| Places | |
|---|---|
| Accession Number | 027397 |
| Collection type | Photograph |
| Object type | Black & white |
| Physical description | Black & white |
| Maker |
Fisher, Thomas |
| Place made | New Guinea1: Papua New Guinea, Papua, Collingwood Bay, Wanigela |
| Date made | October 1942 |
| Conflict |
Second World War, 1939-1945 |
| Copyright |
Item copyright: Copyright expired - public domain
|
Papuan natives assisting men of the 2/6th Australian Independent Company to unload their ...
Description
Papuan natives assisting men of the 2/6th Australian Independent Company to unload their equipment from the 5th US Army Air Force (USAAF) C-47-DL transport plane ("Maxine" Serial Number 41-18585) in which they have been flown from Port Moresby, as a preliminary move in the allied coastal advance on Buna. On 16th October 1942, weeks after this image was taken, the aircraft “Maxine” crashed whilst delivering supplies to Australian Army soldiers on the Kokoda Trail with the loss of all crew. In the War Graves Maintenance Details Unit War Diary for New Guinea [September 1943 - November 1944], it was noted that Cpl Hince of the Aust War Graves Maintenance Details Unit visited the scene of the crash in March 1944 and located two American and two Australian bodies. The Australian bodies were removed to Bomana War Cemetery in Port Moresby and identified as N38353 Pte Keith Thomas Sullivan, and N21922 Pte Joseph Thomas Waters, both of the 53rd Australian Infantry Battalion.