By Charles Page
On Friday 9 October 1942 Avro Anson W2262 was on a training flight to the east of Perth, The aircraft was based in Geraldton with 68 Squadron (Reserve) and after flying down to RAAF Pearce it departed Pearce on a course of 111 degrees True for approximately 20 minutes. It then received a Direction Finding bearing from Pearce and received permission to make a ZZ instrument approach to Pearce.
The Anson was piloted by Sgt Geoffrey Debenham, with wireless airgunner Sergeant Kenneth Hugo, and observers Flying Officer Lynton Birt and Sergeant Noel Nixon. A fifth crew member, wireless airgunner Pilot Officer Edward Thomas Sedunary, was not aboard the aircraft.
It seemed a routine training flight, but after making a left turn, the aircraft went into a steep dive, with engines racing. As the dive continued, the aircraft banked steeply to port, momentarily flattened out and eventually slide-slipped into the ground with terrific force. The plane crashed into rising ground between Clackline and Mokine at 12.45 pm on a property leased by Mr George Edward Harvey. From the entries in the Signals Log Book and the times shown on the ‘impacted’ crew watches, it was deduced that the wireless operator (Sgt Hugo) was still operating within seconds of the accident.
It was a lovely spring day on the farm, and as Mrs Irene May Harvey busied herself with her children, she heard the aircraft approaching, ‘This in itself was not unusual’ she said, ‘but this plane attracted me by a queer noise – a roaring, faltering noise’. She ran outside and saw the plane coming down very low, looking like it was going to hit their house. But it passed over the house then hit the ground behind some trees about three quarters of a mile away.
The aircraft struck the ground with the port wing first, making a furrow 12 yards long. The wing broke up, and the port engine made a trench two feet deep and twelve yards long, exposing two large boulders. The rest of the aircraft disintegrated and was scattered over an acre. The main wreckage ended up 50 yards from point of impact, in front of a large tree close to a rocky outcrop. Meanwhile, the rudder catapulted over the wreck and landed in the upper branches of another tree, about 20 metres further on. There was a deafening explosion and rising columns of smoke billowing upwards.
Mrs Harvey hurried over to the crash site, but the wreck was a fiery inferno, with machine gun ammunition cooking off in all directions. So there was nothing the distraught Mrs Harvey could do for the four airmen, who were flung from the plane. Mrs Harvey later said, ‘I alone had witnessed their valiant attempt to save the aircraft, bravely serving their country’.
The sound of the crash was heard for several miles, and after half an hour there were close to fifty people attending the scene. The Anson, with its wooden wings and fabric covering, was reduced to a charred wreck within an hour. An RAAF ambulance took the crew’s bodies to Northam, and two days later an RAAF inquiry team investigated the crash scene, and the remains of the Anson were salvaged. A subsequent Court of Enquiry at Geraldton ruled that the cause of the crash was ‘Obscure’ and the report was signed off by Group Captain Norman Brearley of WWI and pioneering fame.
Lynton Vennel Howard Birt, age 25, came from Nedlands, and attended Hale School, where he excelled in sports, and was above average academically. After leaving school he worked for the ESANDA Bank, and played hockey for the Old Haleians. He was given an Air Force funeral at Northam Cemetery on 11 October 1942, attended by his relatives and friends. He was later reinterred in Perth War Cemetery.
Kenneth Colin (Les) Hugo, age 21, was born in Perth and attended school at Armadale. After studying at Perth Technical College, he worked for Vacuum Oil Company. According to his father he was a lover of sport, enjoying cricket, football, swimming and yachting. He was honoured with an Air Force funeral and fly past at Perth War Cemetery on 12 October. One of his friends commented, ‘Les, old boy, your smile at our table will live forever.’
Geoffrey Lancaster Debenham, age 25, came from Frederickton, NSW, and had been a popular officer of the Bank of New South Wales at Casino and Kempsey. Noel Louis Nixon, 28, was from Bundaberg, Queensland, and before enlistment, he was a general store manager. Both Debenham and Nixon were honoured with a funeral at St George’s Cathedral, Perth, and a burial and a flypast at Perth War Cemetery on 14 October 1942.
Meanwhile, the fortunate Edward Sedunary was left to mourn his crew, and cope with a feeling of survivor’s guilt. Yet, fortune continued to follow him, and he went on to fly on Beauforts with 6 Squadron in New Guinea, and survived the war.
