| Accession Number | P04390.002 |
|---|---|
| Collection type | Photograph |
| Object type | Black & white - Print silver gelatin |
| Maker |
Unknown |
| Date made | c March 1941 |
| Conflict |
Second World War, 1939-1945 |
| Copyright |
Item copyright: Copyright expired - public domain
|
Outdoor portrait of two members of the No 1 Bombing and Gunnery School (BAGS), at Jarvis, Canada: ...
Description
Outdoor portrait of two members of the No 1 Bombing and Gunnery School (BAGS), at Jarvis, Canada: 402925 Leading Aircraftman Ray McNabb and 402929 Leading Aircraftman Charles 'Charlie' Taggart, both were killed in a training accident on 6 July 1941. Ray McNabb was born in Griffith, NSW, and enlisted in the RAAF in 1940. He was sent to Jarvis, Canada, to train as a Wireless Operator Air Gunner. He left with Canada 5, the fifth group to leave Australia for Canada for training in the Empire Air Training Scheme (EATS). McNabb and Taggart were on a gunnery training flight in a Fairey Battle aircraft when the pilot noticed the aircraft engine was leaking cooling fluid and the resultant fumes were acrid. He sent a message to McNabb and Taggart, who were in the fuselage of the aircraft, to bail out, but they were overcome by fumes and crashed with the aircraft. A subsequent inquiry found the parachute had been fitted incorrectly on one of the men and may have snagged on the aircraft.