Charles Raymond (Bob) Gurney,
AFC (22 May 1906 – 2 May 1942) was an Australian
aviator
An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its Aircraft flight control system, directional flight controls. Some other aircrew, aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are al ...
who was involved in pioneering aviation in
New Guinea
New Guinea (; Hiri Motu
Hiri Motu, also known as Police Motu, Pidgin Motu, or just Hiri, is a language of Papua New Guinea, which is spoken in surrounding areas of Port Moresby (Capital of Papua New Guinea).
It is a simplified version of ...
in the 1930s. He flew with
Qantas
Qantas Airways Limited ( ) is the flag carrier of Australia and the country's largest airline by fleet size, international flights, and international destinations. It is the world's third-oldest airline still in operation, having been founded ...
before and during the Second World War, and served with the
Royal Australian Air Force
"Through Adversity to the Stars"
, colours =
, colours_label =
, march =
, mascot =
, anniversaries = RAAF Anniversary Commemoration ...
from September 1939. He was killed on operations against the Japanese in the south west Pacific in 1942 flying with the
United States Army Air Forces
The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...
.
In his aviation career "Bob" Gurney was chief pilot of Guinea Airways, a Qantas flying boat captain and a Squadron Leader in the RAAF, who even had to bomb his own home. In commemoration of his service an airport in Papua New Guinea and a street in
Townsville
Townsville is a city on the north-eastern coast of Queensland, Australia. With a population of 180,820 as of June 2018, it is the largest settlement in North Queensland; it is unofficially considered its capital. Estimated resident population, 3 ...
, Queensland are named after him.
Early life
Charles Raymond Gurney (known as "Bob") was born in
Corowa
Corowa is a town in the state of New South Wales in Australia. It is on the bank of the Murray River, the border between New South Wales and Victoria, opposite the Victorian town of Wahgunyah. It is the largest town in the Federation Council a ...
,
New South Wales
)
, nickname =
, image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, es ...
on 22 May 1906 to Raymond Gillies and Ida Winifred Sapphire (née Badham). His father died in 1912, so he was brought up as a Gurney after his mother married William Butler Gurney in 1914. His family moved to
Sydney
Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
and on 14 December 1925 he joined the
RAAF
"Through Adversity to the Stars"
, colours =
, colours_label =
, march =
, mascot =
, anniversaries = RAAF Anniversary Commemoration ...
, learning to fly at
Point Cook, Victoria
Point Cook is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, south-west of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Wyndham local government area. Point Cook recorded a population of 66,781 at the 2021 census.
Point Cook ...
under the instruction of Alan Cross. He joined
No. 3 Squadron as a Pilot Officer in April 1926 on the reserve list. To get his hours up for a commercial pilot's licence, he barnstormed around the country and flew RAAF
Westland Wapiti
The Westland Wapiti was a British two-seat general-purpose military single-engined biplane of the 1920s. It was designed and built by Westland Aircraft Works to replace the Airco DH.9A in Royal Air Force service.
First flying in 1927, the Wa ...
s from
Richmond
Richmond most often refers to:
* Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States
* Richmond, London, a part of London
* Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England
* Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada
* Richmond, California, ...
. In 1929 he was approached by Alan Cross, then Guinea Airways manager, and asked to go to
New Guinea
New Guinea (; Hiri Motu
Hiri Motu, also known as Police Motu, Pidgin Motu, or just Hiri, is a language of Papua New Guinea, which is spoken in surrounding areas of Port Moresby (Capital of Papua New Guinea).
It is a simplified version of ...
. The next year, he married Margaret Josephine Mortimer (known as Jo) in
North Sydney.
Guinea Airways: 1929–1936
Bob joined
Guinea Airways
Guinea ( ),, fuf, 𞤘𞤭𞤲𞤫, italic=no, Gine, wo, Gine, nqo, ߖߌ߬ߣߍ߫, bm, Gine officially the Republic of Guinea (french: République de Guinée), is a coastal country in West Africa. It borders the Atlantic Ocean to the we ...
in 1929, but retained his reserve status in the
Citizen Air Force
The Air Force Reserve or RAAF Reserve is the common, collective name given to the reserve units of the Royal Australian Air Force
"Through Adversity to the Stars"
, colours =
, colours_label =
, mar ...
.
