By Colin MacGillivray
A forgotten piece of the Kilmore district’s history will be recalled this month as historians, residents and Returned and Services League, RSL, members gather to mark 80 years since a plane crash at Bylands claimed the lives of two men during the Second World War.
On January 15, 1943, a prototype CA-4 Wackett Bomber, developed by the Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation, CAC, took off from Fishermans Bend in Melbourne for a test flight.
With aircraft orders from the United Kingdom and United States of America unable to be filled during the war, Australia was attempting to manufacture its own war planes through the CAC.
Squadron Leader Jim Harper, CAC test pilot Jim Carter and power plant engineer Lionel Dudgeon were sent to assess the plane’s performance and flew as far north as Kilmore before turning back.
A fuel leak led to an engine fire while the plane was flying at an altitude of about 300 metres, and the crew attempted to abandon the aircraft.
Only Sqd Ldr Harper was able to escape by parachute, while Mr Carter and Mr Dudgeon perished as the plane crashed on the Bylands property of Tom and Ann Comans.
The Comans family was lucky to escape death or serious injury as the aircraft hit a shed at the rear of their house.
Liz Pidgeon, a historian and the granddaughter of Tom and Ann Comans, said Ann documented the aftermath of the crash using a Kodak Brownie camera.
“It happened on a Friday afternoon and the pieces of the plane were recovered on the Monday, so she had opportunities to take some photos,” she said.
“It was pretty devastating. It’s a miracle the plane didn’t hit the house.”
Ms Pidgeon said the crash received little press attention due to wartime measures.
“I’ve given a few talks [on the incident], and my talk is titled ‘the secret crash’, because even when it happened there wasn’t a lot of publicity around it,” she said.
“There was a little piece in the Kilmore Free Press at the time, but after that there was nothing. They did their own inquiry and there was nothing else reported because of wartime measures. It was all secret, really.”
Ms Pidgeon said the secrecy surrounding the event meant the crew never got the public recognition they deserved.
She said the commemorative service planned for May 13 at Kilmore Cenotaph on Sydney Street would teach people their story.
Set to speak at the service are Ms Pidgeon; Kilmore Wallan RSL sub-branch president Rod Dally; Ian Dudgeon, the son of killed crew member Lionel Dudgeon; Royal Australian Air Force, RAAF, Wing Commander Rob Gill; and Air Force Association national president Carl Schiller.
Ms Pidgeon said she hoped many people would attend to learn more about an important but largely forgotten event.
“It’s about connecting local residents to some of the history that many don’t know happened here,” she said.
“A lot of people have no idea what happened in the area they live in before they were there, whether they were born there or they moved there. It’s part of connecting Kilmore and district residents to the history of the place they live.
“We want to commemorate the service of these people toward the war effort and making a better future for us.”
The ceremony on May 13 will commence at 10am at the Kilmore Cenotaph.
People can contact Ms Pidgeon by emailing lizpidgeon1@gmail.com or calling 0412 571 648 for more information.
