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World War Two Crash SitePrint Page 
The plaque commemorates the four airmen who were killed near Tarlee while on a training flight from Mallala Royal Australian Air Force (R.A.A.F.) base in 1943 during World War Two.
On the night of September 23, 1943, the residents of Tarlee were startled by the noise of a plane in difficulty, and then heard the crash in a nearby paddock on a training flight out of Mallala R.A.A.F. Base.
All four airmen were killed. They were : -
Pilot, 19 year old, Sergeant Julian Rice, of Jardee WA,
Navigator, 27-year- old Flying Officer Ian Weston, from Adelaide, and trainee pilots 19-year-old Cyril Lewis, of Elwood, Victoria and 19-year-old Donald McDonald, from Brisbane Queensland.
Location
| Address: | Main North Road & Hallett Street, War Memorial Garden, Tarlee, 5411 |
|---|---|
| State: | SA |
| Area: | AUS |
| GPS Coordinates: | Lat: -34.272325 Long: 138.770206 Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate. |
Details
| Monument Type: | Plaque |
|---|---|
| Monument Theme: | Conflict |
| Sub-Theme: | WW2 |
| Actual Event Start Date: | 23-September-1943 |
| Actual Event End Date: | 23-September-1943 |
Dedication
| Actual Monument Dedication Date: | Sunday 22nd February, 2015 |
|---|
RAAF World War Two Crash Site
23rd Septembe 1943
An Avro Anson W2095 from 6 Service Flight Training School, Mallalla, crashed into a field approximately 1.8 km east south east of this site.
29990 Sgt Rice Julian Patrick
Pilot Jardee WA
Age: 21
284999 F/O Weston Ian Duncan
Navigator
Adelaide SA
Age: 27
419836 LAC Lewis Cyril M
Trainee Pilot
Elwood Vic
Age: 19
429980 LAC McDonald Donald Neil
Trainee Pilot
Brisbane QLD
Age: 19
Reports :
Official Summary :
The above aircraft took off at 2130 hours on 23 Sep 1943 on a properly authorised night dual cross country exercise. At 2305 hours, it crashed near Tarlee, S.A., killing all occupants, and was almost completely destroyed by fire. Weather deterioration, not predicted in the forecast, appears to have been the cause of the crash, but there was nothing in the wreckage to prove definitely the immediate cause.
[ Eye Witness Reports ]
Lest We Forget
