History

Bristol Beaufighter Mk 1c. Courtesy Neil Mackenzie

In June 2014, the lost Beaufighter of pilot Ronald Kerrigan and navigator Ronald Smith was found off Cable Beach, Broome, 70 years after it crashed into the sea. Neither Kerrigan nor Smith were ever found and were presumed killed on 18 September 1944.

Flight Sergeant Ronald Kerrigan was posted to 31 Squadron on 16 July 1944, flying Beaufighters out of Coomalie Creek, 70 km south of Darwin. The squadron had been conducting strikes on Japanese targets in Timor, and the Aru and Tanimbar Islands. Ronald took part in three strikes, and two operations, and was known by his second name Stephen or ‘Steve’ in the squadron. This avoided confusion with his navigator Flight Sergeant Ronald George Smith, who was a junior draftsman in Sydney before joining up.

In September 1944, RAAF Catalinas were conducting operations from Broome, and to provide air cover a flight of Beaufighters from 31 Squadron was detached there. On 13 September Flt Lt John Klug led four Beaufighters from Coomalie to 79 OBU, Broome, with A19-163 crewed by Kerrigan and Smith.

Ronald Stephen Kerrigan was born in Perth on 3 May 1924. He attended Perth Boys School, followed by Perth Technical College, and was employed as a window dresser with tobacconists WD & HO Wills. On 11 February 1942, he enrolled in 75 Squadron Air Training Corps, at Christian Brothers College, Perth.

On turning 18 he enlisted in the RAAF and was sent to Geraldton for guard duties. However, he was determined to fly, and was posted to No 4 Initial Training School, Victor Harbor on 3 January 1943. He then trained on Tiger Moths at No 9 Elementary Flying Training School, Cunderdin, and advanced to Ansons at No 4 Service Flying Training School, Geraldton,

Ronald was awarded his ‘Wings’ on 26 August 1943, and after a stint as staff pilot on Ansons, he converted onto the Bristol Beaufighter at No 5 Operational Training Unit, Tocumwal. This fast twin engine fighter bomber was often described for obvious reasons as ‘two engines followed by a fuselage’ but to the Japanese it was the ‘Whispering Death’. This was due to its devastating firepower and the remarkably quiet sleeve valve Hercules engines. After completing the Beaufighter conversion, Ronald joined No 31 Squadron at Coomalie Creek, from where he flew several operations before detachment to Broome.

On 18 September 1944, Kerrigan and Smith in Beaufighter A19-163 were detailed to carry out a seaward patrol from Broome, along with Taylor and Packman in A19-140. The aircraft had a daily inspection and at 0425 hrs, Kerrigan started the twin engines and taxied to the east end of the Broome runway, where he ran up the engines. With indications seeming normal, he lined up on the runway, and after some 200 yards, opened up the throttles, throwing up a heavy cloud of dust. From

Smith-Kerrigan-Coomalie-Creek-`1944 Ronald Smith (L) and Ronald Kerrigan, Coomalie Creek, 1944. Courtesy Val Bullied.

dispersal, Flight Sergeant Schillerman noticed that the aircraft was not climbing normally.

Taylor, in A19-140, waited until the dust cleared enough to see the runway flares and commenced his take-off. However, after only about 150 yards he saw a bright glare and a flash of flame and smoke just to the left of the runway and approximately 1 ½ miles ahead. Fearing the worst, Taylor abandoned his take-off, rolled to the far end of the runway and called for ambulance and emergency crews.

Meanwhile, Flight Sergeant Schillerman and Leading Aircraftman Heald had arrived by truck at the end of the runway, and after climbing up a sandhill, observed the flames and smoke out to sea. It seemed certain that A19-163 had crashed into the sea.

The crash was seen by the station manager of Thangoo cattle station, who observed a large sheet of flame that lit up the horizon. This was also seen by the No 327 Radar Station operator, who heard two loud explosions. However, another witness stated he heard four explosions. Other witnesses thought the aircraft caught fire before crashing, but this was not confirmed.

A search boat was sent to investigate the crash site about one mile west of Cable Beach, and floating debris was found over about 500 yards. It was considered that the wings had disintegrated on impact and that the fuel tanks had exploded. The main wreckage was in 30 feet of water, but diving efforts were unsuccessful due to tides and nil underwater visibility.