After the crash, members of the Bakers Hill/Clackline Volunteer Defence Corps and other local citizens erected a stone cairn at the crash site and mounted a jarrah cross on top with carved details of the tragedy and the names of the deceased. The site was dedicated on 13 December 1942 by Senior Chaplain Elvey, from the Northam Military Camp, with attendance by relatives, children from Clackline School, the RAAF and the Volunteer Defence Corps.
Post war, the site was largely forgotten until in March 1984, some 42 years later, surveyors from the Northam Shire came upon the overgrown site and cairn, somewhat shaken up by the 1968 Meckering earthquake. The Shire contacted the WA Division of the RAAF Association and Mr. George Winnett, a Past President of RAAFA WA took up the challenge to research the story of the Mokine Crash. The Association and particularly the City of Perth Branch had working groups at the site and carried out restoration work and on 25 November 1984, Bishop Denis Bryant DFC, the Associations Honorary Chaplain, rededicated the site. The ceremony was attended by about 150 persons, the RAAFA band, and three aircraft of the RAAFA flying group gave an aerial salute. A surviving sister of Lynton Birt also attended. A reading was given by Mrs May Harvey, who had been the first at the crash site, and had given the same reading at the original dedication in 1942.
From 1984 onwards, an annual ceremony was held, which included the 1st Northam Scouts and the Air Training Corps. And each subsequent year branch members, together with the Scouts came and tidied the site and held a Remembrance ceremony on the Sunday closest to the date of the crash. In 1995, Reverend David Oxley, the Associations Honorary Chaplain, conducted a third rededication service of the site after additional work had been done. Further renovation was done in 2007. Then in 2013 the Northam RSL accepted control of the site and with a grant from Lotterywest and Northam RSL made further improvements. Since then with a further grant from DVA new paths have been laid and seating erected and up to 2021 David Oxley continued to lead the ceremony.
The annual ceremonies have been well supported by locals, dignitaries, the air cadet band, RSL, and one year the 10th Light Horse formed the Guard of Honour. However, on one occasion, the ceremony was briefly interrupted when a six foot dugite slithered out from a gap in the granite cairn.
The 2024 Mokine Ceremony was held on Sunday 6 October, with RAAFA WA President Clive Robartson AM welcoming guests from the RAAFA estates, and Northam RSL. RAAFA’s Rachel Murphy coordinated the Ceremony and acted as MC, with Chaplain Kym Edwards. Dignitaries included Hon Mia Davies MLA, Northam RSL President Denette Bernard, Northam Shire President Chris Antonio, and Matt Moran. In addition, guests were delighted to see Chaplain David Oxley attending again.
Mia Davies arrived just in time for the ceremony. She had been delayed in an episode reminiscent of ‘Red Dog’. As she was driving to the Memorial site on Avro Anson Road, a large dog blocked the road, and she was forced to stop the car and guide the dog to safety. However, the dog had other ideas, jumped into the car, and refused to get out, so Mia arrived at the ceremony with a black Labrador. It was very well behaved, and afterwards posed for photos.
The Ceremony began with a drum march by the 7 Wing AAFC Drum Corps, led by Flying Officer Leah Carlton. Then at 11 am, pilot Peter Hill made some impressive fly pasts in his Cessna 152. The Address was given by Rachel Murphy, wreaths were laid, and after the Last Post, Rouse, and blessing, guests proceeded to Northam RSL for lunch, and a performance by the 7 Wing Drum Corps.
Then through the wonders of social media, ‘Black Dog’ was reunited with its owner. The dog had apparently been spooked by some horses, and ran off. In years to come, people will still remark how the dog got a lift to the Mokine Ceremony.
Despite this unexpected episode, which certainly added to the occasion, the Ceremony was a great success. The Air Force Association (WA), members of the Northam RSL Sub Branch and those from the local communities can be so proud of maintaining the legacy of four young airmen who gave their lives for their country. Together, they have looked after their piece of wartime history.
Sources:
NAA A9301, A9300, A9845
AWM
CWG
Air Force Association (WA)
Shire of Northam
The West Australian
Main image Clive Robartson AM, ‘Black Dog’ , Mia Davies MLA, Denette Bernard, Lachlan Hunter, Chris Antonio. Charles Page
