Air Power Archaeology

Northern Territory 2021, Days 7 and 8

22 May 202122 May 2021 Daniel J. Leahy

As National Archaeology Week comes to a close, so does our fieldwork!

Yesterday, we were on the road early once again and returned to the Quarantine Anti-Aircraft Battery site. After some discussion the previous evening we felt we had to return to ensure we had the details of the site properly recorded and that we were both on the same page about the site. It turns out that returning to the site helped provide further information and resolved some of the questions we had.

We then went further south, looking for the site of No. 1 Medical Receiving Station, RAAF. While I knew the site was located between Coomalie and Batchelor, visiting the exact site and obtaining a GPS co-ordinate for it has been a goal of mine for a number of years. This can now be entered into my site database as an exact reference, rather than an approximation. Unfortunately much of the site was still overgrown, so details of individual structures could not be recorded. Numerous concrete foundations were however seen across the site.

*The site of No. 1 Medical Receiving Station, RAAF, near Coomalie.*

We then traveled to nearby Batchelor – the site of a pre-war airfield that was utilised by American bombers while en route to the Philippines prior to Japan entering the war. From 1942 onwards the site was used by numerous Australian, American, and NEI air force units, so is an important part of the war in the Northern Territory.

We then traveled to Adelaide River for lunch before returning to Darwin and reluctantly returning our vehicle. As it was a bus, it reminded me of the Two Men in a Trench series, but as we “only [had] three days” with it, I was also reminded of the Time Team catchphrase. During that small period of time we obtained a large amount of data, not only for my PhD, but for additional research papers and, potentially, for future research projects.

Today was used as a day to collate data and ensure that what we recorded was correct – aligning with other imagery and research. While part of me would have enjoyed visiting further sites or museums, I preferred ensuring that the data I have obtained was usable before heading home.

Tomorrow evening we both return to the eastern states. It has been a fantastic time visiting the Northern Territory as part of this project. Thanks to all who have donated to the GoFundMe and to all those who took part in Thursday’s Q&A Zoom session. Special thanks to those in the NT, including Bob Alford, Silvano Jung, and Fiona Shanahan, who have assisted us with research / travel requests. Thanks also to those back home, including Martin and Melissa Gibbs, Mark Moore, and James Roberts.

You can help this project by donating to the GoFundMe campaign that will continue to assist our travels and research while in the Northern Territory and will help fund further travels to sites in Queensland at a later date. Thanks to all who have donated so far!

Northern Territory 2021, Day 6: Quarantine

20 May 2021 Daniel J. Leahy

It was possible to create a rough 3D model of the guard post we documented at Strauss yesterday. The model has been uploaded to Sketchfab. This was essentially the result of a test to ensure we acquired enough data to create such a model before returning to the site today (where we would have acquired more data if necessary). I hope that it might be possible to create a model with a greater resolution using dedicated hardware at UNE once I return.

As decided yesterday evening, this morning we were on the road by 7.30 AM and heading back to Strauss. We investigated a number of former taxiways around the site, ensuring we recorded where each sentry post was located, as well as which areas were simply aircraft bays, compared to those which showed signs of having a revetment as protection. This will soon be mapped and compared to what was recorded on one of the wartime drawings of the site. This will be important as a wartime drawing provided by the RAAF Museum does not match the maps marked on interpretive signage at the site – was one a plan that never went ahead; or was the site modified as the war progressed? We also managed to see an anti-aircraft machine gun pit as well as a butt stop where aircraft guns were converged and tested. Unfortunately the northern taxiway appears to have been overgrown somewhat, so there is potential for more work in the future.

*Memorials and signage at Strauss; and Anti-Aircraft Machine Gun position.*

Immediately south of Strauss is the Noonamah Railway Siding. There we found the remains of the railway platform, as well as a number of building foundations. This appears to have been a small military camp / logistics area where ammunition and supplies could be unloaded and then distributed to the various local sites.

We then returned to the Noonamah Tavern for an early lunch. A sign in the area indicated that the Tavern was built during the 1950s on the foundations of wartime military depot buildings – another site for the list.

