RAAF Amberley - Maralinga bunker

[Fliegenmong]

Looking on Google Earth, I'm not too sure where it is.....sorry if it's been done before, I didn't see it (Searching)...Urban Myth or are there radioactive English Electric Canberra Bombers that flew through 'clouds' at the Maralinga test range, entombed in concrete on base, at RAAF Amberley.......is the 'gate guard' a cousin of those reputedly in the 'concrete cube'...????...........

[Andu]

Some WW2 erks say they buried a couple of brand new crated Spitfires somewhere on the base as well just after the war. I understand they tried to find them a few years ago, but weren't successful, as the markers they used back in 1945-6 had all gone. Urban myth? Possibly, but a great story none the less. How fantastic if they were to be found some time in the future.

[L J R]

I was led to believe that the famous 'crates of spitfires' was somewhere near Dalby....
As for the myth of maralinga - I heard that lincolns were also involved.

[melipona]

I can't answer the question but this site put together by Mick Bonnar has some interesting pics.

[Squirrel 41]

When I was a space cadet, one our instructors had been Lincoln aircrew of some sort, and he told a story of flying through the fallout cloud on sampling missions without any special protective equipment. Sadly, many of his crew died young of cancer, oddly enough.

Not our finest hour, especially given what happened to the Aboriginals.

S41

[Trojan1981]

Don't know about the bombers, although there are at least four old Canberras that I know of lying around at Amberley. WRT the Spitfires; the aircraft were stored at Oakey (now an AAvn Corps base) while awiting the scrapper. Hundreds, maybe even more than a thousand, aircraft were stored there at the end of WWII. Most were scrapped, however some were saved, and many parts of Spits have subsequently been found in the area.
There were stories from former personnel relating to Spits being buried instead of scrapped. This was published in The Bulletin:

Buried Spitfire, or just media hype?

[Royalistflyer]

I just spoke to a retired RAAF Wing Commander who dates from the time period of the supposedly buried Canberras. He said that he'd heard the story and assumed that the logical place for such a burial would be the Woomera range because flying through nuclear clouds sampling would have been done from there and radioactive aircraft wouldn't have been onflown from there.

[deltahotel]

Sampling flights

My Dad was a canberra nav on some of these flights.

[herkman]

According to the aircraft history cards the following Lincolns were impacted by radio activity.

A72-5, 6, 10, 21, 26, 27 and 41. All were cleaned and returned to service.

A72-25, 47, 52,and 54 were all highly contaminated and were burnt on the fire dump and were then broken up and buried at Amberley.

No Canberras are shown on the history cards as even being lightly contaminated.

However referance is made to the fact that RAAF crews flew RAF aircraft, but no recaords of serial numbers appear to exist or their fates.

Regards

Col

[Paul C]

There are various remains of ex RAAF Canberras at Woomera that were used as targets in weapons trials also about 5 or 6 RAF aircraft are buried under the concrete dome at Maralinga but they are not Canberras, once again target aircraft.

[Royalistflyer]

On the general subject of surviving Canberras - does anyone know about the fate of the Mexican Canberras? I was told by an American friend that they had been flying them as late as the late 80s? Is this true? Where are they now?

[500N]

Quite a few aircraft were sitting in a locked and sealed hangar at Woomera 10 years ago - from what we could see all jets from memory and I think they were F4's and - edited - Mirage's

Some might have been something to do with a failed deal to India ???
- maybe someone can expand on this - but you couldn't see all the aircraft
so what was at the back of the hangar is anyone's guess.

[herkman]

I doubt the last statement, at least as far as the aircraft types are concerned.

All the F4 were returned to the USAF except I believe for one that was lost at sea.

No F111 are shown as being stored at Womera but fir a long time the Mirages were stored there before being sold to the PAF.

Regards

Col

[500N]

Thanks for correcting me re the F111's / Mirages.

[L J R]

A72-25, 47, 52,and 54 were all highly contaminated and were burnt on the fire dump and were then broken up and buried at Amberley.

..so the rumour of the Lincolns buried at Amberley has some documented historical truth. - despite their serial numbers being A-73

I guess that explains the Purga Ck 'Glowing in the Dark' stories..

[Fliegenmong]

I guess that explains the Purga Ck 'Glowing in the Dark' stories..

L J R,Swingwing, SilberFuchs, Booger??.....anyone care to elaborate????

Especially you 'B', if you can make it as hilarious as your other contributions..........