On 21 August, 1945, a crew from the Royal Air Force (from Cocos Island, Australia) were sent to make a supply drop in Malaya (Malaysia). This was just after receiving information that the Japanese had surrendered, and World War 2 was over.
The crew of B-24 Liberator bomber KL654-R together with several others took off on their mission to Malaya. According to history reports, the mission should have lasted no more than four hours. Unfortunately, due to engine failure the bomber crashed into a ravine in Kuala Pilah, Negeri Sembilan.
The crew comprised of eight personnel, all in their 20s except for one. They were:
- Flight Lieutenant John Selwyn Watts, 24, from Crofton, Yorkshire. Pilot
- Flying Officer Edward Donald Mason, 22, from Sheffield, Yorkshire. 2nd Pilot
- Warrant Officer William Kenneth Dovey, 21, from Ludlow, Salop. Navigator.
- Flight Sergeant Jack Blakey, 31, from Boston, Lincolnshire. Flight engineer.
- Flight Sergeant William Ross, 23, from Gateshead, Durham. Rear air gunner.
- Flight Sergeant Raymond Arthur Towell, 21, from Wellingborough, Northamptonshire. Front air gunner.
- Flying Officer John Trevor Bromfield, 20, from Cheam, Surrey. Air bombardier.
- Warrant Officer Arthur Turner, 22, from Dewsbury, Yorkshire. Wireless operator.
The wreckage was discovered in 1991 by the Orang Asli, which subsequently led to a privately funded expedition in 2009 to unearth the remains of the fallen servicemen.
The remains of the air crash victims of B-24 Liberator bomber KL654-R will be buried with full military honours, witnessed by their family members on 18 October 2012, at the Cheras War Graves Cemetery, Taman Pertama.
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