On returning to Darwin we visited the Quarantine Anti-Aircraft Battery located near East Point. The site includes four large concrete gun positions and a concrete bunker. It is reportedly the best preserved anti-aircraft gun position in the Darwin area. Although we only spent a small amount of time at this site, I believe it has opened up quite a number of questions that will take some research to answer. Unfortunately the nearby RAAF Flying Boat Base at East Arm is no longer accessible to the public.

As I will be conducting an online Q&A session with the UNE Archaeology Society this evening, it was decided to return to the resort earlier than we normally would. This will also give us time for some R&R before what is planned to be a big day tomorrow…

As part of National Archaeology Week, the UNE Archaeology Society will be hosting a Q&A session with Daniel J. Leahy about this project online via Zoom on Thursday, 20 May, at 7.00 PM AEST / 6.30 PM ACST / 5.00 PM AWST. Registrations are essential and can be made online HERE.

Northern Territory 2021, Day 5: Fighter Strips

19 May 202119 May 2021 Daniel J. Leahy

Sitting by the pool back at the resort after today’s work, three F-35s flew over before peeling off to land at RAAF Base Darwin. Knowing that No. 77 Squadron, now based at RAAF Base Williamtown, will be operating the same aircraft type for a number of years in the future made the flyover feel quite apt, as today we visited the former Livingstone airfield, where that unit was based in late 1942.

We have wheels! This morning Nicole picked up the vehicle she had booked earlier in the week – a 12-seat bus. It seems that with the combination of the Northern Territory dry season starting; the pandemic preventing people travelling overseas; and the lack of COVID-19 cases in the NT, thousands of people from around Australia are now visiting the Territory, and in the process are hiring all available vehicles. The bus has however provided us with more space to put gear that we need at the various sites, though we have been hailed by a number people standing at bus shelters. Perhaps most importantly – especially on a day like today where the mercury hit 34°C – we have air conditioning.

Our plan for today was to head south to the former Livingstone airfield, then move north to Strauss, and possibly visit Sattler airfield if there was enough time left in the day. Today the Livingstone airfield, located on the western side of the Stuart Highway, is grown over by grass in many sections, with associated sites on the eastern side of the highway also heavily grown over. We searched for a gun pit that I had previously visited in 2012, but were unable to locate it – we have to assume that it has either been dismantled / destroyed in the past nine years or is, at this time of year, covered by the tall grass. We did however find the remains of another gun pit on the eastern side of the highway, though this was largely fragmentary. The taxiways that had previously been located to the west of the airstrip have since been cut by the railway line. We were however able to find the entrances to where these taxiways joined the strip, before they lead into the gully where the railway now runs. Personally I feel the site has deteriorated greatly since my prior visit. The only signage we found that indicated the site was an airfield is the main road sign – no other memorial or interpretive paneling could be located.

*Livingstone Airfield: Overgrown and dismantled gun pit; and the northern taxiway cut by the post-war railway line.*

Strauss was a completely different story. The former airstrip is essentially a dirt road, again running parallel to the Stuart Highway, and is often used by road trains to turn around or stow trailers. Numerous memorials have been established near the middle of the runway, with approximately half-size representations of a P-40E, Spitfire Mk. V, and Spitfire Mk. VIII also erected. The taxiways to the west of the airstrip are also accessible to drive on, with interpretive signs pointing out features such as the alert hut, administration building foundations, sentry posts, etc. I spent a couple of hours documenting one of the sentry posts in detail, including taking many photographs with the hopes of creating a 3D model. Meanwhile Nicole went about recording bullet damage that had been caused to the sentry post. It’s quite possible that this bullet damage was caused post-war as it includes a shotgun blast, and all appear to have been fired from the north – which is the entrance to the clearing where the sentry post is located. We then broke for lunch at the nearby Noonamah Tavern – a cheap and basic feed, but it was possibly the best meal we have experienced thus far (apart from perhaps yesterday’s Indonesian). We then returned to the site to quickly record one P-40 / Spitfire bay that included the remains of a surrounding revetment; as well as another sentry post at the other entrance to that taxiway. We left the site at approximately 3 PM and both of us were quite tired from working in the sun and heat for much of the day (unlike wreck sites, airfields are mostly uncovered).

