This is an extract from the book "Under The Southern Cross : The B-24 Liberator in the South Pacific" by Bob Livingstone (permission kindly granted by the author) and features a story about the destruction of one of the hangars in 1945. There are pictures of this in the Gallery section
A72-4 was operational in time for No.1 Liberator Course which commenced in April 1944. The log book of Keith Crisp (gunner) shows eleven flights in A72-7 and A72-8 between 17 April and 26 April - familiarization flying in the Tocumwal area - before a one hour flight in A72-4 on 28 April. In late August or early September, A72-4 was taxying for a test flight when a strong smell of petrol was noted by Ron Sawyer, an electrician who often flew when a flight engineer was not available. He was also an instructor on the electrical equipment on the aircraft (voltage regulator operation etc). He went aft and discovered a bad leak in a wing tank.
The aircraft was listed U/S immediately, and was placed in Hangar 2 for repairs. A72-1 was in the hangar at the back, also unserviceable. On 7 September five of the B-24Ds were discovered to have been sabotaged with the wiring cut behind the instrument panels, probably with a large pair of tin snips. A twelve day investigation was unable to pinpoint the culprit. A72-4 and A72-1 were two of the aircraft damaged. The wire cutting was repeated post-war at Amberley on the Avro Lincolns of 82 Wing RAAF. This time the culprit, a Leading Aircraftsman fitter 2A, was caught and court martialled.
Repairs to A72-4 were carried out, and on the evening of 2 October 1944 the aircraft was undergoing final engineering tests prior to flight tests next day. George Hall was Duty Sergeant that night, and was outside the hangar watching the undercarriage retraction tests at around 20.00 or 21.00. Hall had arrived at Tocumwal just prior to the sabotage, but, because of a shortage of aircraft, his course was unable to fly as scheduled. Course members were assigned ground duties, which accounted for George being Duty Sergeant that night. He saw a flash, then a fire in the bomb bay. Flight Sergeant Jock Main was in charge of the electrical repairs, and had switched on the auxiliary hydraulic pumps which were located near the front of the bomb bay on the starboard side. A short at the switch ignited the fuel/air mixture in the bomb bay which had accumulated from the leaking tank. Although he was burned in the fire, Jock’s biggest complaint was that he had to sign his name 27 times on the paperwork explaining the accident!
Tocumwal hangars were built of wood, and attached to hangar No.2 was a paint store which exploded and added to the conflagration. An Oxford and a Vengeance, the latter usually flown by Wing Commander Brian (Black Jack) Walker, CO of 5 OTU, also at Tocumwal, were parked at the front of the hangar and were pushed clear. A72-10 was slightly damaged while being pushed a little too enthusiastically by the volunteers who rushed from all over the base to help.
Tom Fitzgerald was one:
We had just started the flying part of the course and four of our crews were driven by bus to the Chief Flying Instructor to pick up our Libs and orders when the news erupted. All the wiring of some Libs had been deliberately cut. We were the first crew scheduled to fly that morning; nobody knew if any other sabotage had been carried out, so we were told, "Up you go." If we had no trouble then the other three crews would follow us up. "Shits were trumps" that morning.
Members of No.4 Liberator Course had completed training and were having their "send off" in the Sergeant's Mess when, about 21.30, they noticed a glow across the "prairie" and knew it was a fire in a hangar. 24 inebriated 19-year old gunners piled into the backs of trucks, carrying plates of savouries, sandwiches and jugs of beer. A fire was not going to spoil their send off. They were the first to arrive, pulling clear a Vengeance and two other light aircraft.
The rest of us dived into the hangar salvaging hand tools from the stores sections. I was second last out of the fire and smoke after about 30 minutes - the SPs and Fire Brigade had arrived and took over outside. They had our fellows in a bunch and grabbed me and said, "That's it, it's too dangerous to go in again." I said, "Like hell, my mate's still in there." They let me go and in I went looking for Sgt Jack Daly. I found him in between the two burning Libs busting his guts pulling a mobile battery charger. So Jack and I and the battery charger were the last out.
They pulled the galvanised iron wall off the side of the hangar and rescued hand tools until the SPs ordered them out, whereupon they returned to the Mess, demanded the bar be re-opened, and finished the party. On parade the next morning the CO berated them for lack of discipline during the course and then, surprisingly, complimented them on their efforts the night before.
Inside my shirt that night were all the tools I needed for my turret, and years later, the ratchet broke on my screwdriver. I still have that screwdriver today, minus the ratchet.
All that was left the next day was smouldering wreckage and barely enough of A72-1 and A72-4 to recognise. The remains went to 7CRD on 10 October for conversion to components. Subsequent rumour had the ignition the result of further sabotage – a detonator placed across the contacts of the undercarriage solenoid which exploded when the undercarriage switch was activated.
Security was tightened after the sabotage, and more guards were on duty. Civilians had become used to using portions of Tocumwal base as a short cut, and George Hall challenged a bicycle rider who ignored the call. George raised his .303 rifle and fired a warning shot over the cyclist’s head; the cyclist stopped so fast he went over the handlebars “and made a mess of himself on the bitumen”.
