My friend told me about 10 years ago, him and his mates went up there and saw a young girl near the gate. Despite her pregnancy having been confirmed in November 1970 by her physician, there was no evidence of a fetus when her body was found. At the far end a grey metal plaque has been erected on an aerodynamic lectern, its surface weathered by hard Canberra winters. Richard Edwin Elford. The Air Disaster Memorial on Mount Ainslie is another place reputed to be haunted. On 13th August 1940, three Commonwealth ministers, the Chief of General Staff, two of their staff and four crew members flew in a RAAF Lockheed Houston aeroplane from Melbourne to Canberra to attend a Cabinet meeting. She is said to be wearing slightly outdated clothing, with long brown hair that is pulled up. The coroners report was exactly the same for all men, only the names were changed. Ohh and is this near the paintball field? I'd like to see the economic modelling thats been done. Soon stories Ive heard begin to race through my head like the teenager who left the forest screaming claiming she was being followed by images of an airman on fire and the young man who just a month ago confided in me that he had seen a ghost-like figure dart across the road in front of him. For full functionality of this site it is necessary to enable JavaScript. Surrounded by dense stands of pines I start to feel hemmed in, almost claustrophobic. ", Brigadier the Hon Geoffrey Austin Street, MC, ED, MP, Minister of State for the Army -Minister of State for Repatriation, The Hon James Valentine Fairbairn, MP I believe that ghosts are usually some type of energy imprint thats left behind. Phew! Crash claims 10 lives The type of plane involved in the crash, a Lockheed Hudson bomber (Supplied: Gavin Conroy) "I could see the smoke coming over the hill. Duntroon House He simply got up and ran out of the plane, on fire, and now a ghost. News and analysis of APS, ACT public sector and diplomatic corp policy, politics and people. Once a morgue, the National Film and Sound Archives is heaving with paranormal activity. In the past we have borne all the costs associated with maintaining the website but we are now having difficulties in paying the monthly expenses. [26] There is anecdotal evidence that at least one eyewitness believed there were still people alive after the crash. Two friendly ghosts remain, and staff at the Mint believe they were once staff members themselves. As if the strange lights werent creepy enough, there are reports of a ghostly figure dashing across the road, sometimes shrouded in flames. Despite witness descriptions of the vehicle, the driver of the car was never identified. Staff Officer to Gen. White, Mr. Richard Edwin Elford Canberra's best regional produce is just a click away. Build in 1833, its Canberras oldest building and home to the citys most famous ghost Sophia Susanna Campbell. Its not clear if the reports of the spectral burning airman happened before the memorial was erected. When the fire department and police arrived on scene they thought that maybe there could be survivors so they sent for the local doctor, Dr. Lewis Nott. The request, in January 1952, was referred to Prime Minister Robert Menzies, who was Chair of the National Memorials Committee and very supportive of the project. The plane was not instantly disintegrated upon impact. The Canberra Air Disaster On the morning of August 13, 1940, a Lockheed Hudson, registration number A16-97 was on the way to Canberra from Melbourne. Having said this, was a nurse involved in the rescue attempt and the whole thing was so traumatic that somehow she left some emotional remnant of herself in the mountain? It would have been very easy to solve the mystery of whether or not Minister Fairbairn had been flying. Visitors to the heritage-listed cottage on the edge of Lake Burley Griffin swear they often smell burnt flesh on the breeze. [12], The Perth Daily News reported: "The plane was seen by watchers at the Canberra Aerodrome and the Air Force station to circle the drome, and then rise and head south. Of course, this makes absolutely no sense whatsoever as no nurse died in the rescue attempt and as far as I can ascertain, no WWII nurse has ever died on Mount Ainslie. Some of our group also swear they saw a person on the track leading up to the memorial. All rights reserved. Mackellar had attested that it would be "fairly safe to assume that all ten men were killed when the plane hit the ground". Do the spirits of these men haunt the pine forests and lonely dirt roads that lead to the memorial itself? [22] The six civilian passengers were identified with the assistance of Street's private secretary Percy Hayter. A residual piece of energy that manifests itself as a ghostly nurse? Love your home every day with quality products from Monaro Screens. Elford, who had a good knowledge of aeronautics, was Fairbairn's private secretary. Pine forests are renowned for being biodiversity deserts and at night that is particularly the case. The memorial commemorates a plane crash that occurred in 1940 and killed 10 people, including 4 senior government figures. I was afraid, but it was a fear unrelated to the crash - I imagined that something awful and malevolent lurked here - but it was not the spirits of the victims. He was appointed Minister for Air at the onset of World War II, and regained the Civil Aviation portfolio in 1940. Live it up, Lakeside.New spaces. It's located in the country, in East Bethany, NY (near Rochester and Buffalo) and there are said to have been 17,000 people buried with