Plaque honours RAAF servicemen

When RAAF aircraft A34-24 crashed into rugged mountains west of Cairns in 1943, three of its crew perished and two were seriously injured. The De Havilland DH-84A Type 2 Dragon plane took off from Cairns on 7 March 1943, but never made it to its destination of Mareeba.

The two survivors – Lieutenant Colonel Philip Heathcote George Cardale and Leading Aircraftman Ronald Henry Appleby – were found days later wandering around the dense bush with serious injuries.

The plaque honours the RAAF service members who were onboard the A34-24 aircraft that crashed west of Cairns in 1943

The other three personnel on board – Sergeant Lindsay James Sutherland McColl, Brigadier John Wilson Crawford and Lieutenant Arthur William Morris – died in the crash and were laid to rest in the Cairns War Cemetery.

Other than their graves and what is left of the wreckage deep in the bush above the Crystal Cascades, near Freshwater Gorge, there was no local acknowledgement of the accident.

That is, until Malanda RSL Sub Branch decided to recognise the tragedy and honour the 80th anniversary of the crash this year with a new commemorative plaque.

A tragedy finally recognised

The three RAAF service members tragically killed in the crash were laid to rest in Cairns

The Sub Branch funded the project and formed a sub-committee of Sub Branch members to streamline the process.

Vietnam veteran and Sub Branch member Trevor Sorenson was heavily involved throughout the nine-month project, together with Sub Branch President Gary Hunt, Lionel Smith and Glynn Morice.

“We researched the tragic incident to find out all we could about who was on board and what happened, so we could tell their story and commemorate them properly,” Trevor says.

“The sub-committee also worked closely with Cairns Regional Council and the local business engaged to create the plaque so that we could truly honour these servicemen.”

On 26 April 2023, the plaque was completed and fitted at the popular tourist viewing platform overlooking the Crystal Cascades at the base of Freshwater Gorge.

Through their research, the sub-committee discovered what happened to the plane to cause the crash, and in the weeks that followed. The Court of Inquiry found that the crash was the result of pilot error.

The pilot entered the mouth of Freshwater Gorge low and couldn’t climb to a sufficient altitude to clear the ridge at the head of the gorge in time. Instead, while attempting to turn away from the ridge, the plane crashed into the side of the mountain.

“After the crash, a retrieval crew was brought in from the RAAF base in Charters Towers; they went into the rainforest to the crash site and by the various means available to them at the time, they retrieved the two motors and other major components from the aircraft, which were then taken back to Charters Towers for refurbishment and for use of spare parts for refitting to other aircraft,” Trevor says.

What remains of the wreckage – the shell of the aircraft – was located again in 1995 by aircraft historian Stephen Fowler, who contributed some information to the sub-committee’s research.

Honoured to commemorate those who served

Vietnam veteran and Malanda RSL Sub Branch member Trevor Sorenson (third from left) with other members of the Sub Branch

For Trevor and the sub-committee, and indeed the whole Sub Branch, the project has been really rewarding.

“It’s been our honour to commemorate these servicemen and to inform our community and the visiting tourists about this tragedy that happened in WWII not far from where we are.”

Located in the small rural town of Malanda on the Atherton Tablelands, the Malanda RSL Sub Branch has a membership of 93. This includes 71 service members, three Auxiliary members and 24 non-League/social members.

“We’re a progressive and active Sub Branch, always looking for ways to get involved in the community and do things for our veterans and their families,” Trevor says. “We believe we’re doing quite well at that.”

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