Narromine Airfield, Narromine, New South Wales, during WW2

Narromine Airfield was requisitioned by the RAAF in July 1940 for the establishment of No. 5 Elementary Flying Training School (5 EFTS) as part of the Empire Air Training Scheme (EATS).

No. 8 Operational Training Unit (8 OTU) also operated from the Narromine Airfield.

No. 5 Elementary Flying Training School graduated 2,850 pilots during its four-year stay. Some of Narromine’s graduates were:-

Narromine Airfield had the following relief landing grounds/emergency landing grounds and maintenance fields:

The Mosquito bombers of No. 618 Squadron, Royal Air Force arrived at Narromine in January 1945. Syd Kildea, the Secretary of the 5 Airfield Construction Squadron Association for NSW told me the following on 7 June 2007:-

No. 93 Squadron RAAF and its Beaufighters arrived at Narromine in December 1945. Its role was to escort Mustang fighters to Japan as part of the occupation forces, the trip lasting from February to April 1946.

Fatal flying accidents involving Narromine-based aircraft, 1940-1945

By Michael Nelmes

Date	Killed	Buried at	Unit	Aircraft	Incident
8-8-40	F/O H. Smales AC1 A.C. Alderson, age 29	Cremated Rookwood NSW Narromine Civil Cemetery	5 EFTS	Tiger Moth A17-36	Spun into ground 6km northwest of Narromine
3-12-40	F/O Guy Hubbard, age 29	Narromine War Cemetery	5 EFTS	Tiger Moth A17-32	Stalled to avoid collision near aerodrome
2-12-42	LAC Stanley Wellington, age 28	Narromine Civil Cemetery	5 EFTS	Tiger Moth A17-342	Wing failure during cross-country exercise 24km north of Mudgee; parachute failed to open
23-12-42	LAC Terence Hempenstall, age 24 LAC Thomas Berndt, age 20	Narromine Civil Cemetery Narromine Civil Cemetery	5 EFTS	Tiger Moth A17-472 Tiger Moth A17-113	Mid-air collision 5km northeast of aerodrome
24-5-43	LAC Collin Campbell, age 19	Narromine War Cemetery	5 EFTS	Tiger Moth A17-337	Crashed & burned near aerodrome
2-12-43	F/O Richard Bennett, age 29	Narromine War Cemetery	5 EFTS	Tiger Moth A17-513	Engine trouble during cross-country training exercise, ‘Clergate’ north of Orange
3-2-44	F/Sgt John Tedge, age 30	Narromine War Cemetery	5 EFTS	Tiger Moth A17-403	Stalled during turn near aerodrome
20-9-44	F/O John Walton, age 27 Sgt Alan Collins, age 19	Narromine War Cemetery	8 OTU	Wirraway A20-526 Wirraway A20-120	Mid-air collision during formation training 10km south of Narromine
2-5-45	F/Lt David Rochford RAF LAC Charles Boydell RAAF, age 24	Sydney War Cemetery	618 Sqdn	Mosquito FB.VI, HR576	Aircraft disintegrated over Sydney during test flight
19-6-45	F/O Ernest Bell RAF, age 25 F/Lt Edward Sillito DFC, RAF, age 24	Benalla War Cemetery, VIC	618 Sqdn	Mosquito PR.XVI, NS735	Crashed in flames enroute from Laverton VIC to Narromine
27-7-45	S/Ldr James McGoldrick RAAF, age 27 F/Lt Francis French RAF, age 36	Narromine War Cemetery	618 Sqdn	Mosquito FB.VI, HR614	Crashed beside railway line in Narromine - control lost whilst manoeuvring at low altitude

I'd like to than Cameron Alexander, Michael Nelmes and Syd Kildea for their assistance with this web page.

Fatal flying accidents involving Narromine-based aircraft, 1940-1945

By Michael Nelmes

Incident

Spun into ground 6km northwest of Narromine