Date:	Tuesday 19 March 1940
Time:	08:30
Type:	de Havilland DH.60M Moth
Owner/operator:	1 EFTS RAAF
Registration:	A7-72
MSN:	MSB/S655
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	near Elizabeth, 3 miles North of Salisbury, South Australia -   Australia
Phase:	En route
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	Parafield Airport, South Australia (YPPF)
Destination airport:
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
Fourth of Six DH.60Ms [Gipsy I] which were ordered in March 1934, under Contract No.OI.262 to be built by the Aircraft Construction Branch, Munitions Supply Board Ordnance Factory [Job No. MSB/S655]. Munitions Supply Board built the fuselages; they were fitted with spare Larkin-built wings and fittings and were finally assembled by the RAAF at Laverton, Victoria. No c/nos. allocated, just RAAF Serials A7-69 to A7-74, and they were referred to as "Metal Moths"

As A7-72 Taken on charge at 1 Aircraft Depot, RAAF Laverton 23.4.36. To 1 FTS RAAF Point Cook 6.8.37. Damaged in forced landing Point Cook 28.11.38; repaired. To 1 EFTS Parafield 14.2.40.

Written off (destroyed) when crashed near Elizabeth 3 miles North of Salisbury, SA 19.3.40; Instructor Flying Officer Charles Cox & Cadet Robin Bowron (pupil pilot under training) killed. Neither officer had been allocated a service number. According to one published source (RAAF ASA Facebook - see link #2):

"Prior to the start of World War 2, the Royal Aero Club of South Australia (RACSA) operated at Parafield training pilots. In December 1939, the RACSA commenced working with No 2 Flying Training School (RAAF) to train RAAF pilots. This unit became No 1 Elementary Flying Training School in early January 1940.

In mid-January 1940, the first course of 22 students commenced with a second course of 24 students commencing in February and a third course in March. The noted pilot Flt Lt Bill Newton who was awarded the Victoria Cross for bravery on operations with 22 Sqn in New Guinea was a trainee on the February course.

During this period, the training was conducted on several requisitioned DH.60 Gipsy Moths and Miles Hawks aircraft. While being the mainstay of pilot training in the 1930, the aircraft were dated and were quickly replaced by the more rugged DH.82A Tiger Moth aircraft during 1940-1941 at Parafield, SA.

On this day in 1940, DH.60 Gipsy Moth A7-72 was on a morning training sortie. At about 8:30am, the aircraft crashed near Elizabeth, 3 miles north of Salisbury killing the instructor and his cadet pilot. The instructor was 44-year-old Flying Officer Charles Cox. Originally from Melbourne, Cox had served in World War 1 as a Signaller in the 1st Light Horse Brigade before transferring to the Royal Flying Corps in 1917. He had joined the RAAF at the start of World War 2. His student pilot was Air Cadet Robin Overton Bowron from Heidelberg, Melbourne. Bowron had only been in the RAAF for three months having enlisted on 5 February 1940.

They were the first of 86 RAAF airmen to perish in flying accidents in South Australia during World War 2.

Aircraft Struck of charge 31.5.40 as "destroyed". Elizabeth is an outer northern suburb of the Adelaide metropolitan area, South Australia, 24 km north of the Adelaide city centre. It is located in the City of Playford

1. https://www.ab-ix.co.uk/pdfs/dh60.pdf
2. https://www.facebook.com/raafasa/posts/2246035935530618/
3. The Argus (Melbourne, Vic.) Wednesday 20 March 1940 Page 1 TWO AIRMEN KILLED: https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/12436556
4. Examiner (Launceston, Tasmania) Wednesday 20 March 1940 Page 7 AIR FORCE CRASH: https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/92647191
5. CWGC: https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/2774375/charles-cox/
6. CWGC: https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/2774362/robin-overton-bowron/
7. https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/P10307005
8. https://vwma.org.au/explore/people/624465
9. https://www.rafcommands.com/database/wardead/details.php?qnum=64961
10. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/21414784/charles-cox
11. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/21414770/robin-overton-bowron
12. https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/R1706333
13. https://www.rafcommands.com/forum/showthread.php?23881-1940-Unaccounted-Airmen-Database-Reconciliation/page9&p=138893#post138893
14. https://www.nzwargraves.org.nz/casualties/robin-overton%C2%A0-bowron
15. http://www.airpowerarchaeology.com/view_person.asp?id=1073286
16. https://www.saam.org.au/history_group_docs/SAAM%20History%20-%20No1%20EFTS%20Parafield.pdf
17. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth,_South_Australia

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
03-Feb-2024 21:45	Dr. John Smith	Added
06-Feb-2024 19:02	Nepa	Updated [Time, Operator, Location, Departure airport, Operator]
08-Mar-2024 17:57	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Cn, Country, Narrative]