Alan Shorter
I recently received your March 2013 edition of the squadron’s newsletter and it prompted me to dig up the attached photograph and extraction from by grandfather Lt Alan Shorter’s logbook regarding an incident where he crash landed his beaufighter on Bathurst Island after an attack on September 14 over Selaru.
It is my understanding from family history that the missionary on Bathurst Island was very unhappy with the belly landing as he feared that the downed aircraft may attract the attention of the Japanese and make his island mission a target. I also understand that it took a few days to collect Alan from the island whilst the plane (A19-8 ) took a little longer as ground crews had to be flown in with spare parts in order to get the plane back to the mainland.My limited research indicates (from the 30 squadron website that) A19-8 (T4927) was a MK.1c Beaufighter built by the Fairy Aviation Co. Stockport UK received by the RAAF on 26 March 1942. It arrived at 30 Squadron on 20 June 1942 it was coded “H” and on 22 July 1943 it arrived at 31 Squadron.Regards,
Adrian Hunter
Flt Lt Alan Shorter, from 30 Sqn crash landed in A19-8 on Bathurst Island in 1942.
This aircraft was transfered to 31Sqn in 1943