A Court of Enquiry was held at Broome on 20 September 1944, and concluded that the cause was ‘obscure’. However, it went on to suggest that the pilot was not experienced on the aircraft (Kerrigan had over 400 hours total and 91 hours on type) and may have had difficulty controlling the Beaufighter on a night take-off, with no horizon.

Many take-off accidents have been attributed to the false climb illusion, caused by rapid acceleration. This affects the inner ear balance, and a pilot may have the impression he is climbing too steeply and push down on the controls. The Beaufighter was particularly prone, as the short nose gave no horizon reference. However, in the case of A19-163, this can only be speculation, especially as very little of the wreckage had been found and inspected.

In 2012 Broome historian Dion Marinis and helicopter pilot Jim Miles began a search for the wreckage. Two years later, using side scan sonar and metal detection, they found the debris field, and scuba-dived on the target area. They discovered the wing spars, tail wheel, tail plane and 20mm Hispano cannons, along with live rounds. On the next dive both engines were found, and the port engine was found to have an exploded cylinder. This opened up the strong possibility of an engine failure during or after take-off as being the cause of the accident. It was also revealed that the aircraft had a long history of engine faults.

After the Kerrigan and Smith families were advised of the find, a memorial was erected at Cable Beach, with the assistance of Broome Shire. Then, 70 years to the exact date of the crash, an emotional Dawn Service was held, with three generations of family members, a school choir, and RAAF personnel, including Wing Commander Joe Elkington from No 31 Squadron. After the service, relatives were taken by boat to the wreck site, where a final ceremony gave closure.

Ronald Kerrigan and Ronald Smith are commemorated at the Australian War Memorial, Canberra, and the Sydney Memorial, Rookwood. Ronald Kerrigan is also commemorated at the State War Memorial, Kings Park, Perth, and on the 7 Wing Australian Air Force Cadets Honour Board, and Book of Remembrance at RAAF Pearce. The accident is also featured in the book Wings of Valour.

Wings of Valour, Charles Page.

Memorial to Ronald Kerrigan and Ronald Smith, Cable Beach, Broome. Courtesy Val Bullied

The Southern Cloud’s crash was one of the first big aviation mysteries in Australia. Remember that in those days, planes flew low, and slow, and had no radio or modern navigation equipment. Pilots relied on the weather forecast in the morning newspaper. Once airborne, their fate and that of their passengers rested solely on their own luck and skill, and the reliability of their machine. A big storm could easily mean disaster and death.

After his epic record-setting world-first flight across the Pacific Ocean in 1928, Sir Charles Kingsford Smith made a worldfirst flight from Australia to New Zealand. My grandfather grew up in New Zealand, and once told me of his clear memory of “going out to Wigram field to watch Smithy land”. His sister, my great aunt, remembers that day too. It was September 1928. My grandfather was six years old and from that moment he was hooked on the idea of learning to fly. At 21, Smithy had been a fighter pilot over France in World War I. At the same age, my grandfather signed up with the Royal Australian Air Force, inspired by Smithy 12 years before and driven by a sense of the need to “fight Hitler”. Before long, he was flying combat missions, not against the Nazis, but in the Pacific, against Japan. He survived the war after 62 combat operations in Catalina flying boats, losing many friends along the way. He passed away in 1995. Smithy had died in 1935, but had gone on from his recordsetting flights to establish Australian National Airways in 1929. This was one of Australia’s first early airlines. It had five identical Avro 618-Ten aircraft, very similar to the Southern Cross that Smithy and crew had flown across the Pacific and the Tasman. The airline offered daily services between Sydney and Brisbane, and a five-hour daily trip between Sydney and Melbourne. The Sydney to Melbourne fare, which included “first class motor transportation to and from both aerodromes”, was £9/13 one way. That’s A$755.00 in today’s money.

