This Day in History: 1943-04-26

No. 79 Squadron RAAF was formed at Laverton, Victoria, on 26 April 1943. The squadron received its first Spitfire VC aircraft a month later, when it was ordered to deploy to Goodenough Island, off New Guinea’s east coast. The advance party from the squadron left Australia in mid-May, while the pilots and aircraft followed in early June. Unfortunately, the squadron soon experienced its first fatality when Flying Officer Virgil Paul Brennan DFC DFM died on 13 June from injuries sustained in an accident at Cairns. Brennan had served at Malta during the height of air fighting over that island. The squadron was operational by 26 June. The Spitfires redeployed to Kiriwina Island on 18 August and the squadron operated under adverse conditions alongside 76 Squadron from the northern end of the airstrip. Source: Spitfire Association