Aviation Graveyards

At Amberley, Liberators, Mosquitos, Mitchells, Mustangs and Vengeances were up for scrapping, while at Evans Head, NSW 91 Mosquitos, plus Oxfords and a few others were disposed of.

After the removal of the engines and instruments, there was not much that could be salvaged out of a Mosquito, so the successful buyer just pulled them forward onto the ground and burnt them. The copper wire was then rolled up, the melted aluminium was gathered, the rest of the metal was then raked up and sent by the shipload to Japan, as at the time there was a strong market for scrap metal.

At Wagga Wagga, 500 plus aircraft were scrapped including 166 Beaufighters, 218 Beauforts, 41 Vultee Vengeance dive bombers, Kittyhawks, and Mosquitos – a lone Wirraway was the last aircraft to be scrapped there.

Tocumwal on the northern side of the Murray River, which once had the biggest aerodrome in the Southern Hemisphere, was where in excess of 700 aircraft were disposed of, from Tiger Moths and Wirraway trainers to Mustangs, Beaufighters and Liberator bombers.

Werribee in Victoria saw 76 Fairy Battles, 50 plus Vultee Vengeances, 20 odd Kittyhawks, a BF109 and a Zero all wrecked by Grandts Trading Company. Lake Boga, where the giant Martin Mariners were sold and used in some cases as storage sheds on local farms, saw the demise of 34 Catalinas and their beaching gear. A number of Kingfishers were also sold at Lake Boga while Martin Mariners and a number of Catalinas were melted down by Grandts in their mobile furnc;ice.

To the west, Port Pirie, Mount Gambier and Mullala were where large numbers of Ansons and Oxfords, plus spares were offered for sale. CMU Boulder had quite a number of Vultee Vengeances where a small furnace reduced them into ingots, while at Geraldton approximately 70 Avro Ansons were disposed of by Mr Wally Bowden. The local fishermen utilised a lot of the Anson parts for their lobster fishing activities.

One of the firms that was involved with the wrecking of aircraft in Australia at the time was RH Grandt Trading Company of Melbourne. The company commenced metal recovery from surplus aircraft at Werribee in Victoria in 1947. Their operations ceased at Tocumwal in the early 1960’s when the supply of aircraft finally dried up. During that time Grandt’s was responsible for the disposal of between 2800 and 3000 aircraft. A lot of smaller companies were also involved with metal recovery from surplus aircraft but never on the scale of Grandts. The company was also responsible for the purchase of hundreds of tons of spares, including new Rolls Royce Merlins, Wright Cyclone engines and numerous other types. In the early fifties, new Rolls Royce Merlins could be bought for £10 each!

Before the aircraft were offered for sale, all armament, electronics and avionics were removed. However some were just as they were flown in. Some Liberators at Tocumwal for instance had little more time on their engines than that logged during their ferry flight out to Australia. While other aircraft, such as the Beaufighters and Beauforts, which had flown many missions against the enemy had rows of stencilled bombs along their fuselage, indicating the number of missions performed. Others displayed the by now faded pin-ups or lucky charms of theif crews on the engine cowls or fuselage.

The rows of aircraft meanwhile provided an interesting playground for a lot of the local children. Many recall now how they used to spend hours on weekends when security was low, playing and collecting souvenirs that they fancied from the aircraft including in some instances belts of . 50 calibre ammunition from the Liberators. If only they could have realised the future value of their playthings!

The prices paid for scrap aircraft were determined by the amount of metal and the quantity that could be economically salvaged from each type of aircraft. As an example, Kittyhawk airframes gave about three quarters of a ton of aluminium and therefore sold for as low as £15 each. Beauforts complete with engines brought £25 each. Kittyhawks, which were obtained, like most of the service aircraft at the time, under the lend-lease scheme were estimated to have cost the Government £45,000 each, while Meteors were later sold for £150 each for scrap.

Aircraft were usually sold in lots. Aircraft wrecking was a crude but effective method of recovering valuable metals of the period. The workers’ tools were often basic and consisted of crowbars, electric arcs, chisels and even gelignite. However a blunt axe was the favourite tool of trade used to break aircraft wings and fuselages up into easily handled lengths to be later fed into the furnaces. Control rods, cables, electric motors, nuts and bolts, screws and washers, were sorted out prior to being melted down. Fuel pumps, fuel tanks, wiring connections, wheels, tyres, and perspex all had a ready market from the general public, as most centres conducted a yard where they could sell off parts that were not able to be melted down. Grants Manager for NSW, the late Mr Bert Winnell was well known to farmers and truck operators for his ideas on what aircraft parts could be utilised for. Flying clubs, aerial agriculture and charter operators also used to stock up on spares from wrecking yards. Indeed, most of Australia’s older pilots cut their teeth on war surplus Tiger Moths, Auster and later Chipmunk Trainers while many fledgling airlines commenced post war operations using surplus Dakota, Anson and Lodestar aircraft.

All aluminium parts were fed into an oil fed furnace, this was done in quick succession until sufficient metal to cast the ingots was obtained. The dross and slag were then raked from the silvery pool of aluminium, the furnace was tapped and the molten stream, which was all that remained of the planes that had graced the skies, was directed into heavy steel moulds which ran on rails behind the furnace. A daily log was kept and samples taken to ensure the quality of metal was meeting the requirements, they were dated and numbered daily. The average ingot weighed 55Ibs (45 to the ton) and were fetching £4. 10. 0 each in 1955. The aluminium recovered in this manner was used in saucepans, pressure cookers, vacuum cleaners, washing machines and many other household items. The irony of this is that in the early years of the war the civilian population was called upon to donate their aluminium saucepans and cooking i. :!ensils so that they could be melted down to aid war production and the aircraft industry!

It is most unfortunate that the Government of the day did not see fit to at least keep one or two of each type of aircraft that played such an important part in the defence of this country. Whether a trainer, fighter or bomber, they all contributed to the lifestyle we enjoy today.

Australian Aviation would be interested in hearing from any readers who lived through this unique period and have photos depicting the events of the time. All care will be taken with the photos, etc and if of sufficiently good quality they will be used for future pictorial purposes. Naturally all photos will be returned by registered mail.