During the 1920s the
Morobe Goldfield The Morobe goldfield is in Morobe, Papua New Guinea, and mined gold. It was the largest employer of indentured labour on the island at one time, employing many Biangai people. On 30 June 1936 there were 13,121 labourers in Morobe as a whole, 6816 ...
in the Mandated
Territory of New Guinea
The Territory of New Guinea was an Australian-administered United Nations trust territory on the island of New Guinea from 1914 until 1975. In 1949, the Territory and the Territory of Papua were established in an administrative union by the nam ...
were being developed. The only routes to the goldfields was by foot from
Salamaua
Salamaua () was a small town situated on the northeastern coastline of Papua New Guinea, in Salamaua Rural LLG, Morobe province. The settlement was built on a minor isthmus between the coast with mountains on the inland side and a headland. The c ...
on the coast or by aeroplane from
Lae
Lae () is the capital of Morobe Province and is the second-largest city in Papua New Guinea. It is located near the delta of the Markham River and at the start of the Highlands Highway, which is the main land transport corridor between the Highl ...
(about 20 miles across the Huon Gulf from Salamaua) to the airstrip at
Wau, which was first used in 1927. When Bob started with Guinea Airways in November 1929 he arrived with two other pilots to join the three already flying the two
Junkers W 34
The Junkers W 34 was a German-built, single-engine, passenger and transport aircraft. Developed in the 1920s, it was taken into service in 1926. The passenger version could take a pilot and five passengers. The aircraft was developed from the J ...
s and two
de Havilland Moth
The de Havilland Moths were a series of light aircraft, sports planes, and military trainers designed by Geoffrey de Havilland. In the late 1920s and 1930s, they were the most common civilian aircraft flying in Britain, and during that time ever ...
s. At the beginning of 1931 the first
Junkers G 31
The Junkers G 31 was an advanced tri-motor airliner produced in small numbers in Germany in the 1920s. Like other Junkers types, it was an all-metal, low-wing cantilever monoplane. In the mid-1920s, the all-metal construction and an aerodynamical ...
was flown, having arrived at Lae by ship. Guinea Airways owned one G 31 (VH-UOW) and operated two for Bulolo Gold Dredging Ltd. (VH-UOU and VH-UOV); a third was added in 1934 (VH-URQ). Guinea Airways was flying in the equipment needed for gold dredging and at this time was carrying more freight than the rest of the world combined.
By this time, Bob Gurney was Chief Pilot for Guinea Airways.
Among the more unusual pieces of freight that Bob transported was a
Baby Austin car belonging to Dr. Ian Dickson from
Lae Airfield
Lae Airfield is a former World War II airfield and later, civilian airport located at Lae, Morobe Province, Papua New Guinea. The airport was closed in the 1980s, in favour of Lae Nadzab Airport, which was able to accommodate larger jet aircra ...
to
Wau Aerodrome in 1933 (in the Junkers G 31 VH-UOW). The next year, in the same plane, he flew a 7,500 lb stator for Baiune power house to
Bulolo Airfield, with the centre of gravity about 3’ 6" above the wings, and landing with only ten minutes of fuel left. At the time, this was considered to be "probably the heaviest and most awkward single piece load yet carried by aeroplane".
Austin 7 car being loaded in Junkers G 31 at Lae - 1933 (C R Gurney).jpg, Loading the Austin 7 at Lae
Austin 7 car being unloaded from Junkers G 31 at Wau - 1933 (C R Gurney).jpg, Unloading the Austin 7 at Wau
Bob not only flew large amounts of freight, but was also involved in the exploration of the interior of
Papua and
New Guinea
New Guinea (; Hiri Motu
Hiri Motu, also known as Police Motu, Pidgin Motu, or just Hiri, is a language of Papua New Guinea, which is spoken in surrounding areas of Port Moresby (Capital of Papua New Guinea).
It is a simplified version of ...
doing aerial surveys and supply runs for the
Leahy brothers, Ivan Champion, Jack Hides and Jim Taylor.
[
In the early days of air mail, Bob often signed envelopes as the delivering pilot, particularly when carried to or from remote locations such as Wahgi River, Mount Hagen & Salamaua (all in 1933), and Port Moresby and ]Bena Bena Benabena is a stretch of valley that extends to the east of Goroka town in the west and borders with the Upper Ramu area of the Madang Province to the north, the Ungaii District to its south and the Henganofi District to its east. The name "Bena Be ...