A72-4 was operational in time for No.1 Liberator Course which commenced in April 1944. The log book of Keith Crisp (gunner) shows eleven flights in A72-7 and A72-8 between 17 April and 26 April - familiarization flying in the Tocumwal area - before a one hour flight in A72-4 on 28 April. In late August or early September, A72-4 was taxying for a test flight when a strong smell of petrol was noted by Ron Sawyer, an electrician who often flew when a flight engineer was not available. He was also an instructor on the electrical equipment on the aircraft (voltage regulator operation etc). He went aft and discovered a bad leak in a wing tank.
The aircraft was listed U/S immediately, and was placed in Hangar 2 for repairs. A72-1 was in the hangar at the back, also unserviceable. On 7 September five of the B-24Ds were discovered to have been sabotaged with the wiring cut behind the instrument panels, probably with a large pair of tin snips. A twelve day investigation was unable to pinpoint the culprit. A72-4 and A72-1 were two of the aircraft damaged. The wire cutting was repeated post-war at Amberley on the Avro Lincolns of 82 Wing RAAF. This time the culprit, a Leading Aircraftsman fitter 2A, was caught and court martialled.
Repairs to A72-4 were carried out, and on the evening of 2 October 1944 the aircraft was undergoing final engineering tests prior to flight tests next day. George Hall was Duty Sergeant that night, and was outside the hangar watching the undercarriage retraction tests at around 20.00 or 21.00. Hall had arrived at Tocumwal just prior to the sabotage, but, because of a shortage of aircraft, his course was unable to fly as scheduled. Course members were assigned ground duties, which accounted for George being Duty Sergeant that night. He saw a flash, then a fire in the bomb bay. Flight Sergeant Jock Main was in charge of the electrical repairs, and had switched on the auxiliary hydraulic pumps which were located near the front of the bomb bay on the starboard side. A short at the switch ignited the fuel/air mixture in the bomb bay which had accumulated from the leaking tank. Although he was burned in the fire, Jock’s biggest complaint was that he had to sign his name 27 times on the paperwork explaining the accident!
Tocumwal hangars were built of wood, and attached to hangar No.2 was a paint store which exploded and added to the conflagration. An Oxford and a Vengeance, the latter usually flown by Wing Commander Brian (Black Jack) Walker, CO of 5 OTU, also at Tocumwal, were parked at the front of the hangar and were pushed clear. A72-10 was slightly damaged while being pushed a little too enthusiastically by the volunteers who rushed from all over the base to help.
Tom Fitzgerald was one:
We had just started the flying part of the course and four of our crews were driven by bus to the Chief Flying Instructor to pick up our Libs and orders when the news erupted. All the wiring of some Libs had been deliberately cut. We were the first crew scheduled to fly that morning; nobody knew if any other sabotage had been carried out, so we were told, "Up you go." If we had no trouble then the other three crews would follow us up. "Shits were trumps" that morning.
Members of No.4 Liberator Course had completed training and were having their "send off" in the Sergeant's Mess when, about 21.30, they noticed a glow across the "prairie" and knew it was a fire in a hangar. 24 inebriated 19-year old gunners piled into the backs of trucks, carrying plates of savouries, sandwiches and jugs of beer. A fire was not going to spoil their send off. They were the first to arrive, pulling clear a Vengeance and two other light aircraft.
The rest of us dived into the hangar salvaging hand tools from the stores sections. I was second last out of the fire and smoke after about 30 minutes - the SPs and Fire Brigade had arrived and took over outside. They had our fellows in a bunch and grabbed me and said, "That's it, it's too dangerous to go in again." I said, "Like hell, my mate's still in there." They let me go and in I went looking for Sgt Jack Daly. I found him in between the two burning Libs busting his guts pulling a mobile battery charger. So Jack and I and the battery charger were the last out.
They pulled the galvanised iron wall off the side of the hangar and rescued hand tools until the SPs ordered them out, whereupon they returned to the Mess, demanded the bar be re-opened, and finished the party. On parade the next morning the CO berated them for lack of discipline during the course and then, surprisingly, complimented them on their efforts the night before.
Inside my shirt that night were all the tools I needed for my turret, and years later, the ratchet broke on my screwdriver. I still have that screwdriver today, minus the ratchet.
All that was left the next day was smouldering wreckage and barely enough of A72-1 and A72-4 to recognise. The remains went to 7CRD on 10 October for conversion to components. Subsequent rumour had the ignition the result of further sabotage – a detonator placed across the contacts of the undercarriage solenoid which exploded when the undercarriage switch was activated.
Security was tightened after the sabotage, and more guards were on duty. Civilians had become used to using portions of Tocumwal base as a short cut, and George Hall challenged a bicycle rider who ignored the call. George raised his .303 rifle and fired a warning shot over the cyclist’s head; the cyclist stopped so fast he went over the handlebars “and made a mess of himself on the bitumen”.
The remains of the B-24 Liberators destroyed in the hangar fire. Picture supplied from the Bob Livingstone Collection
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