LEST WE FORGET
Warrant Officer Donald Trevor WRIGHTSON
Service No: 425400
Born: Brisbane QLD, 23 July 1923
Enlisted in the RAAF: 1 February 1942
Unit: No. 83 Squadron
Died: Aircraft Accident (No. 4 Aircraft Depot Boomerang aircraft A46-97), near Exeter NSW, 30 March 1945, Aged 21 Years
Buried: Bowral Cemetery, NSW
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Richard Tremain Stobbs Wrightson and Maisie Francis Wrightson, of Coorparoo, Queensland
Roll of Honour: Brisbane QLD
Remembered: Panel 113, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
On 30 March 1945, Boomerang A46-97 flown by Warrant Officer Wrightson crashed four miles west of Exeter, New South Wales, and he was killed. The aircraft was one of four being ferried from No. 4 Aircraft Depot, Kalgoorlie, to No. 83 Squadron. A46-97 was flying No. 4 in the formation led by Squadron Leader James Barrington Keys (260729) (Discharged: 22 October 1945). The formation was led in between clouds, the Leader thinking he could get through. On breaking through, he found he was unable to clear the cloud ahead, and made a 180 degree turn. No. 3 kept with the Leader throughout this turn but No. 2, Flight Lieutenant Wallace Alexander Ramsay Rae (402491) (Discharged: 29 august 1946) lost the Leader and put his flaps and wheels down and lost height through the cloud, coming out slowly with 200 feet to clear. No 4 was eventually separated from No. 2 in this turn and crashed on coming out of the cloud.
References:
Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour On-Line Records (RAAF Casualty Information compiled by Alan Storr (409804))
Commonwealth War Graves Commission On-Line Records
Department of Veterans’ Affairs On-Line WWII Nominal Roll
National Archives of Australia On-Line Record A705, 166/44/251; A9845, 144