On the afternoon of Tuesday 23rd of November 1943, Flying Officer A.J.Gould was authorised to carry out a formation flying exercise in Spitfire S/n BS-300 in company with 4 other aircraft of No 457 Squadron, According to the Form R.E.77, the aircraft was fully serviceable.
At 1605 hours Flying Officer Gould taxied from the dispersal roadway on to the North end of
Livingstone Airstrip and waited until three other aircraft of the formation had taken off. He then commenced his take off run leading another Spitfire piloted by Sergeant G.M.Jude in a formation take off, Flying Officer Gould's aircraft was very close to the Eastern edge of the
airstrip when he commenced his run and after having travelled approximately 300 yards his port wheel struck a flare path lamp on the edge of the strip, Track idications showed that the port wheel began to deflate after striking the lamp causing the aircraft to swing to the left across the drain and onto the main North-South road (Stuart Highway) that is adjacent to the
airstrip. The aircraft ran along the road for some distance still pulling slightly left until it struck a military vehicle parked on the Eastern side of the road, Killing the two occupants of that vehicle, the casualties were Flying Officer C.H.Bell from Kalgoorlie, WA and LAC, E.H.McCarthy from Subiaco, WA.
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The impact swung the aircraft almost completely around and it continued for a further 75 yards before stopping across the pipe line on the East side of the road.
The pilot was uninjured, he had logged 789 hours flying time when the accident occured.
Flying Officer C.H.Bell and LAC, E.H.McCarthy were both buried at the
Adelaide River War Cemetery, the 2 links below will show their plaques and details,
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On the way
home from
Darwin a few weeks ago I travelled slowly along the verge and noticed the pipe has a dip in it, on inspection I found the propellor cut marks and
the block of concrete shown in the B/w photo is still there today,