NO. 2 OPERATIONAL TRAINING UNIT (2 OTU) MILDURA, VIC
DURING WW2

visits since 27 January 2002

Royal Australian Air Force Association Mildura Branch has carried out preservation and restoration of the building known as the RAAF No. 2 Operational Training Unit (2OTU) Headquarters at Mildura Airport. It now houses a Museum known as RAAF No. 2 OTU Museum.

More than 1,200 students were successfully trained from 1942 until 1946 at 2 OTU Mildura. Almost every fighter pilot who served in the South West Pacific theatre was either trained at Mildura or did a ‘refresher’ course there.

Approximately 52 young RAAF pilots lost their lives while training at Mildura. They are mostly buried in the Mildura Lawn Cemetery at Nichols Point.

 52 PERSONNEL FROM 2 OTU KILLED IN AIRCRAFT ACCIDENTS
IN AUSTRALIA DURING WW2
(in date order)

Moore, George Henry	Leading Aircraftman	15508	23/06/1942	Lake Victoria, Vic	?
Ruge, Arthur Robert	Sergeant	405424	23/06/1942	Lake Victoria, NSW	?
Havard, Stanley Charles	Sergeant	403868	28/09/1942	New South Wales	Crash of P-40 Kittyhawk at Coomealla,VIC
Wellington, Lloyd John	Flight Sergeant	407472	14/10/1942	Lake Victoria, NSW	Crash of a Wirraway
Curtis, Victor Farley	Flying Officer	400039	06/01/1943	Mildura	Crash of a Wirraway
Simpkins, William Graham	Sergeant	420502	06/01/1943	Mildura	Crash of a Wirraway
Tanser, Herbert Thomas	Sergeant	411549	19/01/1943	Lake Victoria, NSW	Crash of an aircraft into Lake Victoria
Taaffe, Geoffrey Edgar	Pilot Officer	421099	21/01/1943	Mildura	Collision of 2 Wirraways over Koorlong, Vic
Bates, Alan Frederick	Sergeant	413510	21/01/1943	Mildura	Collision of 2 Wirraways over Koorlong, Vic
Ryan, John Michael David	Sergeant	414839	21/01/1943	Mildura	Collision of 2 Wirraways over Koorlong, Vic
Raffen, George Frederick	Sergeant	416364	24/01/1943	Mildura	Crash of a Kittyhawk
Ellis, Frank Howard	Sergeant	417167	13/04/1943	Yarrara, Vic	Crash of a Kittyhawk at Yarrara, VIC
Overmyer, R.H. (AWM site says he was 4 OTU. Crash report says 2 OTU)	Sgt.	32700	13/04/1943	Mildura	Collision of 2 Kittyhawks over NSW near Mildura
Blackie, Raymond Jack	Sergeant	403309	27/04/1943	Williamtown, NSW	Collision of 2 Spitfires at Williamtown, NSW
Arnott, Alan Ross Airly	Pilot Officer	426819	16/07/1943	Mildura	Crash of a Kittyhawk 13 miles south west of Mildura
Crowe, Joseph George	Pilot Officer	417811	26/07/1943	Gol Gol, NSW	Crash of a Kittyhawk at Gol Gol Gunnery Range
Walker, Maxwell Robert	Sergeant	417682	05/08/1943	Mildura	Crash of a Kittyhawk 4 miles south west of Mildura on 4 Aug 43
Stokes, David John	Sergeant	437015	16/08/1943	Lake Victoria, NSW	Crash of a Spitfire near Lake Victoria
Power, Thomas Phillip	Flying Officer	408700	17/08/1943	Mildura	Crash of Wirraway A20-545 at Gol Gol Gunnery Range, NSW
Dicken, Michael Perry Stowell	Pilot Officer	419115	17/08/1943	Mildura	Crash of Wirraway A20-545 at Gol Gol Gunnery Range, NSW
Murphy, Neville Douglas	Pilot Officer	429986	23/09/1943	Gol Gol	Possibly crash of Kittyhawk A29-60
Piggott, Frank Donald	Flight Sergeant	13480	06/10/1943	Mildura	Possibly crash of Kittyhawk A29-158 (#41-24861), crashed during aerobatic exercise.
Crow, Thomas James Russell	Flying Officer	409818	26/11/1943	Mildura	Crash of a Kittyhawk 20 miles west of Mildura
King, William John	Sergeant	419092	03/12/1943	Mildura	?
