Welcome to Bairnsdale, and
the start of your WW II historical tour of RAAF General
Reconnaissance School, No 1 Operational Training Unit & No 7
Squadron.
Unbeknown to most who drive
past this monument, within a few kilometres there are ruins of
wartime Air Force activity dotted along roadsides and in farm land.
This cache will take you to some of them, educate you as to the
purpose they served and give you a good reason to take a
detour.
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Once a mighty command post
this ruin now lies in farmland south of the airport. To find this
structure drive south of the aerodrome turn off to the corner of
Bengworden & Leatham Road. |
A W.W. II Ammunition Store
you may find in your travels. There are several in the area of the
same design. |
Thousands of tourists drive past the site where this cache
commences on a daily basis in the peak tourist season down here on
the coast. Few stop, and very few know why or what the memorial is
here for, some locals would have little clue. Even fewer would ever
bother to have a look at any of the areas that this cache will take
you to.
For
those that are travelling through, this multicache will take about
an hour to an hour and a half to complete and appreciate. Before
you consider that you may not have the time to spare, consider the
fact that so many sacrificed their lives here in Bairnsdale, and
the mountains and sea around it to better the future of their
country. It's worth thinking about.
In the years
leading up to the commencement of World War II the political scene
internationally was recognised as less than stable. As a result all
over the Empire moves were afoot to construct defensive facilities
in the event that what some saw as inevitable occurred. One such
facility was the RAAF Base at Bairnsdale.
The
Commonwealth Government commenced planning for air bases to support
and defend the Bass Strait shipping lanes just south of here in the
mid 1930's. When war was declared in 1939 construction started
within 24 hours, and amazingly the first aircraft were operational
from Bairnsdale just 4 months later.
The first
aircraft to operate out of Bairnsdale protected the Australian
Infantry Forces as they departed for foreign shores in Bass Strait
shipping lanes.
Fully
operational in 1942 the aerodrome became forever linked with the
Australian built Beaufort Bombers which operated here for No. I
Operational Training Unit. It is largely for that reason that this
memorial is here.
Early in my
time in the area I was fortunate to meet some veterans at
Bairnsdale Aerodrome who were stationed here in WW II. They told
wonderful stories such as one case as a junior officer, of being
ordered to man the control tower so that the senior officer in
charge could enjoy an evening in the mess, and sad stories of WAAAF
Nurses who had hitched a ride with an aircrew to come and party
with the airmen stationed who lost their lives with the crew when
the plane crashed just a few hundred metres from the current
aerodrome lounge. I could have talked to these men for hours but
unfortunately I was working and had to go after a short time,
leaving them to reminisce.
Due in part to the training operations, the style of aircraft, the
tight schedules and other factors, the loss of life was high for
men who in most cases not yet left for foreign lands to fight. Over
the life of the Bairnsdale & Sale airfield's WW II military use
nearly 200 lives were lost from Gippsland RAAF bases, many of those
here at Bairnsdale. Many more were injured. Those lost included
women of the WAAAF also.
Ponder these
and other losses as you wander the gardens here near the hospital,
and then wonder what it was like here 60 years ago as you explore
the area out at the Aerodrome. I hope you find this, the history of
the area, and the Australian wartime history so seldom taught to
our kids, as interesting as I do as you undertake this
cache.
DJ
Waypoint 1 - the beginning.
Commencing the cache will find you at a memorial. In order to
complete the cache you will need to find plaques from the many here
giving you the necessary information to progress to Waypoint
2.
At the
starting point for the cache you need to find a plaque with the
historical reason for the place you are starting. It details the
dedication of the garden by Air Commodore DJS Riding (AMG
DFC).
In the third
paragraph how many lives were lost?
X = ABA (Note
this for later in the cache.)
In the fourth paragraph how many Beauforts are
mentioned?
Y = CDD (Note
this for later in the cache.)
From the
honour rolls inside the structure find the service numbers for the
following two airmen to proceed to waypoint 2.
F/SGT L.L.
Fitzgerald
Lancelot Lloyd Fitzgerald flew with 1 OTG. Born in Tasmania in Oct
1925 he enlisted there. At 19 years of age he was killed in
Beaufort A9-146 about 5 miles from East Sale on the 7th Feb 1945
when the aircraft dived into the ground during a night flying
exercise. Killed with him were W/Cmdr. P. Kingsley-Strack & F/O
K. Dobbie.
His service number from
the honour roll will give you EEFAC.
F/LT F.K.
Morcombe DFC
Flight
Lieutenant Frank Keith Morcombe DFC, 1 Operational Training
Unit (OTU) RAAF, of Coorow, WA. He was killed in a flying
accident on 5 October 1943 at Sale, Vic. Fl Lt Morcombe was
awarded his DFC in August 1943 for actions whilst a member of
2 Squadron RAAF. He was transferred to 1 OTU as a flying
instructor, but was killed, along with 437116 Sergeant James
Whamond Cameron, when their aircraft crashed.