*Strauss: Guard post with interpretive signage; and a P-40 / Spitfire bay with the remains of a revetment.*

Both of these airfields were constructed in 1942 and initially used by squadrons of the American 49th Fighter Group operating P-40Es against Japanese aircraft attacking the Darwin area. Later that year, when the Americans moved to Port Moresby, they were replaced by Nos. 76 and 77 Squadrons, RAAF, again with P-40Es. From 1943, RAAF Spitfire units – Nos. 452 and 457 Squadrons – were located at these airfields, continuing to intercept the Japanese raiders. The last Japanese bombing raid on the Northern Territory occurred in November 1943.

As we traveled back to Darwin, we drove past the Sattler airfield without even considering stopping (that’ll be for another time). After a visit to a nearby supermarket and bottle shop we made our way back to our accommodation and then conducted the nightly poolside debrief – we both came to the conclusion that leaving town earlier tomorrow morning would be the best idea in an attempt to beat the heat!

Northern Territory 2021, Day 4: B-25 Wreck

18 May 202118 May 2021 Daniel J. Leahy

Typology: “A Super Hornet has two ‘bums’ while an F-35 only has one” (N. Smith pers. comm. 18 May 2021).

This morning, Nicole and I were collected from our hotel by local archaeologist, Dr Silvano Jung. This was to be our first day in the field and away from the suburbs of Darwin. We traveled south out of town to the wreck of a North American B-25D Mitchell bomber from No. 18 (Netherlands East Indies) Squadron that crashed during a night-time training flight on 21 October 1943.

The wreck is quite fragmentary, but remains the only B-25 wreck site in the Northern Territory that is in a terrestrial (rather than maritime) environment. The three of us discussed the identity and function of various artefacts and sections of wreckage, and all agreed that the site would make an excellent site for an archaeology student willing to look into the site formation processes of a Second World War bomber that was lost over northern Australia. Quite simply, the site is a fantastic candidate for in situ preservation (as discussed yesterday).

Due to the potential for the wreck to be targeted by salvagers and collectors, I nominated the site for protection in recent years. On 28 April 2021, the Northern Territory Government announced in the NT Government Gazette that the wreck had been provisionally declared as a Heritage Place and is therefore protected under the Heritage Act 2011. This was made known to the public through a notification published in the NT News newspaper of 15 May 2021 (p. 41). The site remains a memorial to the one serviceman who died when the aircraft crashed – Sergeant Keesmaat – who is now buried in Jakarta.

It is hoped that a detailed paper about the history of the aircraft in question, its final crew and mission, as well as an analysis of the wreck site, will be published in the near future.

*Wreckage of North American B-25D Mitchell N5-156.*

Upon returning to Darwin, we had lunch at the Sari Rasa Indonesian restaurant followed by coffee at the nearby Roma Bar. Silvano referred to both as being Darwin establishments and, based on both the quality of the products served as well as the number of patrons attending each, I would have to believe him! This was followed by a quick tour of some of the nearby Second World War sites, including a large bomb crater near the corner of McMinn and Bennett Streets as well as the Stokes Hill Wharf, which was destroyed during the first bombing raids. We hope to visit the wharf again before leaving Darwin.

The rest of the afternoon was spent conducting chores – washing! remember the humidity I mentioned? – and preparing for tomorrow when we will finally have our own “vehicle” to conduct further travels in the area.

Thanks to Silvano Jung for his assistance providing transport to the B-25 wreck and guidance to wartime sites around Darwin today.

Northern Territory 2021, Day 3: AHSNT and DAM

17 May 202118 May 2021 Daniel J. LeahyLeave a comment

While having my morning coffee, a large flatbed truck arrived at the resort at which we are staying. It had two in ground pools on its trailer and immediately reminded me of the Springfield Pool-Mobile, giving me the perfect idea for a new business in the Darwin area.

