TRENGOVE, William Milton
| Service Number: | 416134 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 29 March 1941 |
| Last Rank: | Flight Sergeant |
| Last Unit: | No. 32 Squadron (RAAF) |
| Born: | Kadina, South Australia, 22 November 1908 |
| Home Town: | Spalding, Northern Areas, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Spalding State School and Price Alfred College, South Australia |
| Occupation: | Farmer |
| Died: | Accidental (Flying Accident), Newcastle, New South Wales, Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia, 11 September 1943, aged 34 years |
| Cemetery: |
Newcastle (Sandgate) War Cemetery Plot E, Row C, Grave 9, Sandgate War Cemetery, Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia |
| Memorials: | Adelaide WW2 Wall of Remembrance, Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Clare and District WW2 Roll of Honour, Spalding & District War Memorial Gates |
World War 2 Service
| 29 Mar 1941: | Enlisted Royal Australian Air Force, Aircraftman 2 (WW2), 416134, Adelaide, South Australia | |
|---|---|---|
| 29 Mar 1941: | Enlisted Royal Australian Air Force, Flight Sergeant, 416134 | |
| 11 Sep 1943: | Involvement Royal Australian Air Force, Flight Sergeant, 416134, No. 32 Squadron (RAAF) | |
| Date unknown: | Involvement |
Air Accident
As a small child, I watched with my parents from our front lawn in Hamilton South as Milton's plane came down. Although I was quite young, I can still remember it quite clearly. Some time later, my father's sister, who lived in Adelaide, visited us. Accompanying her was a friend, a sister of Milton, and they visited Sandgate Cemetery to see the last resting place of Milton. I have learned that the plane was a Bristol Beaufort Serial no A9-281 of No 32 Squadron RAAF. The plane crashed across Lambton Rd, Broadmeadow.
Helen Phillips (nee Beal)
Submitted 17 November 2017 by Helen Phillips
Biography contributed by Ian Uppill
"SPALDING AIRMAN DIES FROM INJURIES RECEIVED IN AIR ACCIDENT.
THE LATE FLIGHT SERGEANT MILTON TRENGOVE.
[From Our Own Correspondent.] Spalding, Sept. 15, 1943.
Profound regret is felt in Spalding and other districts at the death of Flight Sergeant Milton Trengove in the performance of his duty, and deepest sympathy is extended to his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Fred Trengove, and his sisters Dorothy, Jean and Fay. Milton Trengove was not only the idol of his home and his church, but was a young man who had won and merited the highest esteem and respect of all who were privileged to know him. He was killed as a result of an Air accident and was buried at the Newcastle Cemetery last Monday. Tho' he has given his life for his country in his prime his achievements were greater than those of most men who had lived to a ripe age. Tho' of an apparently serious and studious nature he possessed a rare fund of humor. He was a firm believer in the cultural benefits of the city being made available to the country. During the whole of the 10 years that the Spalding Literary and Musical Competitions were successfully functioning, he carried the whole burden of the organising and secretarial work and made each year a greater success than the previous one. The same conspicuous ability characterised his progress and studies in the R.A.A.F. as in his student days at Prince Alfred College. His claim to greatness may be summed up in these words: —
The greatest man is he who chooses right with the most invincible resolution; who resists the sorest temptation from within and without; who bears the heaviest burdens cheerfully; who is calmest in storms, and most fearless under menaces and frowns ; whose reliance on truth, on virtue, and on God, is most unfaltering.
This is the indelible picture of this gracious young man that we, his friends, will always cherish in our hearts." - from the Clare Northern Argus 17 Sep 1943 (nla.gov.au)
Biography contributed by David Barlow
Beaufort A9-281 of 32SQN RAAF crashed near Broadmeadow Aerodrome in NSW killing Flight Sergeant William Milton Trengove 416134 RAAF
The 3 other crewmen on board the aircraft survived the incident and were discharged at the end of the war: Flight Sergeant Ian MacFarlane 414418 / Flight Sergeant Joseph Barker Lenihan 416866 / Flying Officer Kevin Richard Toye 405802
Click images to start slideshow.