CARTER, Francis Richard
| Service Number: | NX192467 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 23 December 1943 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 65th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, 31 July 1924 |
| Home Town: | Pendle Hills, Holroyd, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Steel Construction Rigger |
| Died: | Flying Accident, At sea (between Ambon and Darwin), 19 December 1945, aged 21 years |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" |
| Memorials: | Ambon Memorial, Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour |
Biography contributed by Mari Walker
Francis Richard CARTER enlisted on 23 December 1943. He initially saw service in Australia until June 1945 when he was sent to Morotai, then to Borneo, with the 2/12th Btn. In October 1945 Pte Carter was transferred to the 65th Infantry Battalion and returned to Morotai where he was admitted to hospital on 2 December 1945. He was later to be returned to Australia. Pte Carter was one of 19 passengers in Dakota aircraft A.65-83 from #35 Squadron which took off on a non-operational flight from Ambon to Darwin on 19 December 1945 and failed to reach its destination.
The aircraft originally departed from Morotai at 11.40am on 18 December 1945 and then took off from Ambon at 12.44pm on 19 December 1945 en route to Darwin. The last contact made by air was with Air Radio Darwin at 3.44am on the same day, and when instructed by Darwin to go ahead, the aircraft did not reply. At 2330 hours, the Operations Officer of No. 112 Air Sea Rescue Flight (F/O BR McClintock) reported this aircraft as being overdue to the Commanding Officer, RAAF Station, Darwin. Extensive searches were carried out for 17 days without any trace and future searches also failed to find any trace of the plane or its occupants.
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