15 JANUARY 1944
CRASH OF A BEAUFORT

INTO SEA OFF CAIRNS, QLD

 

beaufort.jpg (13398 bytes)
Beaufort

 

On 15 January 1944, RAAF Beaufort A9-458, piloted by F/Lt J. E Dures (290794) crashed into the sea just out from the Grafton Passage near Cairns, Queensland. The Beaufort was on Convoy escort duty at the time of the crash and two crew members received shock and abrasions and were rescued by the ship HMAS Bowen. The other two crew members were missing believed killed and as their bodies were never found or recovered, this crash site is considered a War Grave.

Crew members Rescued

F/Lt John Edward Dures (290794) (Pilot)
F/O Arthur Joseph Prentice (411257) (WAG)

Crew members missing believed killed

P/O Herman Patrick Hoppe (419180)
F/O Kenneth Maxwell Shepley (407458)

The Unit History Sheet for 7 Squadron had the following entry:-

A9-458, Pilot - F/Lt. Dures, Duty - ROS 45
"W" Patrol Force "GK" Aircraft crashed into sea position 13.23S, 146.21E and sank with the navigator and wireless operator in approximately 30 seconds. The two survivors (Pilot and WAG) picked up and place don board "Canberra" for medical treatment.

A web site named "Fishing Status" indicated that wreckage of Beaufort A9-458 is a fishing spot with the source for its information shown as being the Australian National Shipwreck Database.

 

NOTE:- The above information was passed on to me by Ross McNeill (RossMcN@aol.com) of Worcestershire, UK, who is a  researcher specialising in sea losses of Allied aircraft 1939-45.  His Beaufort data comes from the RAF 800 movement cards held at the RAF Museum, Hendon. Ross spent a few months transcribing the info in about 1997.

I also received information on the above crash from a list of aircraft crashes compiled by Bruce Stewart from a series of books called "Aircraft in Australian Service" by Stewart Wilson.

 

SOURCE:-   Aircraft Crash Sites - Australia

Crash:         No. 155

Position:     16.23 - 146.21

Department of Aviation Chart No:       3219

 

REFERENCES

"Diary of WWII - North Queensland"
Complied by Peter Nielsen

"Aircraft and Markings of the RAAF 1939 - 1945"
By Geoffrey Pentland

 

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I'd like to thank Phil Herdman for his assistance with this web page.

 

Can anyone help me with more information?

 

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This page first produced 25 April 1999

This page last updated 04 January 2024