unmarked graves. [23] The four military passengers were identified with the assistance of Group Captain Douglas Wilson, who did not know them personally. For many years now, the crash site has sparked tales of distressing apparitions. Tripologist: Can we explore the Bordeaux region by train? The Air Disaster Memorial has a dark history with vehicles, Ten key moments from 95 years of the Canberra Airport. My melancholic contemplation is broken by the noise of an aeroplane. As we have seen, ten people died in a horrific fiery crash on the very site. During the 1970s some residents complained regularly that freshly made beds would be found rumpled and the room strewn with pillows. His opinion was that all men died instantly before the plane caught fire. Updated 2/10/2020 - Both planes crashed in North Parka San Diego neighborhood. Behind, is the older memorial, erected on the site of the crash in 1960; a single monolith of stone with a metal plaque. [31], The conclusion of the Murphy and Lachal reports was immediately disputed by the RAAF's Director of Training George Jones, who stated "I cannot believe that a pilot of Hitchcock's experience would stall the aircraft under the circumstances which apparently existed". View, Mookie Moo we will have flying trains by then View, Lets hope for a progressive Gov in NSW in March that would see the political angle removed with View, Justin Watson yes perhaps. Kurrajong Hotel The Cabinet was permanently weakened by their loss, and that was a factor undermining Menzies's position in the following months. It was felt that, in 1940, Australia still had not committed fully to Canberra as its National Capital. And because the site has this odd feeling one can only speculate that it must be amplified at night, possibly the reason why so many strange stories are told about the place. When I first began researching these legends, I figured that the location probably wasnt haunted, but the more information I uncovered, the more I started to question if maybe it was haunted after all. The Air Disaster Memorial is dedicated to the memory of those who died when an RAAF Lockheed Hudson aircraft crashed on this site on 13th August 1940. In fact, it is doubtful that she even existed and the whole story is an urban legend. There are seven seas, seven wonders of the world, seven colours in the rainbow, seven dwarves and the worlds favourite number apparently, seven. I find it odd that every man wouldve died from a skull fracture. Nurses honour one of their best with unique statue to be installed at War Memorial, Odd jobs: horror movies are real life for Canberra's paranormal investigators, Candid shot of college years going 'up in smoke' finalist in photography competition, Things to do in Canberra this week (22 - 28 April). Yep, you have to walk there as the gate is locked. A break in the trees on your left reveals a low cement plinth in the shape of an aeroplane wing stretching toward you. Three Commonwealth Ministers and the Chief of the General Staff were travelling from Melbourne to attend a Cabinet meeting. The Mint The area surrounding the memorial is quiet and even in the day one gets the feeling of being watched. When Menzies attended a memorial gathering at the site on 12 August 1960, 20 years after the crash, he was seen to be still very emotional in recalling the day. After the war, a memorial cairn was erected at the site. Be one of the first to see the highly anticipated horror fi Enlighten Festival illuminates with after-dark events, Canberra Craft Beer & Cider Festival will see distilleries added to this years lineup, Mona Farm is hosting a garden-inspired Sunday lunch on the estate, New house-made burger joint opens in Dickson. Although a dedicated sceptic and staunch unbeliever in anything supernatural, I HAVE been to a few places where Id be reluctant to spend the night. Live music. If Monument Australia is useful to you, please make a donation to keep this historical and educational resource available. A pastoralist and accomplished aviator who served with the Royal Flying Corps during World War I, Fairbairn was elected to Federal Parliament in 1933 and became Minister for Civil Aviation and Vice-President of the Executive Council in 1939. Minister of State for Air - Minister of State for Civil Aviation, The Hon Sir Henry Somer Gullett, KCMG, He recalled a discussion he had with Sir Harry White, Australia's first National Librarian, whose friend, Norman Tritton, was Prime Minister Menzies' Private Secretary. If you want more detail, youll just have to sign on to one of Tims ghost tours. In August 1940, just after the start of World War Two, three Cabinet Ministers and the Chief of the General Staff, plus another six people were killed when a Royal Australian Air Force Lockheed Hudson bomber stalled and crashed into the mountain. But why leave her body at a location that people visit? The Canberra Air Disaster on the 13th August 1940 killed 10 people, including three Federal Cabinet Ministers and distinguished World War I veterans. The stories behind the people and places that make Canberra what it is. Thats questionable, but planesyes. Australias 16th Prime Minister governed the country from Room 214 during the 1940s and unexpectedly died from a heart attack in this top floor room. Then I realise it must be a delayed flight coming in to land (thankfully) safely at Canberra Airport. [1] The aircraft is believed to have stalled on its landing approach, when it was too low to recover. Live it up, Lakeside.New spaces. 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