Pilot Officer Kenneth Cowling, Flight Sergeant Joseph Docherty, Sergeant Norman Graham & Leading Aircraftman Peter HendricksonPrint Page 
The plaque commemorates Pilot Officer Kenneth Cowling, Flight Sergeant Joseph Docherty, Sergeant Norman Graham and Leading Aircraftman Peter Hendrickson who were killed in the crash of a Royal Australian Air Force Airspeed Oxford aeroplane in September 1943.
The wreck and their graves are about 15 metres apart at the bottom of the cliff. The bodies have since been disinterred and buried at Springvale, Victoria. Eyewitness accounts say the aeroplane flew low over a ship which was actually a wreck, and then failed to regain enough height before hitting the cliff.
Location
| Address: | Deal Island Conservation Park, Deal Island |
|---|---|
| State: | TAS |
| Area: | AUS |
| GPS Coordinates: | Lat: -39.475227 Long: 147.313422 Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate. |
Details
| Monument Type: | Plaque |
|---|---|
| Monument Theme: | People |
| Sub-Theme: | Military |
| Actual Event Start Date: | 23-September-1943 |
| Actual Event End Date: | 23-September-1943 |
Dedication
This site is dedicated to the memory of Pilot Officer Kenneth Cowling, Flight Sergeant Joseph Docherty, Sergeant Norman Graham, Leading Aircraftman Peter Hendrickson.
On the morning of September 23, 1943, an RAAF Airspeed Oxford AS618 left the base at East Sale in Victoria to participate in an anti-submarine exercise, carrying a crew of four. Over Deal Island the aircraft dived, rolled and then plunged into the ground at this site. All four RAAF personnel on board were killed instantly. Their bodies were initially interned at this site before being recovered and transported to the Victorian War Memorial Cemetery at Springvale, Victoria
