LEST WE FORGET
Flight Sergeant Basil William McGRATH
Service No: 21572
Born: Summer Hill NSW, 22 October 1922
Enlisted in the RAAF: 30 January 1941
Unit: No. 31 Squadron
Died: Aircraft Accident (No. 31 Squadron Beaufighter aircraft A19-19), Darwin area NT, 13 May 1943, Aged 20 Years
Buried: Unrecovered
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Norman Henry and Lilla McGrath, of Armidale, New South Wales
Roll of Honour: Bungendore NSW
Remembered: Panel 9, Northern Territory Memorial, Adelaide River NT
Remembered: Panel 102, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
On 13 May 1943, Beaufighter A19-19 was detailed to carry out a searchlight cooperation flight over Darwin at a height of 15,000 feet. It took off from Coomalie Cleek and flew to Darwin climbing on course. At a height of 7,000 feet, the Pilot discovered the starboard engine blower was unserviceable and carried out the exercise between 10,000 and 12,000 feet. When arriving over Darwin the pilot found the search lights very powerful and had trouble seeing. When the exercise was completed, the aircraft left the area at 2200 hours and set course for Coomalie Creek. The aircraft circled over two lighted areas, but the Pilot could not identify them. He then decided to return to Darwin. On ETA at Darwin no lights were visible. The Observer then obtained a direction finding bearing from Darwin and passed on the reciprocal which was flown until within sight of the coast. The Observer then realized and the error and the Pilot flew the correct bearing of 150 degrees. This was maintained and another bearing was sought, but this was unsuccessful because of interference. The fuel was low and at about 0030 hours the Pilot decided to abandon the aircraft. The aircraft climbed to 7,000 feet, and the Pilot then ordered the Observer to bale out at about 0100 hours. When the Observer was last seen he was half out of the aircraft. The Pilot had great difficulty in abandoning the aircraft, as the starboard engine cut and the plane went into s flat spin. He believed he must have fainted, as he came too in swamp high grass and four feet of water. He saw no trace of the Observer. He wandered for three days and came to Daly River, found an old canoe, and made his way down stream when he found an Army Post on 19 May.
The crew members of A19-19 were:
Flying Officer John Desmond Brannelly (406381) (Pilot) Shock, Discharged from the RAAF: 21 December 1945
Flight Sergeant Basil William McGrath (21572) (Observer/Radio Operator)
References:
Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour On-Line Records (RAAF Casualty Information compiled by Alan Storr (409804))
Commonwealth War Graves Commission On-Line Records
Department of Veterans’ Affairs On-Line WWII Nominal Roll
National Archives of Australia On-Line Record A705, 166/26/120; A9845, 11
Bibliography:
Parnell, N.M. (Neville M.) Whispering Death: A history of the RAAF’s Beaufighter Squadrons, AH & AW Reed, Terry Hills NSW, 1980
Wilson, S. (Stewart) Beaufort, Beaufighter and Mosquito in Australian Service, Aerospace Publications Weston Creek ACT 2611, 1990