant Officer (WO) J E C (Shorty) Arthur of No. 76 Squadron RAAF. WO Arthur had bailed out of his Kittyhawk aircraft and had been floating in his dinghy for twenty eight hours in the ocean in the vicinity of New Britain. This crew also located another Kittyhawk pilot, Squadron Leader (Sqn Ldr) Ian Louden who had ditched after his aircraft had been hit in three places. He had bailed out in the path of two torpedo boats and the Beaufighter crew had circled until he was picked up. As they had been diverted from their course by Sqn Ldr Louden's radio transmission, they subsequently located WO Arthur, fifty miles further north. From left to right: Sergeant J. Leary, Mildura, Vic, lookout; Flight Sergeant (Flt Sgt) Theo (Tiny) Boehm, Millswood, SA, pilot; Flt Sgt W. Masterton, Lakemba, NSW, observer; WO Don West, Merryweather, NSW, lookout.