(in 1934). The first two pieces of air mail from Mogai Aerodrome (near Mount Hagen gold fields) were signed and dated by Bob Gurney (2 April 1934), who piloted the very first plane into the aerodrome on the previous day. Some of these envelopes are now considered to be collector's items due to their rarity.
Guinea Airways 1930 (C R Gurney).jpg, Guinea Airways cover to England, signed "CR Gurney/Pilot" (18 Aug 1930)
Rabaul air mail 1930 (C R Gurney).jpg, Wau-Rabaul cover flown by Gurney & Wiltshire for Guinea Airways, addressed to England (22 Sep 1930)
Mount Hagen air mail 1933 - 1 (C R Gurney).jpg, First Flight Cover from Mount Hagen to Salamaua endorsed "From Mt Hagen Landing Gnd Central New Guinea" and signed "CR Gurney Pilot 24/5/33" (24 May 1933)
Mount Hagen air mail 1933 - 2 (C R Gurney).jpg, Registered air mail cover from NSW to Wahgi River endorsed "Delivered Mt Hagen drome 10am 30.5.33/CRGurney/Pilot" (30 May 1933)
Mount Hagen air mail 1933 - 3 (C R Gurney).jpg, Air mail cover from the return flight from Mount Hagen, signed at upper left "CRGurney Pilot" (30 May 1933)
Salamaua air mail 1933 (C R Gurney).jpg, Air mail cover from Mount Hagen to Salamaua with "CR Gurney Pilot" dated signature (30 May 1933)
Bena Bena air mail 1934 (C R Gurney).jpg, Bena Bena-Salamaua-Port Moresby cover flown signed & endorsed by C R Bob Gurney in a Junkers F13 for Guinea Airways (25 Feb 1934)
Mogai first flight air mail 1934 (C R Gurney).jpg, Air mail cover flown from Mogai Aerodrome (near Mount Hagen gold fields) to Salamaua. Endorsed, signed and dated by Bob Gurney, who had made the first landing at Mogai the previous day for Guinea Airways (2 Apr 1934)
Mogai air mail 1934 - 2 (C R Gurney).jpg, Mogai-Salamaua-Port Moresby endorsed "from Mogai Aerodrome Mt Hagen" & signed "CR Gurney/Pilot" (2 Apr 1934)
Mogai air mail 1934 - 3 (C R Gurney).jpg, Mogai-Salamaua-Port Moresby cover flown signed & endorsed by C R Bob Gurney in a DH Fox Moth for Guinea Airways (2 May 1934)
Port Moresby air mail 1939 (C R Gurney).jpg, Port Moresby-Sydney OHMS cover, No. 11 Squadron Port Moresby flown and signed by the crew including Bob Gurney, Eric Sims, Gogh Hemsworth, Bill Purton and others (1939)
Qantas: 1936–1939
In June 1936, Bob Gurney left Guinea Airways and joined Qantas
Qantas Airways Limited ( ) is the flag carrier of Australia and the country's largest airline by fleet size, international flights, and international destinations. It is the world's third-oldest airline still in operation, having been founded ...
(at that stage, known as Qantas Empire Airways) as a captain flying de Havilland D.H.86s on the Brisbane-Singapore route. Three other colleagues from Guinea Airways also moved to Qantas around the same time: Orm Denny (April 1936), Aubrey Koch
Albert Aubrey (Aub) Koch, MBE (2 October 1904 – 21 June 1975) was a pioneering Australian military and civil pilot. He trained at Point Cook in 1926, and following graduation accepted a Short Service Commission in the Royal Air Force (RAF) ...
(July 1938), and Godfrey "Goff" Hemsworth. The flying boats were based in Rose Bay, Sydney and carried about 12 passengers, with the steward in a white shirt with black tie; to travel in such boats was the height of luxury. They only flew during the daytime and landed at places like Karumba
Karumba is a town and a coastal Suburbs and localities (Australia), locality in the Shire of Carpentaria, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Karumba had a population of 531 people.
Geography
Karumba is in the Gulf Country region o ...
, Townsville
Townsville is a city on the north-eastern coast of Queensland, Australia. With a population of 180,820 as of June 2018, it is the largest settlement in North Queensland; it is unofficially considered its capital. Estimated resident population, 3 ...
and Brisbane
Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...