On 21 March 1931 the Southern Cloud set off for Melbourne from Mascot Aerodrome in Sydney, which is now Sydney’s Kingsford Smith International Airport. The pilot, Travis “Shorty” Shortridge, had flown combat missions in World War I, just like Smithy. He had a co-pilot and six passengers. Before they left, the pilots checked the weather forecast. It looked okay. But after they took off, the forecast changed,

Author’s Grandfather, RAAF flight school approx.1942. The plane is a De Havilland Tiger Moth. Photo supplied. Passengers boarding the Southern Cloud. Image source unknown.

and a terrible storm was predicted over the Snowy Mountains, right in the Southern Cloud’s flight path. Because the plane didn’t carry a radio, there was no way to warn the pilot. He was on his own. The Southern Cloud never arrived at Melbourne. What happened? The Snowy Mountains were a formidable obstacle in the late 1920s, when aeroplanes, especially Southern Cloud over Sydney loaded with passengers, Harbour Bridge, approx. 1931. Photo Courtesy Barry John luggage and cargo, flew slow and low. The range lies Stevens. exactly between Sydney and Melbourne. There are several peaks reaching over 2,000 meters, and the area is well known for its unpredictable and intense storms. Yon and I were there on New Year’s Eve in 1999 – the middle of the Australian summer – and after a beautiful, blue sky day, we ended up having to camp out in extremely strong winds, hail and snow. The next morning, there were wind-blown icicles on the ropes. In August that year, in the middle of winter, four snowboarders had hiked out onto the main range with an early forecast of a “fine day with no chance of snow and a minimum temperature of -6 [degrees centigrade] “. By noon that day, they were battling strong winds up to 100 km/h, snow, and a wind-chill of -20C. Stuck in a four-day storm, they died in their snow cave and weren’t found until the spring. If the storm on 21 March 1929 was anything like those two 70 years later, then the Southern Cloud was probably doomed.

Not far from Mt Jagungal, over 2,000 metres high, the Southern Cloud flew straight into the side of a steep mountain ridge. It would not be found until 1958. Photo supplied. After the Southern Cloud disappeared, it was concluded that the plane had not been able to get through the storm. The plane’s top speed was only 160km/h, so with winds up to 150km/h it is possible the plane made no headway at all. There was some speculation it may have even been hurled backwards. It would have been tossed and thrown about in the turbulent air, and the pilot may have flown lower to try to get under the clouds. Because of the powerful winds, though, he may not have realised how slowly he was flying, and may not have known he was still over the high peaks of the Snowy Mountains. Perhaps he’d taken his machine down, thinking he was close to Melbourne’s lower terrain instead of still high up in the Snowies’ rugged heights.

On 26 October 1958, a worker on the Snowy Hydro-electric Scheme named Tom Sonter was bushwalking on his day off. Near the little dam at Deep Creek, he came across the twisted wreck of a plane, and found some skeletons too. The mystery was finally solved.

Aircrew and passengers of the Southern Cloud. Photo supplied.

Reaching the crash site is quite difficult. I did it in January 2011, not too long after huge bushfires ripped through these mountains. It may look different today. It’s an easy walk in from the head of a fire trail on the Tooma Road, which runs from the tiny town of Cabramurra across the mountains to Khancoban. But the last 300 meters of the walk is exceptionally difficult. It runs along the contour from a small water catchment on Shortridge Creek (named for the pilot). The general area of the crash site is a west-facing slope, heavily wooded, with an open area that was burned out in recent bushfires (probably the disastrous fires of 2003). The area is extremely rugged, quite remote, and aptly named the “Worlds End”. Worlds End and Shortridge Creek hide the wreck of the Southern Cloud - 35° 59.967 S, 148° 19.775 E. Getting from that small water catchment (which directs Shortridge Creek into an underground aqueduct) calls for a bit of strenuous bush-bashing. We hauled ourselves over wet, charcoal-caked tree trunks that had fallen haphazardly through the undergrowth, and squeezed between lush, green

Memorial near the location of the crash site. Photo supplied.

new-growth eucalypts and native shrubs. It was hard work, wet work, and hot work. My route notes said we should strike out from the water catchment, along the same contour, and after two or three hundred meters we’d hit the wreck. We did this, and really struggled, but eventually we hit the path. It was only marginally easier walking along that path, but I was very glad we found it, because when we suddenly arrived at the crash site, it was clear we would have missed it completely unless we’d smacked right into it. It was a quiet little place, miles from anywhere. Hopefully everyone died quickly in the crash, because in 1931 this really was the World’s End. Until the Snowy hydro scheme in the 1950s, the nearest road would have been many, many days’ difficult hiking. Without food, with little water, and with injuries from a crash, it would have been impossible to find help. Smithy and many other pilots flew back and forth across the mountains searching for their lost plane, but to no avail. Sadly, for Smithy, Australian National Airways lost another plane that General area of the crash site – very rugged and remote. Photo supplied.