This morning we met with archaeologist and University of Canberra PhD candidate, Fiona Shanahan, at the archives and workshop of the Aviation Historical Society of the Northern Territory (AHSNT). The building in which this facility is housed was the wartime Navy Victualling Yard Building. The Yard was responsible for feeding all Army, Navy, and Air Force personnel in Darwin and could reportedly hold emergency rations for up to 8,000 people, including all defence personnel and civilians in the area at the time. The site was attacked by the Japanese on 19 February 1942, 25 March 1942, and 15 June 1942 – the building housing the AHSNT archives still bears the scars from these attacks. I first visited this site when I previously traveled to Darwin in October 2012 and was amazed at the number of aviation artefacts – particularly those from Second World War aircraft wrecks – that the AHSNT had in storage (see my earlier piece on Beaufighter A19-208).

*The Navy Victualling Yard Building, now the workshop of the AHSNT.*

*Fuselage section of RAAF Beaufighter A19-208 and NEIAF B-25 Mitchell N5-139 in storage.*

This was followed by a short visit to the 1934 Qantas Hangar located in the suburb of Parap and now housing the collection of the Motor Vehicle Enthusiasts Club. The hangar was originally established at the pre-war Darwin airfield, often referred to as the Darwin Civil Aerodrome in wartime documentation.

Later in the day we visited the Darwin Aviation Museum. Located at the south-eastern corner of the Darwin Airport the museum houses a number of complete / near-complete aircraft, including a B-25 Mitchell, B-52 Stratofortress, CAC Sabre, GAF Mirage, and F-111, as well as aircraft wreckage and smaller artefacts. I was pleased to see that a number of new displays and interpretive panels had been installed since my 2012 visits.

*Wreckage of A6M2 Zero 5349 and de Havilland Tiger Moth A17-4 displayed at the Darwin Aviation Museum.*

*CAC CA-27 Sabre A94-914 and F-111 A8-113 displayed at the Darwin Aviation Museum.*

In the evening an aviation archaeology seminar was held at the Museum. Presenters included historian and author, Bob Alford; aviation archaeologist and UNE alumnus, Dr Silvano Jung; and Michael Wells, Director of the Heritage Branch at the Department of Lands, Planning, and the Environment. Their presentations were mostly related to aircraft wreckage and covered Bob’s prior site visits, the wreck of Dutch B-25 Mitchell N5-156, and the wreck of RAAF Spitfire A58-2. Although these presentations concentrated on various aspects of different sites in the Northern Territory, the common theme was that each presenter was an advocate for in situ preservation and the protection of such sites. When question time came about at the end of the seminar it was clear that a handful of those in attendance were of the opinion that such sites and artefacts should be salvaged for display as museum pieces. While this position is perhaps understandable for allowing visitors to see such artefacts, it did not seem to occur to some of those in attendance that any major disruption or damage caused to such sites through the removal of pieces for display potentially eliminates any chance we have of investigating and learning more from these sites in the future.

As an advocate of in situ preservation of Second World War aircraft wreckage, it was pleasing to learn that the wreck of N5-156 – a site that I nominated for protection under the NT Heritage Act – has been Preliminary Declared as a Heritage Place (see NT News, 15 May 2021:41).

*Silvano Jung and Michael Wells presenting at the Aviation Archaeology Seminar held at the Darwin Aviation Museum.*

It only occurred to me today that the suburb in which we are staying – Eaton – located on the northern side of the Darwin Airport, is named after Group Captain Charles Eaton, OBE, AFC. A Royal Air Force (RAF) veteran of the First World War, Eaton enlisted with the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) in 1925 and in June 1940 became the first commanding officer of RAAF Station Darwin. Just one example of how the names of those who served with various air forces in the Northern Territory during the Second World War now populate the landscape.

Today’s travels were conducted under the constant watch of RAAF F/A-18s and F-35s operating from RAAF Base Darwin. Tomorrow will be our first day of work in the field, and, great news, we finally managed to secure a “vehicle” for at least a couple of days as of Wednesday morning…

Thanks to Fiona Shanahan and Silvano Jung for their assistance in providing transport between sites around Darwin today.

