CRASH OF A BUFFALO
NEAR TALLAROOK, VIC
ON 8 JULY 1942

RAAF Buffalo A51-2 on No. 1 P.R.U. crashed near Tallarook near the Hume Highway in Victoria at approximately 1130 hours E.S.T. on 8 July 1942. The pilot Flight Lieutenant Richard Raymond Henry Winter (648) was killed in this crash. He was cremated in the Springvale War Cemetery Crematorium, and is displayed at Panel 3 of the Victoria Cremation Memorial.

This aircraft was one of 17 Buffalos that were transferred to the RAAF in 1942. They had earlier been part of the Netherlands East Indies Air Force. With the fall of Singapore twenty Model 439D's and one 339D were sent to Australia in March 1942. They initially were transferred to the USAAF. They still had their Dutch serial numbers and their original US "NX" test numbers. Once they arrived in Australia, most of them were allocated temporary numbers.

Seventeen of these aircraft were transferred to the RAAF and became A51-1 through to A51-17. The first six were sent in crates to Essendon where they were assembled at the Ansett Airways hangar. Cameras were installed and the aircraft were allocated to the newly formed PRU at Laverton in June 1942. The rest of the Buffalos were moved to the PRU at Darwin where they became operational in August 1942.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I'd like to thank Rick Hanning for his assistance with this web page.

Can anyone help me with more information?

"Australia @ War" WWII Research Products

This page first produced 12 March 2000

This page last updated 27 May 2024