LEST WE FORGET
Leading Aircraftman Charles Bernard MULLER
Service No: 420701
Born: Forbes NSW, 11 September 1909
Enlisted in the RAAF: 9 November 1941
Unit: Headquarters, RAAF Northern Command, Madang PNG
Died: Aircraft Accident (No 8 Communication Unit Beaufort aircraft A9-636), near Goroka PNG, 23 March 1945, Aged 35 Years
Buried: Lae War Cemetery PNG
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Charles and Mary Jane Muller, of Forbes, New South Wales; husband of Helen Muller, of Vaucluse, New South Wales
Roll of Honour: Unknown
Remembered: Panel 97, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
On a flight from Madang to Goroka on 9 March 1945, Beaufort A9-636 struck a clump of bamboo near the top of a hill about 3 kms from Goroka. In a preliminary report, the Pilot advised that he had been unable to climb to avoid the ground. On board A9-636 were:
Pilot Officer John Lawrence Adams (426855) (Navigator)
Flight Lieutenant Kervyn Charles Beeton DFC (407162) (Passenger) (Northern Command) Seriously injured: Discharged from the RAAF: 28 May 1946
Flight Lieutenant Peter Philip Adrian Hopton DFC (416024) (Pilot) Seriously injured: Discharged from the RAAF: 22 October 1945
Warrant Officer John Gerald Hunt (410894) (Wireless Air Gunner) Seriously injured: Discharged from the RAAF: 17 October 1945
Leading Aircraftman George Helier Leonard Morrison (121318) (Passenger) (No. 42 Operational Base Unit) Seriously injured: Discharged from the RAAF: 16 October 1945
Leading Aircraftman Charles Bernard Muller (420701) (Passenger) (Northern Command)
References:
Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour On-Line Records
Commonwealth War Graves Commission On-Line Records
Department of Veteran’s Affairs On-Line WWII Nominal Roll
National Archives of Australia On-Line Record A9845, 264
Bibliography:
Wilson, S. (Stewart) Beaufort, Beaufighter and Mosquito in Australian Service, Aerospace Publications Weston Creek ACT 2611, 1990