Northern Territory 2021, Day 2: Darwin City

16 May 202118 May 2021 Daniel J. Leahy

Sitting on my balcony this morning, drinking my coffee, watching the palms sway in the cool breeze, I was reminded of a line from Dylan Moran’s character, Bernard Black – “This is fantastic”.

UNE archaeology Masters student, Nicole Smith, arrived in Darwin last night for what is her first visit to the Northern Territory. Over a late dinner involving what was described as cold pizza and warm beer (apparently I can be a slow eater) we discussed our ‘plan of attack’ to visit what sites we can over the coming week. Being Sunday and what was referred to in my fieldwork plan as a “day to acclimatise”, it was decided that today we would look at a few of the Second World War era sites in Darwin itself. These include sites that were bombed or were otherwise involved in the first Japanese air raids on the morning of 19 February 1942.

The first site we visited was the Darwin Cenotaph in Bicentennial Park – originally a memorial to those who served and died during the First World War, it has since become a memorial to all from the Darwin area who have served in war. Prior to the Second World War, the site on which the Cenotaph stands was a sports oval. With the outbreak of war, the area was converted to an anti-aircraft position which saw service during the Japanese air raids. A small memorial stands at the approximate location of the No. 1 gun pit on site. The Cenotaph itself was moved to its current location in 1992.

*Darwin Cenotaph (right) at the site of the wartime Oval anti-aircraft gun site.*

Nearby, two buildings which were damaged during the initial Japanese air raids still stand today – these are the Westpac Bank (formerly Bank of New South Wales) and the Cashman’s Building.

*Westpac Bank (formerly the Bank of New South Wales), which was heavily damaged during the first Darwin air raids.*

*The Cashman’s Building, located alongside the Westpac Bank, which was also damaged during the initial air raids.*

Northern Territory 2021, Day 1: Arrival

15 May 202118 May 2021 Daniel J. Leahy

Yesterday morning I departed Armidale Railway Station and traveled to Sydney via the NSW TrainLink service – a journey of approximately 8 hours. This was my first time travelling by rail since the COVID-19 pandemic was declared back in March 2020 so despite taking precautions such as wearing a mask, there was still some trepidation on my part. After arriving and checking in to the nearby YHA, I was able to take part in the evening’s UNE Archaeology Society ‘Beers and Banter’ event, which was a great way of winding down before crashing for the night.

This morning I was able to sleep in somewhat before checking out and catching the train to the Sydney airport – a train to the airport is a novel idea that I wish Melbourne would finally include as part of its infrastructure. I was able to have a quick look around the Qantas domestic terminal before departing and, as this was my first time there since 2018, it was great to see that the Avro 504 replica was still displayed in the departures area.

*Qantas Avro 504K replica displayed in Qantas Domestic Terminal, Sydney Airport.*

Being an avid ‘planespotter’ I was pleased to see Qantas Boeing 737 VH-VXQ, Retro Roo II, sitting at Gate 4. I left Sydney at approximately 12.30 AEST and arrived at Darwin at about 16.45 ACST. Upon entering the Darwin terminal, the change in climate was immediately noticeable. Recently Armidale has experienced high temperatures during the day of between 17-22°C; while Darwin reportedly experienced a high of 32°C today and a low (last night) of 20°C … but it is the change in humidity that is the killer. That being said, it is great to finally be back in the tropics!

I was surprised to see a display on Bristol Beaufighters – as flown by No. 31 Squadron, RAAF, from Coomalie, south of Darwin – inside the Darwin Airport terminal. The display features a nose / cockpit section of a Beaufighter, reportedly with artefacts from the wrecks of A19-145 and A19-208. The display was made by the Darwin Aviation Museum, which I will be visiting on Monday evening to attend an aviation archaeology seminar.

*Beaufighter display at the Darwin Airport.*

Both the Sydney and Darwin Airports visited today played roles as Royal Australian Air Force sites during the Second World War. Details about each of these sites will be made available through this blog in the coming days.

