Bristol Beaufort bomber A9-143 2nd August 2017Categories» CategoriesSponsors and FriendsAbout UsBoating DestinationsEventsMerchandiseThe Gippsland Lakes » Upcoming Club EventsPast Club Events » All Pages Published02nd August 2017 2nd August 2017 – A small number of GLCBC members located the crash site of the Bristol Beaufort bomber A9-143 that crashed on a small island at the Back-lake of the Gippsland Lakes on the 30th July 1945 marking the 72nd anniversary of the crash that claimed the lives of 3 crewmembers. Lost crew members were: FLGOFF Melville Maxwell Castle FLGOFF Robert Meath Hammond FLTSGT Stanley Trevor Lloyd As an organized task, the original date was set to fall on the anniversary of the accident, but a severe weather forecast resulted in the visit being postponed by 3 days to allow for calmer seas and safe arrival. GLCBC members arrived by shallow draft boats carrying a small amount of equipment that was used to remove some fallen trees and vegetation; and then clean up a small memorial cross that had been placed at the crash site back in the early 1990’s A reef of Australian native flowers was then placed on the memorial cross followed by a few spoken paragraphs extracted from the RAAF accident report detailing the achievements of the lost flight crew. More information about the wreck of A9-143 can be found here on the ozatwar website http://www.ozatwar.com/vic61.htm« Previous | Next » Gippsland Lakes Classic Boat Club Inc