In April 1937, Gurney and two other Qantas Captains (Bill Crowther and Lester Brain
Lester Joseph Brain, AO, AFC (27 February 1903 – 30 June 1980) was a pioneer Australian aviator and airline executive. Born in New South Wales, he trained with the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) before joining Queensland and Northe ...
) flew from Brisbane to England to receive training in the handling of the new Short Empire
The Short Empire was a medium-range four-engined monoplane flying boat, designed and developed by Short Brothers during the 1930s to meet the requirements of the growing commercial airline sector, with a particular emphasis upon its usefulness ...
flying boats Qantas had purchased. Qantas operated the Sydney-Singapore sector of the Australia-England Empire route, and Imperial Airways the Singapore-England sector. The journey from Sydney to Southampton took 9½ days. On 22 December 1938, Gurney and Denny piloted the Cordelia in the first Qantas Empire Airways flying boat flight from Darwin to Brisbane (1940 miles) in one day.
RAAF: 1939–1942
At the outbreak of World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, the Australian Government requisitioned two C-class Empire flying boats from Qantas (‘’Centaurus’’ and ‘’Calypso’’), along with their crews, to form No. 11 Squadron RAAF, initially at RAAF Base Richmond
RAAF Base Richmond is a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) military air base located within the City of Hawkesbury, approximately North-West of the Sydney Central Business District in New South Wales, Australia. Situated between the towns of W ...
, but quickly moved to Port Moresby
(; Tok Pisin: ''Pot Mosbi''), also referred to as Pom City or simply Moresby, is the capital and largest city of Papua New Guinea. It is one of the largest cities in the southwestern Pacific (along with Jayapura) outside of Australia and New Z ...
in Papua New Guinea. The boats were converted for war use in 5 days and on 25 September 1939 left for active service operations in the north of Australia. Bob Gurney was one of the pilots and of the 4 officers in the contingent, 3 died in the first six months of the war in the Pacific. Captains Bob Gurney & Eric Sims and First Officers Bill Purton & Godfrey Hemsworth, some of whom had been on the RAAF Reserve, transferred to full-time RAAF duty along with other Qantas staff. Gurney and Hemsworth in particular were selected for transfer to the RAAF due to their detailed knowledge of Papua New Guinea. They were later joined by Mike Mather.
The squadron undertook seaward reconnaissance in defence of trade routes and Australian shipping, shadowing Japanese shipping, with Bob carrying out many maritime surveillance missions to New Britain, the Solomon Islands and the New Hebrides
New Hebrides, officially the New Hebrides Condominium (french: link=no, Condominium des Nouvelles-Hébrides, "Condominium of the New Hebrides") and named after the Hebrides Scottish archipelago, was the colonial name for the island group ...
. At this stage, Gurney was a Flight Lieutenant, but was promoted to Squadron Leader in January 1941, and was made temporary Commanding Officer of the squadron. At some point around this time, the squadron was re-equipped with PBY Catalina
The Consolidated PBY Catalina is a flying boat and amphibious aircraft that was produced in the 1930s and 1940s. In Canadian service it was known as the Canso. It was one of the most widely used seaplanes of World War II. Catalinas served wit ...
flying boats.
On 18 April 1941, Gurney piloted the first direct flight from Sydney to Nouméa
Nouméa () is the capital and largest city of the French special collectivity of New Caledonia and is also the largest francophone city in Oceania. It is situated on a peninsula in the south of New Caledonia's main island, Grande Terre, a ...
, New Caledonia
)
, anthem = ""
, image_map = New Caledonia on the globe (small islands magnified) (Polynesia centered).svg
, map_alt = Location of New Caledonia
, map_caption = Location of New Caledonia
, mapsize = 290px
, subdivision_type = Sovereign st ...
, in a PBY Catalina from No. 11 Squadron, signing a commemorative envelope to mark the occasion.
Owing to British war commitments, in October 1941 Qantas took over responsibility for the Singapore-Karachi sector of the Empire route. Due to civilian crew shortages, Bob Gurney, Bill Purton and Eric Sims were seconded from the RAAF to operate the flying boats with Qantas. The outbreak of war in the Pacific necessitated frequent re-evaluation of the routes flown and Bob was involved in the Batavia
Batavia may refer to:
Historical places
* Batavia (region), a land inhabited by the Batavian people during the Roman Empire, today part of the Netherlands
* Batavia, Dutch East Indies, present-day Jakarta, the former capital of the Dutch East In ...
