RAAF
4 Squadron
February 6, 1942
Destroyed February 6, 1943
Wartime History
Destroyed
on the ground
at Wau Airfield
during a Japanese air raid.
Daniel Leahy reports:
"I managed to find the list of possibilities,
the greatest possiblility being A20-504, that belonged to 4 Squadron. The
status card for 504 states "Crashed at Wau" - the date
entered being 04.02.1943. Though this entry is AFTER the entry
for 07.02.1943 which says the aircraft "Received 15 RSU ex 4
Sqn" - meaning
the crash entry was written days after the event, so could be a couple
of days later (as the dates on these cards often are). According
to the Australian War Memorial collection
database, the crew for this aircraft were F/Sgt A Rodburn and
Sgt A E Cole - both of whom scrambled from the aircraft seconds before
the photo was taken and threw themselves flat on the ground. Cole
received a minor shrapnel wound in the shoulder. Unfortunately I don't
have any sort of accident card for A20-504 that might confirm the crew
and/or date."
References
Thanks to Daniel Leahy for this information.
Wirraway
