Saturday, 7th June, 2014.
Beautiful Betsy was an American WWII B-24 Liberator bomber, named after the original pilot’s wife, Betsy Roth. Beautiful Betsy was in active service for eight months, taking part in 25 missions. After being damaged in a storm and during a difficult landing, she was retired from active service and used for training parachutists, then for transporting supplies, such as fresh fruit and vegetables, alcohol, ice cream and even live poultry to American military personnel in Australia. These runs were known as “fat cat” runs. Photo from crash site.
After being damaged in a storm and during a difficult landing, Beautiful Betsy was retired from active service and used for training parachutists, then for transporting supplies, such as fresh fruit and vegetables, alcohol, ice cream and even live poultry to American military personnel in Australia. These runs were known as “fat cat” runs. This picture shows Beautiful Betsy being loaded for a fat cat run. Photo from crash site.
Beautiful Betsy set out on the night of 26th February 1945 from Darwin to Brisbane but never reached her destination. It is suspected that she crashed just on daylight on 27th February 1945.
Numerous search efforts proved unsuccessful. It was not until July 1994, almost 50 years later, that a park ranger undertaking burning duties made the shock discovery.
A US army recovery team spent several weeks here in September 1994, recovering some skeletal remains and personal effects. Photo from crash site.
Six American and two British airmen lost their lives in the crash.
The site has been declared a memorial to those who lost their lives here. Visitors are requested to treat the site with respect, which they seem to have been doing for the last 20 years. It is a very confronting memorial.
Flg Off. Roy Cannon, from the RAF, was due to be married in Brisbane four days after the crash. The other British airman, Flt. Lt. Thomas Cook, was to have been his best man. Photo from crash site.
A copy of Roy Cannon’s last letter home was included at the crash site. It was so poignant to read of his plans for his wedding and honeymoon, and what he wanted to do when the war was over.
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