Shed Art
Beautiful Betsy
The B24 Liberator was on a night flight from Darwin to Brisbane on 26 February 1945 with six American crew members - Lieutenants McDaniel, Routt, Owen and Kilcheski, and Sergeants Lemons and Tucker. Also on board were two RAF Spitfire pilots, who are said to have joined the flight at the last moment. One of the men, Flying Officer Cannon, was to have been married to aircraftwoman Daphne Studders of Brisbane and the other, Flight Lieutenant Cook, was to have been his best man at a wedding planned for 3 March. Despite many search attempts, the Liberator was not found until 1994, when Queensland National Parks and Wildlife ranger Mark Roe happened upon the wreckage while conducting a controlled burn in Kroombit Tops National Park near Monto. Damage to the propellers suggested the plane had been spinning when the crash occurred, and personal effects that identified all personnel, including what appeared to be a wedding ring, were found at the site.
