~~~Transcript of Military Service, Royal Australian Air Force, RAAF, World War Two~~~
Service Number:--- 6673
Enlisted in RAAF:--- 18th December 1939, Richmond, New South Wales.
Final Rank:--- Aircraftman
Final Unit:--- 2 RAAF Squadron; RAAF Williams (Point Cook/Laverton)(MOTTO: Consilio et manu ['To Advise and to Strike'])
Born:--- Merriwa, New South Wales, Australia, 2nd November 1910.
Home Town:--- Cessnock, Cessnock, New South Wales
Religion:--- Roman Catholic
Schooling:--- Ellalong Public School, ICS College, New South Wales, Australia
Civilian Trade:--- Truck Driver/Motor Mechanic Business Owner
Next of kin:--- Wife, Mrs Rita Pearl Crosdale, Congewai Rd, Paxton, Merriwa, NSW
Fate:--- Accidental aircraft crash, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, 13th August 1940, aged 29 years.
Burial: ---Roman Catholic Section, Ellalong Cemetery, Ellalong, New South Wales.
Memorials:--- Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour
Parents:--- George Matthew Crosdale and Cecilia Mary Delforce, married , 1909. Charles was one of 17 children, 13 sons and 4 daughters, where 7 sons enlisted in the AIF, RAAF & RAN.
Wife:--- Rita Pearl Ling married Charles, 1940 in New South Wales. Rita gave birth to their first child Gary Charles Crosdale on the 13th August, 1940 in Melbourne which is the same day that his Father Charles died in Canberra.
Son:--- Gary Charles Crosdale
Other Details:--- It was Charles life long ambition to join the Air Force and he was finally accepted after some assistance he enlisted at Richmond, NSW on 18th December, 1939
On 13th August, 1940 the plane, a Lockhead Hudson Mark II, SN A16 - 97 took off with passengers onboard including Government Officials and VIPs. On the approach to the RAAF Base at Canberra the plane spun and crashed two miles east of the airfield, killing everyone onboard and then catching fire - in all 10 people died in the accident, four of them were crew
Charles body was brought back to NSW and he is buried in the Roman Catholic Section of the Ellalong Cemetery near Cessnock, NSW - he was buried with RAAF Honours
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~IN MEMORIAN - Trove~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Memory lane is a lonely path, where hearts are ever true,
A path we travel every day, because it leads to you
Beyond the beautiful sunset, they wait with outstretched hands
To guide us over the threshold, into the Promised Land.
But the happiest day is yet to come, when we shall meet again"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Details of Accident~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
No 2 RAAF Squadron's Lockheed Hudson II bomber, with an aircrew of four and with six passengers on board, took off from Melbourne flying to Canberra for a government Cabinet Meeting. The aircraft is believed to have stalled on its landing approach at the RAAF Canberra aerodrome when it was at too low an altitude for a successful recovery. The Hudson crashed about 2 miles east of the airfield, taking the lives of the ten people—four aircrew, six passengers--on board.
The four Royal Australian Air Force aircrew who perished in this crash were-
RAAF Aircraftman 1st Class Charles Joseph Crosdale ,
RAAF Corporal John Frederick Palmer ,
RAAF Pilot Officer Richard Frederick Wiesener and
RAAF Flight Lieutenant Robert Edward Hitchcock .
The six passengers on this Lockheed Hudson II aircraft who perished were-
Brigadier Geoffrey Austin STREET, Minister for the Army and Repatriation,
James Valentine FAIRBAIRN, Minister for Air and Civil Aviation,
Sir Henry Somer GULLETT, Vice-President of the Executive Council and Minister in charge of Scientific and Industrial Research,
General Sir Cyril Brudenell Bingham WHITE, Chief of the General Staff,
Lieutenant Colonel Francis THORNTHWAITE, Staff Officer to General White and
Richard Edwin ELFORD.