Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Beaufighter A8-245 of Number 92 Squadron RAAF crashed near Narrandera killing all on board, the pilot and six ground crew passengers: Warrant Officer Jorgensen (Pilot) 429501 / Sergeant Bailey 37964 / Flight Sergeant Currie 15235 / Warrant Officer Griffin 4594 / LAC Norton 149756 / Corporal Shung 68720 / Sergeant Whittington 5668

Son of Leslie Harold and Wilhelmina Pearl Jorgensen, of Wickham Terrace, Queensland.

Leslie enjoyed athletics, cricket, swimming and tennis.

MILITARY PLANE STRIKES
ELECTRICITY MAINS
Seven Members of
Air Force Killed
The most disastrous accident that has ever occurred within the town boundaries of Narandera happened yesterday morning, when a military, aeroplane struck the high tension electricity main on the  west side of the town and afterwards broke up and the main portion crashed info the canal.
The plane was flown from Queensland the previous day, and brought Sutton George Rendell, a member of the R.A.A.F., stationed in Queensland, to Narandera, where his mother, who was killed in a  motor car accident on Friday, was buried on Sunday.
About 12 o'clock it flew over the town with a roar, and then went south westward, and apparently was circling to come over the town again, heading north-easterly, when it collided with the high  tension main which carries the electric current from the Yanco power house to Narandera at a point on the south side of the canal in the vicinity of the railway viaduct over the canal. It then commenced to break up and pieces of fuselage were strewn along the banks and the bottom of the canal for a considerable distance to Mr. Jack Walkerden's house, on the north bank. The cockpit and  the main portion of the plane fell into the canal about 50 yards west of Mr. Walkerden's, but one of the engines as thrown into Mr. Walkerden's back yard. A petrol tank was hurled forward with such  force that it crashed through the wall of Mr. Walkerden's cottage. It was fortunate that there was no one in the room where the tank lodged, and therefore no one was injured in the house. Mrs.  Walkerden and two of her children were in the front room and were shaken by the crash.
The crash of the plane attracted many residents; those who were more acquainted with aeroplanes realised that an accident had occurred when the engine was noticed to have stopped.
Hundreds of people soon gathered along each side of the bank of the canal, while the police, air force personnel, and others made a search for the bodies of the occupants of the plane. It was not long  before three were recovered from the wreckage, and some time later four more were found when it was lifted from the bottom of the canal.
The bodies of the unfortunate airmen were conveyed to the morgue at the Narandera Hospital. It was soon learned that a local airman, Corporal Hilton ('Hilly') Shung, was a member of the crew of the ill-fated plane, and it was also rumoured that Sutton G. Rendell was also one of the crew. This, however, was not the case.
Hilton Shung was a native of Narandera, and was stationed at the Narandera Air School for nearly two years. He was a son of Mrs. Shung and the late Mr. Shung, of Narandera, and was a brother of  Messrs. Keith and Merv. Shung, of Narandera, and Miss Heather Shung, of Sydney. All members of the crew were killed, their names being:
F./O. Jorgensen (Brisbane).
F./Sergt. Currie.
L.A.C. Norton.
Corporal H. Shung.
Sergt. Bailey.
Sergt. Whittington.
W.O. T. Griffin.
All except F./O. Jorgensen were stationed at the Narandera Air School. F. O. Jorgensen was the pilot of the plane.
Sergeant Whittington was stationed at Narandera for about three years, and was a prominent member of the Methodist Church.
As a result of the accident the electric current was cut off from the town for about three hours.