His service number from the honour roll will give you FDGHCJ
With the above information, calculate the coords for Waypoint
2:
S 37° HD.EEC'
E 147° 3G.GFH'
Waypoint 2
- Age will not weary them, they will not grow old as we grow
old.
This waypoint will find you at a memorial of a different kind.
There are thirty eight memorials at this location serving as
tributes to men who served at Bairnsdale Aerodrome.
The plaque inside the gate makes for interesting reading.
"On suntipped wings he loved to fly the wide, unmeasured sky."
reads one memorial. I'm sure it applies to many here.
Of those who will not grow old there are two who are the youngest
of the servicemen & women here.
Their age will give you QR.
One is F/SGT C.A.L. Haslam. Colin Arthur Lee Haslam was originally
from Narrogin WA. He enlisted in Perth after attending Wesley
College, where he is listed on their honour roll on the "Lych Gate"
after he died here in Bairnsdale in late 1944.
The other is SGT G.C. Lawrence. Gregory Carlisle Lawrence served
with the General Reconaisance School. Originally from Bunyip in
Victoria, he enlisted in Sydney. He was one of 4 airmen killed when
their Avro Anson (W2253) crashed at Won Wron. His 4 fellow aviators
are buried adjacent to him.
Using QR to complete the following, the coordinates for waypoint
three are:
S 37° 52.XXX' where XXX = 41 x QR
E 147° 34.DDY' where Y = 19 ÷ QR
(Note the value for D was collected
earlier at WP1 and the number substitutions represented by Q &
R may have already been used and represented by other
letters.)
Waypoint 3 - you
got past security...
At this location there is a history of the Aerodrome
with some interesting information and yet another honour roll. A
brief stop to read this and you can move on to waypoint 4. To
proceed find the following individuals on the honour roll.
SGT A.W. Baxter, who served in 1 OTU, presents somewhat of a
conundrum. My research has found two different dates of death for
SGT Baxter. In all likelihood the date found here is wrong, as
evidence suggests his aircraft Beaufort A9-85 collided with A9-88
on 27 Aug 1942, some months after the date here but only the pilot
was reported to have been killed in that accident in one source,
though the August date matches that of his death on the national
Honour Roll. I would be inclined to think that the date here is
wrong and that SGT Allan William Baxter (Navigator), SGT Alexander
James Coto (Pilot), SGT Edward Raymond McMullen (Wireless Air
Gunner) & SGT Keith Goodfellow (Wireless Air Gunner) were
killed in a mid-air collision approximately 5 miles north west of
here in August 1942.
The other of the two you need is ACW M.J. Carey. Standing out here
on this list as unusual for being in the minority, Margaret Jones
Carey was born in Scotland, but enlisted in Perth. Only 22 years
old at the tme of her death she was already married leaving Patrick
Carey a widower.
Aircraft Woman 4th Class in the WAAAF, I'm not aware of her role
in the crew, but the aircraft was lost over the sea off the NSW
Coast and wreckage believed to be from the aircraft was found at on
a beach at Crescent Heads. The plane and crew were never recovered.
A memorial to the crew of Avro Anson W- SSTT stands in Sydney
War Cemetery, which is situated about 17 kilometres west of
Sydney.
SGT Baxter's Serial Number will give you part of what you need,it
is FDUVWJ.
ACW Carey's Aircraft Number W- SSTTwill give you the
remainder.
(W is an actual letter in the aircraft number and is not a
substitution.)
Waypoint 4 will be found at:
S 37° 52.UVW'
E 147° 3T.0TS'
(Note the substitutions represented
by STUV & W may have already been used and represented by other
letters.)
Waypoint 4 - your
mission if you choose to accept it...
Is to enter the structure adjacent to the plaque at
Waypoint 4 and you will find an interesting but small display about
the Aerodrome over past years. Peruse at your leisure. You are a
short drive from the final GZ for this cache.
Before you leave get what you need from the plaque, and use it and
other information from earlier in the cache to work out the final
cache location.
From the plaque unveiled by Air Vice Marshal Candy (Ret'd) you
need the date.
Z = the day of the month here.
KLMN = the year
The final
location and the cache may be found just a short drive away,
adjacent to a road to the south east on the other side of the
airfield near another ruin of interest at:
S 37° HV.MZD' (where HV & D were
collected earlier.)
E 147° VF.TQD' (where VFTQ & D
were collected earlier.)
The cache is an unusual defence force surplus container, which if
assembled and replaced as found will keep the contents nice and dry
for years to come. I suggest you take some repellant as the mozzies
near GZ can be the size of Beaufort Bombers at some times of the
year.
I hope you enjoy it.
DJ