Coomalie Creek Airfield, Northern Territory during WW2

Coomalie Creek airfield was a World War 2 airfield located in the Northern Territory. The North West Area Headquarters were located approximately 6 kms south along the Stuart Highway. Coomalie Creek was located only about 10 miles from Batchelor airfield.

In the first weeks in November 1942, when 31 Squadron RAAF arrived at Coomalie Creek with their Beaufighters, Coomalie Creek airfield was still very new. Workmen were still finishing off the earthworks and the few essential camp buildings. The airfield was only available for limited use and aircraft had to take care not to collide with machinery or workmen.

When 31 Squadron arrived, everyone was in tents. The only buildings were the messes, cookhouses and a storeroom. Showers and toilets were all in the open. They were soon able to get a roof for the toilets. An orderly room, sick quarters and an operations/intelligence room were then built using voluntary labour. Slit trenches were also built in case of Japanese air raids.

31 Squadron flew their first operational mission out of Coomalie Creek on 17 November when six Beaufighters made strafing attacks on Moabissi and Bobanaro on Timor.

The airfield still existed in 1995 and was then part of Coomalie Farm owned by Richard Luxton, a lecturer in Architecture at the University of Northern Territory in Darwin. Members of 31 Squadron RAAF revisited Coomalie Creek Airfield in August 1995 to mark the 50th anniversary. The saw a replica of their Squadron Chapel that had been rebuilt at Coomalie Creek. They had laid a 31 Squadron RAAF memorial plaque there back in 1988.

UNITS BASED AT COOMALIE CREEK
No. 1 Photographic Reconnaissance Unit (1PRU) RAAF (Wirraways, Buffalos, Lancers, Lightnings and Mosquitoes)
31 Squadron RAAF (Beaufighters)

Section 51 Special Wireless Group were based near Coomalie Creek airfield. They were a secret intercept group who monitored Japanese radio signals.

abt Nov 42	Coomalie Creek	RAAF	Beaufighter	A19-65
23 Nov 42	near Coomalie Creek	Japanese	Japanese bomber	shot down during bombing raid on Coomalie Creek airfield
23 Nov 42	near Coomalie Creek	Japanese	Japanese bomber	shot down during bombing raid on Coomalie Creek airfield
abt Dec 42	Coomalie Creek	RAAF	Beaufighter	A19-45
27 Jan 43	Coomalie Creek	RAAF	F.VC Spitfire	A58-55 (BR549), mid air collision with A58-73 (see below)
27 Jan 43	Coomalie Creek	RAAF	F.VC Spitfire	A58-73 (BS184), mid air collision with A58-55 (see above), 1 killed
25 Feb 43	Coomalie Creek	RAAF	Beaufighter	?
abt Mar 43	Coomalie Creek	RAAF	Beaufighter	A19-66
abt Mar 43	Coomalie Creek	RAAF	Beaufighter	A19-81
2 Mar 43	Coomalie Creek	RAAF	Beaufighter	A19-31
21 May 43	Coomalie Creek	RAAF	Beaufighter	?
31 May 43	Coomalie Creek	RAAF	Beaufighter	A19-103
abt Jun 43	Coomalie CReek	RAAF	Beaufighter	A19-62
abt 7 Jun 43	Coomalie Creek	RAAF	Beaufighter	A19-112
21 Nov 43	10 miles inland from Junction Bay (Coomalie Creek area)	RAAF	Beaufighter	A19-145
abt Nov 43	Coomalie Creek	RAAF	Beaufighter	A19-82
abt Apr 44	Coomalie Creek	RAAF	Beaufighter	A19-98
abt Jul 44	near Coomalie Creek	RAAF	Beaufighter	A19-193
abt Aug 44	Coomalie Creek	RAAF	Beaufighter	A19-172
abt Nov 44	Coomalie Creek	RAAF	Beaufighter	A8-17
7 Mar 45	Coomalie Creek	RAAF	Mosquito	A52-26, crashed on landing
abt Jun 45	Coomalie Creek	RAAF	Mosquito	A52-611
abt Aug 45	Coomalie Creek	RAAF	Mosquito	A52-605

23 Nov 42	Coomalie Creek airfield
27 Nov 42 (03:56 - 04:46 am)	Coomalie Creek airfield, Hughes & Strauss airfields were also bombed
2 Mar 43 (2:34 pm)	Coomalie Creek airfield
13 Aug 43 (11:12 pm)	Coomalie Creek airfield, Fenton airfield was also bombed
21 Aug 43 (03:07 am)	Coomalie Creek airfield, Fenton airfield was also bombed
10 Nov 43	Coomalie Creek airfield

"Coomalie Charlie's Commandos - 31 Squadron RAAF"
"Beaufighters at Darwin 1942-43"
by Kenneth Neal McDonald, DFC

I'd like to thank John Gray and Julie Boysen for their assistance with this web page.

I need your help

Copyright

� Peter Dunn 2015

Disclaimer

Please e-mail me
any information or photographs

"Australia @ War"
8GB USB Memory Stick