B24 Liberator A72-80

A72-80 at Tocumwal

Greetings, and welcome.

This website has been set up as a record, and reminder, of RAAF B24 Liberator A72-80 (Old Nick) which crashed into Vansittart Bay, far north Western Australia on 23rd March 1945 - with the loss of all on board.

I knew very little about this crash, and the reason why, until I began extensive research in 2002. While I do have all the material and official reports from the National Archives, there is still some mystery as to the actual cause.

Page one is a detailed summary of the crash event but, during the researches, found some interesting information about other aircraft, which is included on other pages.

While every effort has been made to keep factual accuracy - some errors may have crept in.

I hope that the information here is useful, interesting, and a reminder that while there can be triumphs in war - there are also tragedies. Only three bodies were ever recovered, and lie in the Adelaide River War Cemetery in the Northern Territory, Australia.

David J. Hursthouse

[this website first published in 2004 - updated August 2009]