MCFADZEAN, Francis Edward
| Service Number: | VX113110 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 17 October 1942, Puckapunyal, Victoria |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 2nd/33rd Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Deniliquin, New South Wales, Australia, 23 May 1923 |
| Home Town: | Sale, Gippsland, Victoria |
| Schooling: | Unknown |
| Occupation: | Labourer (Farming) / Truck Driver, employed by J & V Lucas Farmers. |
| Died: | Injuries, New Guinea, 7 September 1943, aged 20 years |
| Cemetery: |
Port Moresby (Bomana) War Cemetery, Papua New Guinea CWGC Grave No: Section C. Plot 1. Row F. Grave 8. Inscription: "THE SOUL OF HONOUR". |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour |
World War 2 Service
| 3 Sep 1939: | Involvement Private, VX113110, 2nd/33rd Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 17 Oct 1942: | Enlisted Australian Army (Post WW2), Private, VX113110, 2nd/33rd Infantry Battalion, Puckapunyal, Victoria | |
| 17 Oct 1942: | Enlisted Australian Military Forces (WW2) , Private, VX113110, 2nd/33rd Infantry Battalion |
Tragedy strikes 2nd/33rd Battalion in Townsville while awaiting troop lift flight to Nadzab
The 2nd/33rd returned to Port Moresby in late July in preparation for the operations capture Lae, in New Guinea. On 7 September, while it waited near Jackson's Airfield at '7Mile' near Moresby to be flown to Nadzab, via Tsili Tsili, a fully fuelled and 'bombed up' US B-24 Liberator bomber crashed on take off among the trucks carrying the battalion. Sixty men, mainly from D Company, were killed and 92 injured. This represented a third of the battalion's fatal casualties for the entire war.
The remnants of the battalion were flown to Nadzab on 8 September and subsequently participated in the advance on Lae, which fell on 16 September.
Submitted 7 September 2017 by Steve Larkins
Biography contributed by Elizabeth Allen
Francis Edward McFADZEAN was born in Deniliquin, New South Wales on 23rd May, 1923
His parents were David & Annie Elizabeth McFADZEAN
He enlisted in Puckapunyal, Victoria on 17th October, 1942
Francis died of injuries sustained in an aircraft crash near Jacksons Airfield in Port Moresby on 7th September, 1943 - he is buried in the Bomana War Cemetery
His brother Walter James McFADZEAN (SN VX21003) also lost his life during WW2 on 23rd January, 1942
Another brother Stanley David McFADZEAN (SN VX 100943) also served and was discharged in 1946
Biography contributed by Stephen Bonald
On Tuesday, September 7th, 1943, at Jackson Field in Port Moresby, New Guinea, a B-24D Liberator bomber (The Pride of the Cornhuskers) from the 403rd Bomber Squadron, 43rd Bombing Group USAAF, crashed during take-off, likely due to pilot disorientation in the dark. The aircraft hit trees and slammed into a convoy of trucks carrying over 130 soldiers from D Company, 2/33 Infantry Battalion of the Australian Army, who were waiting to board C-47 transport planes to move to the front lines. The bomber’s 500-pound bombs and 2,800 gallons of fuel exploded, killing 15 Australian soldiers instantly and severely injuring 47 more, who later died. Another 90 soldiers were wounded but survived, all 11 crew members aboard the bomber (The Pride of the Cornhuskers) were killed. Private Francis Edward McFadzean – VX113110, was one of the 15 Australian Military personnel who were killed instantly.
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