RAAF Base remembers
lost aircraft, old squadrons
T
HREE squadrons raised at RAAF
Townsville to conduct operations
during WWII were recognised at a
ceremony at the base last month.
The air base at Garbutt became
one of the biggest in the South
Pacifi c region, when, with
the war against Japan on our
doorstep, the city became the
frontline for aerial operations.
New squadrons and units were
raised with little fanfare - No 75
Squadron, No 33 Squadron and No
41 Squadron – and support units
such as No 5 Communications
Unit and No 1 Wireless Unit - were
all raised in the city in 1942.
It was also the year in which
bombs were dropped on the city by
long-range Japanese fl ying boats.
Between July 25 and July 29, the
Japanese struck three times, and
although they were ineff ective - local
legend has it that the only casualty
was a coconut tree in Oonoonba
- it brought the war to the city’s
doorstep in a frightening way.
The threat of invasion loomed
large, and military - Australian and
American - fl ooded into the city.
The ceremony, conducted on the
anniversary of the fi rst bombing
raid on Townsville - July 25 -
included dedication of plaques
to recognise two signifi cant
plane crashes in the area:
Empire Flying Boat A18-12
from No 33 Squadron crash-landed
in Cleveland Bay on February 27,
1942 at the Ross Creek end of The
Strand killing all six crew on board.
On November 15, 1945, a
modifi ed Beaufort aircraft,
Beaufreighter A9-733 from No 5
Communications Unit crashed
near the end of the runway as it
attempted to land after a test fl ight.
All seven on board were killed.
After the dedication, Keith Norton
a WWII 12Sqn veteran opened a
photographic display showcasing
the RAAF squadrons formed
in Townsville, the bombing of
Townsville, the establishment of the
United States’ 5th Air Force in North
Queensland and the establishment
of No 2 Air Depot, United States
Army Air Corps in Townsville.
LAC Jerrad Goggin
CO 27Sqn WGCDR Phil Godfrey
LEFT: WWII veteran
Keith Norton offi cially
opens the photographic
display
RIGHT: Deputy Director
RAAF Heritage Centres
WGCDR Terry Ryan
A small, but respectful crowd attended the ceremony
AUGUST 2017 | 49