The following news report appeared in The Times, Monday, 21 Jul 1947
(page 3)
ACCIDENTS AT NAVAL FLYING EXERCISES
FIVE MEN KILLED
From our correspondent
Melbourne, July 20
"During farewell flying manoeuvres in Port Phillip Bay by the visiting
British naval squadron to-day, five me were killed and one injured and
several aircraft were wrecked. Two pilots and two observers were
killed when their Fireflies came into collision and crashed into the
sea soon after leaving the carrier Theseus. Both aircraft sank
immediately. The escorting destroyer Cockade later retrieved one body.
Within an hour another crash occurred on board the carrier Glory, when
a Seafire, landing at high speed, missed the carrier's arrester wires
and smashed into several aircraft. Two maintenance repair men were
jammed between the aircraft, and one was mortally injured; the pilot
escaped injury.
The squadron, which is anchored in the bay to-night, is proceeding to
Sydney to-morrow, carrying out exercises en route in conjunction with
Australian warships and the Australian Air Force."
Another account follows;
"For some reason it was decided to do a day's flying on Sunday 20 July, thus completely destroying the week-end run ashore. Making due allowances for the unbridled debauchery, (the official ship's party had been held the night before) the landings weren't too bad, a fact which made the tragedies which followed not so easy to account for. The wind began to drop and Glory's large range was reduced by flying off only the Seafires. Whilst this was going on people on the flight deck were watching the aircraft from Theseus forming up, when out of a gaggle in the sky dropped something which spiralled down and disappeared into the water with a fountain of white to mark the spot.
Two of their Firefly aircraft had collided and four aircrew were killed, they were: Lieut.Cmdr (P) Nathaniel Martin Hearle RN, Lieut (P) Raymond Thomas Walker DSC, RN, Lieut (A) Kenneth Alfred Sellars RN, and Chief Petty Officer William Lovatt. One of their Seafires then made an erratic landing at 1445, slewed round narrowly missing the batsman, and then hit and fatally injured Ordinary Seaman Anthony E Timmons, who was in the flight deck walkway. Glory's turn came later when the Seafires returned. Lieut-Cmdr Waller RN the CO of 806 Squadron made his pass at the deck too fast, bounced over the barriers and crashed into the aircraft parked forward. Air Mechanic Sadler was seriously injured and was transferred to HMS Contest, who rushed him to Port Melbourne where an ambulance was waiting to take him to Heidelberg Military Hospital, but he was dead on arrival.
Petty officer Primrose was also injured in the crash which left the flight deck looking as if a Kamikaze attack had taken place. Three Seafires and a Firefly were complete write-offs, and three other Firefly aircraft were damaged seriously enough to engage the Maintenance Unit for some time. The pilot was unhurt and everyone considered it lucky that many more flight deck personnel had not been killed. It seemed clear that on a cruise like that it was impossible to combine serious flying with the strenuous social activities which are inescapable. The alternative solution would have been to stop the leave of aircrews 24 hours before they got airborne or to abandon flying until the ship had been at sea long enough to get some rest. It was particularly unfortunate that the accidents occurred when the two carriers were full of Australian service and civilian guests, including many press representatives.
The Australians had bought two aircraft carriers and must have considered their purchase with mixed feelings."
My own (vivid) memories;
It was a complete 'shambles' ........... the weather was good and OK for
flying ............. trouble was all the pilots were out 'on the town' the
night before.
It should never have happened .......... but there were senior naval
personnel from both Australia and India ......... perhaps others who were
there taking notes.
Australia was about to invest in its first aircraft carrier at that time and
the navy were 'strutting their stuff'.
I saw the crashes on the Theseus which was on our starboard side and a short
time after those crashes Lt.Waller crashed on the Glory .......... I was in
a gun sponson just one deck down from the flight deck when it happened and a
wheel broke off from his aircraft and whizzed over my head into the sea.
absolutely dreadful.
joboy