A CLEVELAND resident is bringing attention to Redlands’ military past after discovering plane wreckage from more than 80 years ago.
On February 13, 1942, two Royal Australian Air Force Wirraways collided over the Ormiston and Thornlands area while simulating aerial combat.
One aircraft crashed into the mudflats near Henry Ziegenfusz Park, while another went down just off Wellington St, resulting in the deaths of four airmen.
Growing up near the crash site, Tony Morrison recalled his grandfather was one of the first on the scene of the plane wreckage when just a boy.
Mr Morrison said he recently met Derek Mangan, who knew the rough location of the crash site as he had visited it several times many years ago.
“I asked Derek what the chances were of us finding the exact site, and off we went,” he said.
Equipped with metal detectors and original photographs of the crash site, a group of six eventually found the crash site again.
“We ended up matching trees with the original photo and we knew then where to look,” Mr Morrison said.
“With the metal detector, we found parts of the fuselage and part of the manifold, which was quite incredible.”
Mr Morrison said the old Military Training Grounds and Cleveland Rifle Range were located not far from the crash site.
Built in 1943, the Cleveland Rifle Range was the only one of its kind established by the Volunteer Defence Corps (VDC) to train troops and farmers as a last line of defence.
The range was in use until the 1970s and remained largely untouched until its demolition in 2005.
Recently, Mr Morrison hosted a Historic Cleveland Rifle Range Tour, highlighting aspects of the area’s military history to people unaware of its significance.
“I took people down there and showed them where to dig and people were digging up some military bullets and old coins,” he said.
When asked about the significance of discovering historical artifacts, Mr Morrison emphasised that it was about remembering our history.
“I think a lot of people who move here don’t know the significance of the Redlands,” he said. “For example, the US military base was down at Wellington Point and so many people do not understand that was a big area where the US military was.”
