B-24 Liberator Memorial Restoration Fund facts for kids
 |
|
| Formation | December 1989 (formal incorporation) |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Werribee, Victoria, Australia |
|
President
|
Lyn Gorman |
|
Vice-President
|
Ken Abbott |
| Website | http://b24australia.org.au/ |
|
Formerly called
|
B-24 Liberator Memorial Fund |
The B-24 Liberator Memorial Restoration Fund is an amazing group in Australia. It's a non-profit organization, meaning it works for a good cause without trying to make money. This special group began in 1988.
Their main mission is to find and carefully restore a Consolidated B-24 Liberator airplane. This plane will become a powerful memorial. It will honor all the brave airmen who flew these planes during World War II. These B-24 Liberators played a big part in protecting Australia during the war.
Most of the plane's pieces were found in the 1990s. The plane is being fixed up in an old World War II hangar. This hangar is in Werribee, Victoria, Australia. The plan is to make the plane look exactly as it did during the war. It won't fly again. Instead, it will be put on display for everyone to see.
Contents
What Was the B-24 Liberator?
The B-24 Liberator was a very large American bomber plane. It was used a lot during World War II. The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) flew 287 of these powerful planes.
These planes were used for bombing missions. They also flew secret operations. After the war, they even helped bring prisoners of war back to Australia. The RAAF stopped using B-24s in 1948. Many old military planes were later sold for scrap. Some were even used as sheds!
Meet Liberator A72-176
This special B-24M Liberator had the RAAF number A72-176. Its USAAF number was 44-41956. This plane was given to the RAAF. However, it never went into combat.
Instead, it was used at RAAF Station Tocumwal. There, it helped train new B-24 crews. In 1948, it was taken apart for scrap metal. A photographer named George Toye bought the main body, called the fuselage. He used it as a temporary home. This was while he built his house in Moe, Victoria. Later, it became a wood shed. Then, it just sat in his backyard for many years.
The Story of "Bunny Hop/Flying Wolf"
Another B-24D Liberator, serial number 42-41091, was built in San Diego. It flew to Australia. Then it went to New Guinea to fight against the Japanese. On December 23, 1943, Japanese fighter planes attacked it.
The plane was badly damaged. Two crew members were hurt. It couldn't fly back to its base. The pilots had to make an emergency landing at Faita Airfield. During the war, useful parts were taken from the plane. The rest of the wreckage was left there. Some parts can still be seen today. This plane was first called "Bunny Hop." But on its last flight, it was named "Flying Wolf." In the late 1990s, the B-24 Liberator Restoration Fund found its wings. These wings are now helping to restore Liberator A72-176.
How the Fund Started
In the 1980s, Eric Clark had an idea. He used to be a radio operator on a Liberator. He suggested to his old pilot, Bob Butler, that they should create a national memorial for the Liberator. In 1988, a meeting was held at RAAF Base Wagga.
The "B-24 Squadrons of Australia" group talked about getting a Liberator for public display. They decided to form the "B-24 Liberator Memorial Fund Incorporated." This group officially became a non-profit organization in December 1989. The word "restoration" was added to the name in 1997.
Finding the Liberator Parts
The very first part of a Liberator found was a hubcap. It was discovered at the old RAAF Station Tocumwal in New South Wales. In 1989, the group learned about the Liberator fuselage in Moe.
After talking things over, they bought the fuselage in 1995. The tail and wings from Liberator 42-41091 (the "Flying Wolf" plane) were found. They were brought back in the late 1990s.
The Museum Home
In 1993, the group started using an old aircraft hangar. This hangar was built by the United States Army Air Force during the war. It's located at the Werribee Satellite Aerodrome.
The land where the hangar sits became part of the Western Treatment Plant. This plant is owned by Melbourne Water. In 2012, Melbourne Water planned to build houses and a school on the site. But in October 2014, good news came! The Victorian Government, Melbourne Water, and the group made an agreement. Melbourne Water would give 1.475 hectares of land to the group. This means the Liberator will have a permanent home.
Restoring the Plane
The work to restore the aircraft has been going on since 1995. By 2015, the main body of the plane was almost finished. Workers were also fixing up engine parts. They were doing electrical work too. It's a huge job to bring such a big plane back to life!
Other Cool Projects
The hangar in Werribee is also home to another restoration project. An Airspeed Oxford trainer plane is being fixed up there. This plane was brought over from New Zealand.
Also, a CAC Boomerang fighter plane, A46-147, moved to the Liberator hangar in 2015. Its owner, Nick Knight, was restoring it. But he ran out of space at home.
