24 September 1942 - Crash of a B-25C Mitchell at Charters Towers

On 24 September 1942, B-25C Mitchell #41-12890, "Sunsetter" of the 71st Bomb Squadron of the 38th Bomb Group crashed at Charters Towers while on a training flight. "Sunsetter" crashed into the steel rope of the flying fox across the Burdekin River at the pumping station. The flying fox was used to carry fire wood across the river to feed the steam driven water pumps.

Four American airmen were killed when the B-25 Mitchell crashed into some trees while trying to reach Breddan airfield. Those killed were:-

There is an incorrect story circulating that the four bodies were returned to America from Charters Towers in four coffins obtained from Herbert Hall. They were in fact initially buried at the US Military Cemetery at Belgian Gardens in Townsville. They were later exhumed and reburied at the USAF Military Cemetery at Manson Park in Ipswich in southern Queensland. During WW2, Americans who were killed or died in Australia were buried in local cemeteries, but in 1945, the bodies from around Australia were exhumed and temporarily reinterred at the USAF Military Cemetery in Ipswich or at Rookwood Cemetery, Sydney. Then eventually all of these bodies were exhumed again and taken back to the United States by ship.

Name	Edward E Johnson	Charles W Taggart	Earl W Jett	Richard T Sharp
Rotation No.	868	996	906	950
Grave No.	794	1012	885	940
Serial No & Rank	12044148 Pvt	18084331 Pvt	0-725624 2^nd Lt	0-437739 1^st Lt
Sex	M	M	M	M
Occupation	US Army	US Army	US Army	US Army
Religion	Protestant	Protestant	Protestant	Protestant
Date of Death	24 September 1942	24 September 1942	24 September 1942	24 September 1942
Date of Burial	4 August 1945	6 August 1945	4 August 1945	5 August 1945
Name of undertaker	GRS – U.S. Army	GRS – U.S. Army	GRS – U.S. Army	GRS – U.S. Army

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