Air Disaster Canberra: The Plane Crash That Destroyed a Government
By Andrew Tink
5/5
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About this ebook
In August 1940 Australia had been at war for almost a year when a Hudson bomber the A16-97 carrying ten people, including three cabinet ministers, crashed into a ridge near Canberra. In the ghastly inferno that followed the crash, the nation lost its key war leaders. Over the next twelve months, it became clear that the passing of Geoffrey Street, Sir Henry Gullett and James Fairbairn had destabilized Robert Menzies' wartime government. As a direct but delayed consequence, John Curtin became prime minister in October 1941. Controversially, this book also tells the story of whether Air Minister Fairbairn, rather than the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) pilot Bob Hitchcock, had been at the controls.
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Reviews for Air Disaster Canberra
2 ratings1 review
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5In August 1940 a Lockheed Hudson carrying 3 members of the Australian government and the Chief of the General Staff crashed near Canberra airport killing all aboard. The tragedy was a catastrophe for the already tottering Menzies government, beset by the pressure of the war effort and internal frictions. Tink argues that the loss of his closest allies in the crash brought the eventual downfall of the Menzies government and the rise of John Curtin, who became a national hero by prosecuting the war to its conclusion. I would argue that Tink draws a long bow in stating that the tragedy led directly to Menzies' downfall, as there is plenty to suggest the government was already terminal and would probably have fallen anyway. Equally tenuous is Tink's assertion that the cause of the plane crash, which has never been determined despite a number of inquiries, was due to the fact that Air Minister Fairbairn was at the controls rather than the RAAF pilot. There is simply no firm evidence to suggest who was flying the plane, largely due to bungling during the initial investigations which somehow failed to record which body was in which location in the wreck. Nevertheless this is an enthralling read, about a very significant but almost forgotten incident in Australia's aviation history. Highly recommended for both aviation buffs and stsudents of political history.