Bakers Creek Air Crash Memorial

Plaque - Crash and Memorial Information:

ON JUNE 14 1943, A VH-CBA B-17C AIRCRAFT OF THE
UNITED STATES ARMY AIR FORCE CRASHED SHORTLY
AFTER TAKE-OFF APPROXIMATELY 1KM NORTH OF
HERE ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF BAKERS CREEK
NEAR THE SITE WHERE THE MEATWORKS NOW STANDS.

ON BOARD WERE FIVE CREW AND THIRTY-EIGHT
PASSENGERS WHO WERE RETURNING TO NEW GUINEA
AFTER COMPLETING "R AND R" IN MACKAY. THERE WAS
ONLY ONE SURVIVOR.

THE AIRCRAFT WAS OPERATED BY THE 46TH TROOP
CARRIER SQUADRON, OF THE 317TH TROOP CARRIER
GROUP WHICH FORMED PART OF THE 5TH AIR FORCE.

THE CRASH OF THE B-17C WAS THE WORST ACCIDENT
INVOLVING A TRANSPORT AIRCRAFT IN THE
SOUTH-WEST PACIFIC DURING WORLD WAR II.

THIS MEMORIAL WAS CONSTRUCTED BY THE
PEOPLE OF MACKAY DISTRICT IN HONOUR OF
THE FORTY-TWO UNITED STATES MILITARY
PERSONNEL WHO WERE KILLED AND THE ONE
SURVIVOR, AND WAS DEDICATED ON 11TH MAY 1992.

Plaque: Roll of Honour

PERSONNEL IN BOARD

CREW

[6 NAMES]

PASSENGERS

[17 NAMES] [17 NAMES]

SURVIVOR

[1 NAME]