-Singapore shuttles and the Broome-Tjilatjap
Cilacap Regency ( jv, ꦏꦨꦸꦥꦠꦺꦤ꧀ꦕꦶꦭꦕꦥ꧀, also spelt: Chilachap, old spelling: Tjilatjap, Sundanese: ) is a regency () in the southwestern part of Central Java province in Indonesia. Its capital is the town of Cilacap.
...
shuttles.
On 19 February 1942 Gurney was in Darwin with other Qantas crews when the first Japanese air attack on Australia occurred; he was sheltering near the Darwin Hotel when the post office was destroyed. Gurney was recalled to active service in March 1942 and was made Commanding Officer of 33 Squadron based at Townsville on 8 March 1942.
Japanese forces invaded Papua New Guinea, and chose to place part of their headquarters in the house that had previously been Gurney's home in Lae. When a bombing raid on Lae was launched by the 435th Bombardment Squadron (also based at Townsville) on 10 March 1942, Gurney insisted on taking part:
“urging that he not only knew the place better than anyone else on the station, but could claim a prior right in smashing up his own home. He went, and from the aircraft he flew was launched the bomb that blew his own house to smithereens.”
In February 1942 the 22nd Bombardment Group
The 22nd Operations Group is the operational flying component of the United States Air Force 22nd Air Refueling Wing. It is stationed at McConnell Air Force Base, Kansas, and is part of Air Mobility Command (AMC)'s Eighteenth Air Force.
The ...
USAAF
The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...
, equipped with Martin B-26 Marauder
The Martin B-26 Marauder is an American twin-engined medium bomber that saw extensive service during World War II. The B-26 was built at two locations: Baltimore, Maryland, and Omaha, Nebraska, by the Glenn L. Martin Company.
First used in t ...
s, left the United States and made its base at Townsville. On 5 April 1942 the 22nd launched its first combat strike against Rabaul
Rabaul () is a township in the East New Britain province of Papua New Guinea, on the island of New Britain. It lies about 600 kilometres to the east of the island of New Guinea. Rabaul was the provincial capital and most important settlement in ...
in New Britain
New Britain ( tpi, Niu Briten) is the largest island in the Bismarck Archipelago, part of the Islands Region of Papua New Guinea. It is separated from New Guinea by a northwest corner of the Solomon Sea (or with an island hop of Umboi the Dam ...
(north of New Guinea). Bob's intimate knowledge of the flying conditions and geography around New Guinea made him a natural choice to fly with the Americans.
Final flight
On 2 May 1942, Gurney was co-pilot in B-26 Marauder
The Martin B-26 Marauder is an American twin-engined medium bomber that saw extensive service during World War II. The B-26 was built at two locations: Baltimore, Maryland, and Omaha, Nebraska, by the Glenn L. Martin Company.
First used in t ...
no. 40-1426 (built by Martin Martin may refer to:
Places
* Martin City (disambiguation)
* Martin County (disambiguation)
* Martin Township (disambiguation)
Antarctica
* Martin Peninsula, Marie Byrd Land
* Port Martin, Adelie Land
* Point Martin, South Orkney Islands
Austral ...
), with Christian "Chris" Herron as the USAAF pilot. They took off, with a crew of seven, from Kila Kila Airfield near Port Moresby, New Guinea, on a bombing mission against Simpson Harbour
Simpson Harbour is a sheltered harbour of Blanche Bay, on the Gazelle Peninsula in the extreme north of New Britain. The harbour is named after Captain Cortland Simpson, who surveyed the bay while in command of in 1872.
The former capital city ...
off Rabaul, New Britain in this particular aircraft's first combat mission. Somehow, on the way to Rabaul, their aircraft became separated from the rest of the raid, so when they arrived over Simpson Harbour late, they were on their own and the Japanese were ready for them. Nonetheless, they pressed on with the mission alone. Over the target, one engine was hit by anti-aircraft fire, so they departed the area on only one engine, gradually losing altitude. Herron took refuge in a brewing storm, but struggled to stay airborne. The crew was instructed to jettison anything they could to bring stability to the aircraft. They then managed to fly almost three hundred miles towards friendly territory.