Visit to Glen Innes Airport (Clairville Airfield)

16 February 202116 February 2021 Daniel J. Leahy

On Friday, 12 February 2021, I visited the Glen Innes Airport, which had previously been the wartime Royal Australian Air Force airfield of Clairville. The purpose of the visit was to attempt to locate a number of taxiways and aircraft dispersal points shown in a plan of the airfield (Drawing No. 42/43/1546A) in an effort to determine whether the site was fully completed prior to the end of the Second World War.

History

In early 1942, soon after Japan’s entry into the Second World War, it was decided to establish an airfield for a General Reconnaissance / Bomber Squadron at Clairville, located to the north west of Glen Innes in northern New South Wales. The estimated cost to develop the aerodrome and dispersal areas was £70,170 (NAA 1942). As of December 1942, it seems that work had yet to commence at the site, causing the Minister for Air, Arthur Drakeford, to question the project (NAA 1942).

At no point was an RAAF unit ever based at Clairville (Whiley & Jenkins 1995:10). Due to the change in Australia’s strategic position the site was relegated to an ELG – Emergency Landing Ground – and in 1944 it was decided that due to this fact it did not warrant further development, such as its runways being sealed (Anon. 1944a; RAAF 1945:E-7). In January 1944 it was reported that an RAAF aircraft had force landed at Clairville, the pilot complimenting the region on having “such a fine ‘drome” (Anon. 1944c). That July it was also reported that a Glen Innes branch of the Volunteer Air Observers Corps should be established to assist lost aircraft in finding the Clairville site (Anon. 1944b).

In October 1947 the Glen Innes Municipal Council agreed to recommending a licence for East-West Airlines to use the Clairville airfield in an effort to link the Glen Innes area with both Brisbane and Sydney (Smith 1989:13). For simplicity the site was renamed as the Glen Innes Airport (Anon. 1954).

Imagery

Looking south along Emmaville Road, which was marked as also being used as a taxiway on Drawing No. 42/43/1546A. The trees to the right are where a number of concealed aircraft dispersal areas were marked on Drawing No. 42/43/1546A. (D.J. Leahy 2021).

Taxiway crossing drain as identified on Drawing No. 42/43/1546A. Note width of crossing being much wider than required for road traffic. (D.J. Leahy 2021).

Acknowledgements

Thanks to Professor Martin Gibbs (University of New England) and Julie Harm for accompanying me to the site. Thanks also to Monica Walsh (RAAF Museum) and Tim Reid for their assistance in providing information about the site.

References

Anon. 1944a Clairville ‘drome – “sealing not justified” says Minister. Glen Innes Examiner, 13 April 1944, p. 1. Archived at <https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/185425165>.
Anon. 1944b Interest in the Clairville ‘drome. Glen Innes Examiner, 22 July 1944, p. 3. Archived at <https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/185413628>.
Anon. 1944c Tribute to Clairville aerodrome. Glen Innes Examiner, 18 January 1944, p. 2. Archived at <https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/185413974>.
Anon. 1954 Move to simplify names of airports. The Sydney Morning Herald, 22 July 1954, p. 2. Archived at <https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/18441270>.
National Archives of Australia [NAA] 1942 Air Board Agenda 4449 (RAAF) – Construction of aerodrome and dispersal works at Clairville in Glen Innes area, A14487, 28/AB/4449.
Royal Australian Air Force [RAAF] 1945 Aerodrome Guide: Australia and Adjacent Islands. Directorate of Tactics and Operational Requirements, AFHQ.
Smith, A.J. 1989 East-West Eagles: The Story of East-West Airlines. Carina: Robert Brown & Associates.
Whiley, D.R. and I. Jenkins 1995 RAAF Units and Squadrons 1939-1946 at Airfields. Report published as Section 2 in RAAF and USAAF Formations in Australia and SWPA during World War Two. Canberra: Australian War Memorial.

