Crash of a Wirraway at Darra, Brisbane, Queensland on 31 January 1941

CRASH OF A WIRRAWAY
AT DARRA, BRISBANE, QLD
ON 31 JANUARY 1941

RAAF Wirraway, A20-155, of 23 Squadron RAAF crashed at the suburb of Darra in Brisbane in southern Queensland on 31 January 1941. The following two personnel were killed in this accident and appear on the 23 Squadron RAAF Honour Roll. Norm Bremner believes this aircraft crashed on the high land near where the high voltage steel tower powerlines go through Darra across the Centenary Highway (UBD Map 197 M11).

31 Jan 41	Godfrey Edward Turner	Pilot Officer		Accidental	Queensland
31 Jan 41	James Frederick Unsworth	Flying Officer	763	Accidental	Darra, Brisbane

When Lubo Jonic was very young, an elderly neighbor Mr. Keel, who was around 75 at that time in 1964, took Lubo and his friend Paul Brandley to the crash site which was near the roundabout now at the Sumner side of the Darra/ Sumner crossing. There was no bridge then and when you came from Darra there was a gully that you crossed to get to that side where the Wirraway had crashed. It was all known as Darra then before Hooker divided it up into the Centenary suburbs. They found some small broken aircraft parts and took them home and Lubo still had his piece of the aircraft until the 2011 floods when the mud army threw it away unknown to Lubo. Everything has changed there now and where the Wirraway had crashed has been lowered by earthmoving for road works.

The following file is available in the National Archives of Australia:-

Title - Accident to Wirraway A20-155 of No 23 Squadron at Darra on 31/1/1941 P/O G Turner

Series number
A705

Control symbol
32/10/3190

Contents date range
1941 - 1941

Access status
Open

Location
Canberra

Barcode no
165630

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I'd like to thank Lubo Jonic and Noel Wallis for their assistance with this home page.

Can anyone help me with more information on this crash?

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