Don’t believe everything you are told

John Wells’ piece, “Our very own Bermuda Triangle”, in The Trader of 8 October is another excursion from his ostensible subject of Gippsland history. The imaginary triangle in Bass Strait with its apex in Port Phillip doesn’t even touch the Gippsland coast!

However, perhaps because of this artifice, he makes no mention of up to a dozen aircraft that disappeared without trace in flight over Bass Strait during World War 2. Their flights originated in East Gippsland, from the RAAF bases at Sale and Bairnsdale, and their loss is very much a part of Gippsland history.

The missing aircraft were among many Beauforts, Hudsons and Avro Ansons headed out over Bass Strait on routine night-time navigation and bombing training exercises. Although periodical radio contact with bases was maintained on these flights, in most cases distress calls were not received from aircraft that did not return, so there was no usually no way of accounting for their loss. Some fifty RAAF personnel lost their lives in these tragic disappearances.

This piece of wartime history is remembered in Marcus Hill’s A Town at War, from which the foregoing information was obtained. One such flight is reimagined in verse by the author under the title “And all is going well”, concluding with the poignant lines: ‘But nothing was discovered, not a single sign to tell – Why the total silence now when things had gone so well?’ Lest we forget.

A Town at War can be purchased by telephoning the author on 9699 8417 or emailing marcusjhill@bigpond.com.