Using rock art enhancement software to investigate hidden markings on aircraft wreckage

1 September 201718 May 2021 Daniel J. Leahy

While travelling through the Northern Territory in 2012 I visited the storage facility of the Aviation Historical Society of the Northern Territory (AHSNT) to view the wreckage of a Bristol Beaufighter that had been salvaged from its crash site some time during the 1970s or 1980s (Kane-Maguire 2011:218-219). The wreckage was believed to be that of Beaufighter A19-208 of No. 31 Squadron, RAAF, which became lost over Australia while returning from a mission over Timor on 24 September 1944 (NAA 1947). The pilot, Squadron Leader Wilbur Lawrence Wackett, and his navigator, Flying Officer Keith Eric William Noble are still listed as missing to this day (CWGC n.f.d.).

The wreckage consisted of a large piece of the rear fuselage of a Beaufighter aircraft. From an initial look at the wreckage it appeared that there were no identifying marks to confirm that this was part of A19-208 – presumably years in the elements at the crash site (and possibly open storage) had eliminated any of the wartime markings. Upon closer inspection, the ‘ghost’ of a number “5” could be discerned (see Figure 1).

Figure 1. True colour photograph of markings on Beaufighter wreckage (D.J. Leahy, 2012)

DStretch is a plugin for the ImageJ software package which is used by archaeologists and rock art researchers to bring out details of pictographs that are invisible to the naked eye. The software uses a process called ‘deorellation stretch’ on existing digital photographs and does not require special lighting to be used at the site. The process was originally developed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and has also been used by NASA to enhance photographs taken by the Mars rovers (Harman 2008).

The original photo of the ‘ghost’ figure on the Beaufighter wreck (Figure 1) was loaded into the software which was then commanded to cycle through its default modifications in an effort to enhance the image of the markings. As the software cycled through its various settings it was clear that some made the markings harder to read, whereas other settings appeared to make the markings stand out (see Figure 2).

Figure 2. Animation of DStretch cycling through its settings (D.J. Leahy, 2017)

One of the clearer images produced through this process was selected (see Figure 3) as it clearly shows the figure “5” mentioned above, which is followed by a figure “6”. Another figure – possibly a “2” or an “8” – appears between these two numbers. Further to the left, appearing in a lighter shade than the numbers, very faint outlines of what could possibly be “NE” can be seen. While this does not account for the RAAF’s serial number of A19-208, the serial number assigned to the aircraft by the Royal Air Force (RAF) prior to delivery to the RAAF was NE586 (NAA 1946). This subsequently confirms that the wreckage was indeed from the Beaufighter flown by S/Ldr Wackett and F/O Noble in 1944.

Figure 3. DStretch altered image of markings on Beaufighter wreckage (D.J. Leahy, 2017)

These markings were applied to the aircraft soon after its manufacture during World War II and are not modern interpretations of period markings. While the identity of this particular aircraft was never in doubt, this exercise has shown that the continual reassessment of pieces in museum collections, through the use of modern technologies, may return results allowing for more complete documentation of artefacts. This is particularly important in cases where museums may be intending to sandblast / repaint artefacts in the interests of display, yet in the process would be destroying the original evidence in favour of an interpretation.

External Links

References

Commonwealth War Graves Commission [CWGC] n.f.d. Wackett, Wilbur Lawrence. Retrieved 29 August 2017 from <http://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2226719/WACKETT,%20WILBUR%20LAWRENCE>.
Harman, J. 2008 Using decorrelation stretch to enhance rock art images. DStretch. Retrieved 28 August 2017 from <http://www.destretch.com/AlgorithmDescription.html>.
Kane-Maguire, L. 2011 Lost Without Trace: Squadron Leader Wilbur Wackett, RAAF. Canberra: Air Power Development Centre.
National Archives of Australia [NAA] 1946, Aircraft status cards – Beaufighter A19-1 to A19-218, A10297, BLOCK 106.
National Archives of Australia [NAA] 1947, NOBLE, Keith Eric William – (Flying Officer); Service Number – 424052; File type – Casualty – Repatriation; Aircraft – Beaufighter A19-192; Place – Kalpaga Station, Northern Territory; Date – 24 September 1944, A705, 166/30/81.

Note: This article was originally published on the AviationHeritage.org website on 1 September 2017. It was replicated on this site on 2 April 2020.