| Accession Number | P05600.003 |
|---|---|
| Collection type | Photograph |
| Object type | |
| Maker |
Unknown |
| Place made | United States of America |
| Date made | c 1930s |
| Conflict |
Period 1930-1939 |
| Copyright |
Item copyright: Copyright expired - public domain
|
Lieutenant (Lt) George Leo Cantello waves to the photographer as he sits in a Boeing P-26 ...
Description
Lieutenant (Lt) George Leo Cantello waves to the photographer as he sits in a Boeing P-26 Peashooter of the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC). Lt Cantello was later posted to the 41st Pursuit Squadron, 35th Pursuit Group, United States Army Air Force, based at Bankstown, near Sydney, NSW. At about 1.00 am on 8 June 1942, whilst responding to a call to intercept the Imperial Japanese Navy submarine, I-24, (which had just shelled the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney), Lt Cantello was killed when his P-39 Airacobra stalled and crashed over the small farming community of Hammondville, NSW. The following day the wreckage was recovered and Lt Cantello's remains were sent for burial at a military cemetery in Hawaii. In 1988, at Hammondville, a memorial park with a monument dedicated to Lt Cantello was opened jointly by the United States and Australian Governments.