Commemorating the air raid on Broome

Sunday 3 March 2019 will mark the 77th anniversary of the World War II air raid on Broome that killed 88 people and destroyed 22 Australian, Dutch and US aircraft.

On the morning of 3 March 1942, nine Japanese Zero fighters and a reconnaissance plane swooped down over Broome, leading to the second-greatest wartime loss of life on Australian soil.

This tragic event also included amazing tales of survival and bravery, including the shooting down from the ground of a Zero by Dutch pilot Lt Gus Winckel, and the rescue by the Beagle Bay community of the crew and passengers from a Dutch DC3 that was shot down and crash landed at Carnot Bay.

Broome Shire President, Harold Tracey, said that this Sunday, 3 March, there would be a short commemorative service and wreath laying starting at 9am sharp at Bedford Park.

“I would encourage the Broome community to join the Broome RSL, Shire of Broome and others at this time to commemorate this very significant occasion that played a big part in shaping our town as we know it today,” Cr Tracey said.

“I hope the people of Broome will keep turning out to Bedford Memorial Park each year to keep alive the memory of this very important event.”

Interpretive information about the air raid is on display year-round at the Broome Historical Society Museum, Bedford Memorial Park and in Chinatown.