CAC Plant Reports 1941, numbers 74-85

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1943 At about 9.20 am on 19 December 1943, a Douglas C-47 Dakota, VH-CHR, #43-30742, "Hoosier Traveler" of the 22nd Troop Carrier Squadron of the 374th Troop Carrier Group disintegrated in the air about 30 miles north of Rockhampton near Rossmoya Road at Canal Creek via Yaamba. It had earlier taken off from Garbutt Airfield in Townsville at 7.10K hours enroute to Archerfield airfield in Brisbane via Rockhampton. At 0945K hours the Volunteer Air Observer Corps (VAOC) reported to No. 3 Fighter Sector Headquarters in Townsville that an aircraft had crashed 10 miles (actually 30 miles) north west of Rockhampton. The Commanding Officer of No. 21 Operational Base Unit at Rockhampton travelled to the crash site and assisted to remove the bodies and guard the site. Source: Australia @ War website

1955 Sir Keith Macpherson Smith, co-pilot of the first aircraft to fly from England to Australia, died of cancer in Sydney on 19 December 1955. He had no children. He left an estate valued in two States at £33,723. Included in his will was a bequest of £100 to W. H. Shiers, the sole remaining crew member of the England-Australia flight. The Vickers Vimy flown on that occasion is displayed at Adelaide airport. Sir Keith Smith was buried near his brother, father and mother in the North Road Anglican cemetery, Adelaide. Source: Australian Dictionary of Biography