Wolkenhaar, Kenneth George	Flight Sergeant	413063	21/12/1943	Lake Victoria, NSW	Possibly crash of a Spitfire A58-241, into bank of Lake Victoria, approx 60 miles from Mildura??
Sayce, Gerald Norman	Flight Sergeant	410263	04/01/1944	Mildura	Crash of a Kittyhawk 12 miles north west of Mildura
Ross, Arthur Ronald	Sergeant	433226	26/03/1944	Mildura	Spitfire A58-123 (EE713), involved in a mid air collision with P-40E Kittyhawk A29-12
Spencer, Reginald Albert	Flying Officer	416035	01/05/1944	Mildura	?
Lynch, Joseph Richard	Flight Lieutenant	2328	01/05/1944	Mildura	?
Knapman, Alfred Sydney	Flying Officer	400806	01/06/1944	Mildura	Mid air collision of 2 Boomerangs (A46-14 and A46-44).
Byrne, Roger	Flying Officer	419291	01/06/1944	Mildura	Mid air collision of 2 Boomerangs (A46-14 and A46-44).
Rees, Frank Foster	Sergeant	433859	19/06/1944	Mildura	?
Powell, Norman William	Flying Officer	432973	07/09/1944	Mildura	?
Mac Gowan, Thorburn Harcourt	Pilot Officer	435754	05/10/1944	Mildura	Possibly crash of Kittyhawk A29-153 (#41-24789)
Gadsden, John Geoffrey Norman	Pilot Officer	418828	25/10/1944	Wentworth, NSW	?
O'Connell, Edward John	Flight Sergeant	423858	25/10/1944	Wentworth, NSW	?
Mackenzie, Lionel Grant	Sergeant	442292	07/11/1944	Mildura	Possibly crash of Kittyhawk A29-195 (#42-10223)
O'Keeffe, Bernard Maurice	Sergeant	210054	12/11/1944	Wentworth, NSW	?
Hepburn, Kenneth Edward	Flight Sergeant	430170	14/12/1944	Wentworth, NSW	Possibly crash of Kittyhawk A29-176
Wood, Thomas Watson	Flying Officer	421650	08/02/1945	Mildura	Possibly crash of Kittyhawk A29-85 (#41-25122)
Young, Ronald Stewart	Sergeant	443716	13/02/1945	Mildura	?
Vaughan, Mervyn Thomas	Warrant Officer	30201	14/02/1945	Mildura	?
Milne, Robert Ambrose	Flight Lieutenant	406362	16/02/1945	Mildura	Collision of 2 Kittyhawks about 2 miles south west of Wentworth Bombing Range
Hammond, Norman Robert	Warrant Officer	419804	16/02/1945	Mildura	Collision of 2 Kittyhawks about 2 miles south west of Wentworth Bombing Range
Saunders, Alan Joseph Worboys	Sergeant	443620	30/03/1945	Wentworth, NSW	?
Turner, Warrick James	Flight Lieutenant	403773	01/04/1945	Wentworth, NSW	?
Kaye, Laurence Peter	Flight Sergeant	62418	25/05/1945	Mildura	?
Chester, Kenneth George	Flying Officer	10167	05/06/1945	Mildura	Crash of a Mustang
Frizell, Herbert Lindsay	Flight Sergeant	439755	25/07/1945	Mildura	Possibly crash of Kittyhawk A29-118 (#41-35932)
Russell, Malcolm John	Flight Sergeant	442507	07/08/1945	Mildura	Crash of Kittyhawk A29-130
Higgins, John Campbell	Warrant Officer	419178	27/08/1945	Wentworth, NSW	Possibly crash of Kittyhawk A29-190
Milledge, Ronald William	Flight Sergeant	438258	13/09/1945	Mildura	?

 

2 OTU PERSONNEL WHO WERE KILLED IN A GROUND ACCIDENT DURING WW2
(in date order)

Bawden, Donald Robert	Leading Aircraftman	47060	31/01/1943	Mildura
Bowd, Kevin Anthony James		58366	14/10/1945	Mildura

 

2 OTU PERSONNEL WHO DIED DUE TO ILLNESS DURING WW2
(in date order)

Moss, Albert Edward	Aircraftman Class 1	68114	15/06/1943	Mildura
Pratley, Frederick William	Leading Aircraftman	73324	27/02/1944	Melbourne
Linford, Albert John	Aircraftman Class 2	445642	04/01/1945	Melbourne
Hodges, Lyle William	Aircraftman Class 1	163160	28/03/1945	Sydney

 

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This page first produced 27 January 2002

This page last updated 11 May 2006