year in Malaya, and the airline closed down. But two strong recommendations from the crash inquiry were implemented, leading to a dramatic increase in aviation safety in Australia. All planes were required to carry radios, and weather forecasting was improved. In the small country town of Cooma, the main commercial centre of the Snowy Mountains region, we stopped at the memorial to the Southern Cloud. A typical 1960s countryAustralia design, the memorial contains recovered engines and parts from the plane, and a neat press-button audio commentary. Two weeks before we did this trip, I stopped in at Cooma’s cemetery. A group grave lies there with the remains of all the people who died in the crash. A quiet grave under big trees, blowing in the breeze, not unlike the grave of their aeroplane, the little Southern Cloud, which will slowly rust away at the World’s End. www.journeysetc.com/wreckage-of-the-southern-cloud/

The Southern Cloud Memorial, Cooma NSW. Photo supplied.

The Southern Cloud was one of five Avro 618 Ten, threeengined aircraft flying daily airline services between Australian cities for Australian National Airways in the early 1930s. On 21 March 1931, the Southern Cloud departed from Sydney for Melbourne. On board were six passengers and two crew. Weather conditions on route were hazardous. The aircraft never reached its destination and disappeared.

One of the Southern Cloud’s three Armstrong Siddely Lynx engines. Photo supplied.

The search for the missing aircraft lasted 18 days and involved over 20 aircraft. No trace of the missing aircraft was found until 27 years later – October 1958. Investigations concluded severe weather conditions most likely contributed to the crash. It was Australia’s first major airline disaster. Australian National Airways folded later that year as a result of this and another loss.

NAAA Senior Certified Aircraft Appraiser AVAA Valuer Member No. 34.

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The former home of the Australian Defence Force’s air operations in the Middle East has been handed over to the United States Air Force.

The transfer of Camp McNamara VC, which was established six years ago as a critical launch point in the fight against Da’esh, was formally recognised with a ceremony on October 16 following the final rotation of RAAF aircraft on September 9.

Commander Joint Task Force 633 Major General Susan Coyle said the closing of the camp marked a historic moment for the ADF.

“Through the deployment of F/A-18 Hornets and F/A-18F Super Hornets to the final rotation of the E7 Wedgetail and KC-30A Tanker, Camp McNamara provided a critical hub for airborne operations,” Major General Coyle said.

“We still have embedded staff within our US-led coalition headquarters, however, with the handover of the facility, we finish another proud chapter in Australia’s operational history in the Middle East.

“That history has consistently been underwritten by the dedication and professionalism of the personnel who deployed to serve, and their families who enabled this to occur.”

Squadron Leader Kevin Lee was the last commander of Camp McNamara VC and the detachment commander in charge of the retrograde operation to return the base to its original condition.

He said dismantling the well established facility required detailed planning.

“All up, the planning was conducted over the month of August, and involved four task groups," he said.

The 29-person team prepared about 73 tonnes of stores and equipment − from tow-motors and water trucks, to ground power units and generators − and about 20 tonnes of aircraft spare parts for return to Australia.

Squadron Leader Lee said the task was not simple.

“The dynamic nature of supporting concurrent operations while setting the condition for a retrograde operation was challenging in the initial phases,” he said.

“Added to this were the intricacies of coordinating elements from across different forces coupled with limited capabilities in Camp McNamara.

“It was challenging, but my team, affectionately known as ‘The A Team’, was highly motivated and took it all in their stride.”

Squadron Leader Lee said the Camp McNamara site would always be a small part of Australia.

“We have built an awesome reputation as professional air power, not only with our coalition partners, but also across the Middle East,” he said.

“The close working relationships we fostered with our coalition allies, in particular with the United States Air Force, reinforced our reputation as a professional and trusted partner.

“As the last commander of Camp McNamara VC, I am immensely proud of what we have achieved.”

Defence images

Leading Aircraftwoman Haley Adams lowers the Australian national flag at the closing ceremony. United States Air Force personnel work with the Expeditionary Airbase Operations Unit. Corporal Christiaan Forrest works with United States Air Force personnel to retrograde the ADF’s Camp McNamara.