On April 27, 1934 a Royal Australian Air Force Moth was damaged after a forced landing in a paddock at Iona. The pilot Squadron-Leader E. Daley and the observer Flight-Lieutenant J. Swift escaped injury. Here are some reports of the incident.
Caption: A picture of the Royal Australian Air Force Moth, showing the damage which occurred when it made a forced descent in a paddock at lona, Gippsland, yesterday afternoon. It was going to Lake Reeve to assist in salvaging the seaplane which made a forced landing there recently. The occupants were unhurt.
The Herald, April 27, 1934 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article243253316
'Plane Damaged in Forced Landing. Air force Men Escape - One wing and the undercarriage were damaged, and the propeller was smashed, when a Moth aeroplane made a forced landing in a paddock about half a mile from the Iona post-office, at 11.30 a.m. yesterday. The pilot (Squadron-Leader Daley) and the observer (Flight-Lieutenant Swift) escaped injury. The aeroplane was being flown from Point Cooke to Seaspray, where a seaplane was damaged a fortnight ago, when the pilot lost his bearings in the clouds, and decided to land in the paddock. Two aeroplanes from Point Cooke later took the pilot and his companion back to Point Cooke, but the damaged machine will not be carried in for repairs until to-day. (The Argus, April 27, 1934 see here)
The Sun News-Pictorial of April 27, 1934 published this report -
Plane lands in Paddock. Damage To Air Force Machine. Occupants Unhurt - Royal Air Force Moth was damaged yesterday afternoon when it made a forced landing through engine trouble in a ploughed paddock at Iona, Gippsland. Two officers in the plane escaped injury. The plane was on its way to Lake Reeve, Gippsland Lakes, to assist in the salvaging of the seaplane that made a forced landing in the lake and contained Squadron-Leader Daley and Flight-Lieutenant Swift. The two airmen were brought back to Point Cook in two planes sent to the scene of the mishap. A motor tender reached the plane last night, which will be dismantled and brought back to Point Cook. (Sun News-Pictorial, April 27, 1934 see here)
Caption: Dismantled at Iona, Gippsland, where it made a forced landing on Thursday, this R.A.A.F. Moth plane was taken back to Point Cook by a motor tender yesterday. The photograph was taken at Dandenong.
The Sun News-Pictorial, April 28, 1934 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article276359452
The incident was also reported in interstate newspapers and some of these had extra information, not published in the Victorian papers, such as this report from the Brisbane Courier Mail -
Plane crashes in Fog. Air Force Pilots' Escape - An R.A.A.F. Moth 'plane, from the Point Cook Training School, made a forced landing in a heavy fog in a ploughed field at Iona, near Bunyip, Gippsland, to-day. The 'plane was badly damaged, but the two pilots, Squadron-Leader E. Daly and Flight Lieutenant J. Swift, were not hurt. According to eye-witnesses, the machine seemed to circle around as if the pilots were looking for a landing ground. Suddenly the 'plane dived to the ground and crashed with a terrific roar, in a rough paddock. The propeller was smashed, the lower wing was crumpled, and the undercarriage was completely wrecked. A light tender was sent from Point Cook to transport the damaged machine back to the aerodrome. The machine was on its way to Lake Reeve, near Sale, where the crew of the Southampton supermarine flying boat, which was forced down a fortnight ago, has dismantled it for transport to Point Cook. (Brisbane Courier Mail, April 27, 1934, see here)
Who were the two pilots involved in the incident?
Squadron-Leader E. Daley was possibly Edward Alfred Daley, born January 23, 1901, enlisted July 1928, retired in 1961 with the rank of Air Commander. His file at the National Archives of Australia is not digitised but there is a summary of his service here.
I believe Flight-Lieutenant J. Swift was John Joseph Swift, born in England on March 24, 1885, enlisted in the RAAF in July 1921, became a Flight-Lieutenant in July 1928, rose to the rank of Wing Commander and retired from the RAAF in 1946. You can read his service file at the National Archives of Australia, here.
I found 14 reports of the incident all up - four of them, as referenced above in the Victorian newspapers; eight from Queensland newspapers - the one from the Brisbane Courier Mail is transcribed above and the following seven articles - Cairns Post, April 27, 1934, see here; Mackay Daily Mercury, April 27, 1934, see here; Rockhampton Morning Bulletin, April 27, 1934, see here; Charters Towers Northern Miner, April 27, 1934, see here; Townsville Daily Bulletin, April 27, 1934, see here; Bundaberg Daily News and Mail, April 27, 1934, see here; Ipswich Queensland Times, April 27, 1934, see here. There were two reports in the New South Wales papers - Sydney Daily Telegraph, April 27, 1934, see here; Murwillumbah Tweed Daily, April 27, 1934, see here.
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