As they approached the Trobriand Islands
The Trobriand Islands are a archipelago of coral atolls off the east coast of New Guinea. They are part of the nation of Papua New Guinea and are in Milne Bay Province. Most of the population of 12,000 indigenous inhabitants live on the main isla ...
, Herron knew that they would not make it to a landing strip, and that he should let friendly forces know of their location and need to attempt an emergency landing. Gurney knew that enemy forces would be listening to such broadcasts, so suggested the message: "Making a forced landing where Francine used to live." The staff at Port Moresby knew, along with Gurney, that a woman named Francine had previously lived on Kiriwina Island, the largest in the Trobriands, so were able to send a rescue mission to the right area.
Prior to attempting an emergency landing, the crew was advised to bail out; when they refused, they were told to secure themselves in the rear of the aircraft. The five crewmen wedged themselves tightly together with cushions in the rear compartment, with Herron and Gurney remaining in the cockpit.
Instead of the normal emergency procedure of a belly landing, pilot Herron attempted a conventional wheels-down landing on a patch of flat terrain that "looked like a meadow" on the southern end of the island. Whilst he was successful in executing the three-point landing, the appearance of flat, solid ground on Kiriwina turned out to be deceptive; it was actually a bog. The nose wheel ploughed into the marsh, the front strut ripped loose, and the Plexiglas nose of the Marauder buried itself in the muck, causing the bomber to flip over onto its back.
The five crewmen emerged from a hatch in the bomber's belly, shaken but unhurt apart from a bruised shoulder. Herron called from the upside-down cockpit to check that the crew had survived. Having waded waist-deep through the swamp, the crew found Gurney already dead, and Herron trapped in the cockpit filling with water as it sank into the mud. Despite their efforts, Herron drowned before they could pull him free from the wreckage. They said a prayer and covered the cockpit with Herron's parachute.
Sure enough, the rescue party in a Catalina had received Gurney's message regarding their landing location. They landed on the water near Samarai
Samarai is an island and former administrative capital in Milne Bay Province, Papua New Guinea.
The island is historically significant as the site of a trading port and stop-over between Australia and East Asia. Samarai town was established on ...
, and were told by an Australian Soldier on board a Lakatoi
Lakatoi (also Lagatoi) are double-hulled sailing watercraft of Papua New Guinea.
They are named in the Motu language and traditionally used in the Hiri trade cycle.
Gallery
File:Picturesque New Guinea Plate V (a) - Loading Lakatoi, Port Mor ...
that Francine was the daughter of a French Missionary who had lived on Kiriwina. They headed off to the island to find the five survivors on 3 May, with confirmation that both Gurney and Herron were dead. The crew were transported to Port Moresby and returned to duty.
Legacy
Gurney's skeleton was finally removed from the plane on 16 August 1943, close to Okayaula Village. It was temporarily buried in grave no. 1A of the Allied Section at USAF Cemetery #1 on Kiriwina Island (in Milne Bay) at 2pm on 18 August 1943.
Gurney was later reinterred in grave A3.D.14 of the Port Moresby Bomana War Cemetery.
On 11 June 1942, in the King's Birthday Honours
The Birthday Honours, in some Commonwealth realms, mark the reigning British monarch's official birthday by granting various individuals appointment into national or dynastic orders or the award of decorations and medals. The honours are present ...
, Gurney was posthumously awarded the Air Force Cross (AFC) for "outstanding ability on seaward reconnaissances".
On 14 September 1942, No. 1 Strip (Fall River) at Milne Bay was officially renamed "Gurney Field" in his honour. This airfield has since become Gurney Airport
An Australian Bofors 40 mm anti-aircraft gun of the 2/9th Light Anti-Aircraft Battery at Milne Bay Gurney Airport No. 1 Airstrip
An Australian P-40 at Milne Bay
Gurney Airport is an airport serving Alotau in the Milne Bay Province of Papua ...
.
Gurney Street
in Townsville, Australia, adjacent to RAAF Townsville where Gurney was based as CO of 33 Squadron, is named after him.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gurney, Charles Raymond
1906 births
1942 deaths
Australian World War II pilots
Australian recipients of the Air Force Cross (United Kingdom)
People from New South Wales
Australian military personnel killed in World War II
Australian aviators
Royal Australian Air Force officers
Royal Australian Air Force personnel of World War II
Burials at Port Moresby (Bomana) War Cemetery