Daily News (Perth, WA : 1882 - 1955), Tuesday 27 June 1950, page 2


NIGHTMARE DASH TO GET SURVIVOR TO HOSPITAL

Ambulance men had to face a nightmare 130-mile road dash, and a back-breaking trek through miles of rugged bushland to bring air crash survivor Edgar Forwood to hospital. Their return trek from the scene of the crash, carrying Forwood on an impro

Forwood on an improvised stretcher to a waiting utility two miles away, took well over two hours. With eight men taking turns to carry the 16-stone patient, they had to push their way through waist-high scrub, scramble across wet and slip pery boulders and slither down the creeks and ditches. Ambulance men H. Hasel dine and H. Jones, of Perth, and E. Rance, of Midland Junc tion, received notice to stand by at 10.45 last night. At 11.5, when the crash was pinpoint ed, they were given the signal to go. Perth drivers reached York at 12.10. They overshot the nearest road point to the scene of the crash, met the Midland driver there, and had to re turn 14 miles along the York road. In their dash from Perth they were escorted by a motor cycle patrolman. From the road-point, the dri vers and police were guided about 4.5 miles through the darkness, lighting their way through the heavy timber and scrub with torches. Wreck Reached With torn and soaked cloth ing, and their shoes like soft felt, they reached a spot 200yd. from the wreck about 2 o'clock. There Forwood was being attended by McNamara. After administering first-aid and morphia, the ambulance men and police had to tear down saplings with their bare hands, and with bandages they improvised a sling-stretcher. They covered Forwood with overcoats and began their gruelling trek back towards the road. After two hours, when al most exhausted, they reached a utility which had driven to a 30ft. creek bank, then thought to be the closest ac cessible spot to the wreck. Forwood, with his head rest ing in the cupped hands of two ambulance drivers, made the second stage of his trip in the utility, along a rough, boulder strewn bush track. When, they reached the main road, the drivers were told of a continuation of the track which skirted the creek-bank, made a crossing about half a mile further on, and continu ed to within less than 200yd. of the wrecked aircraft. The mud-spattered ambul ances — only one of them carry ing a patient — had returned to Perth before daylight, and For wood was in hospital shortly after 5 o'clock. Constable C. Bake tramped about 32 miles during the night. War-time service stood him in good stead

Those killed in the aircraft were: CAPTAIN R. J. C. CHAPPELL, MELBOURNE; FIRST OFFICER V. M. TREVITT, MELBOURNE;. SECOND OFFI CER R. H. WILLIS, MELBOURNE; HOSTESS JANE WIN SOME GRAHAM, ADELAIDE; HOSTESS M. A. E. BRIT TON, NSW. MISS McDOUGALL, 2 Outram-st., West Perth, to Mel bourne. MR. G. CARMICHAEL, 13 Harvest-rd., North Fremantle, to Melbourne. MR. D. ENGLER, 50 Westbury-cres., Bicton, to Melbourne. MASTER J. ENGLER (13), 50 Westbury-cres., Bicton, to Melbourne. MRS. J. W. MORRISON, 14 Bindaring-par., Swanbourne, to Adelaide. MRS. G. HAESE AND INFANT, Perth to Adelaide. MR. K. DOUGLAS, 27 Heath-rd., Kalamunda, to Adelaide. MR G. H. SIMPSON, Box 6, Wickepin, to Adelaide. MR. STANISLAW PAWLOWSKI, Northam Migration Camp to Adelaide. MRS. ILONA BORSZEKI AND INFANT, Northam Migra tion Camp to Adelaide. MR. JOSEPH BOKLAK, Northam Migration Camp, to Ade laide. MR. LASZLO ORSZAG, Northam Migration Camp, to Ade laide. MR. PEDRO CAPELETE, to Adelaide, address not veri fied. REVEREND NORMAN BLOW, Dean of Newcastle, the Deanery, Newcastle, to Adelaide. MR. TAN JEE HOE, address not known, arrived from Singapore yesterday morning, to Melbourne. MR. T. R. GRAHAM, address not verified, care of Bank of Australasia, to Melbourne. MISS D. M. McHENRY, of Melbourne. MR. S. BAKER, care of Ampol Petroleum Co., Sydney, to Adelaide. MR. V. FINEGAN, care of English Electric Co., 131 York St Sydney BISHOP C. MURRAY, Bishop of the Riverina, Bishop's Lodge, Hay, New South Wales, to Melbourne. MR. V. C ANQUETIL, executive of Charles Read, Prah ran, Melbourne, to Adelaide.