Airman’s Cousin finds Closure in Remains Discovery
Left, Iris and Ray Page of Glenfield, Auckland.
Ray is Sgt Mel Moxsom's cousin.
An Auckland man has found closure regarding a World War Two air crash tragedy which claimed the life a much-loved cousin more than 60 years ago.
The closure follows the discovery of remains of young Kiwi airman found in the Solomon Islands by NZ Police.
On May 28 1945, 62 years ago, five young men died when a Royal New Zealand Air Force Ventura Aircraft departed Honiara on an operational mission.
The aircraft carried four depth charges and failed to clear high country on Malaita Island and crashed into a steep hillside, exploding on impact. There were no survivors and the scarce partial remains which were found at the time, were buried followed by a short service.
Ray Page, now 84 years old, of Glenfield, Auckland, was a cousin and close mate of the navigator of the aircrew, Sergeant Melville Pascoe Lawrence Moxsom of Morrinsville.
It was Mel’s first mission and he had only been on Guadalcanal Island one day before the tragic crash. Mel was an only child and his parents are now dead.
The evening before the crash, Mel and Ray shared a couple of beers in the Mess. At the time, Ray was an engineer in the Air Force working on Guadalcanal Island.
Mel had hoped to be posted close to his cousin, and was delighted to catch up with him soon after arriving on the island.
“Mel was so pleased to see my father,” says Ray Page’s daughter, Julie Beadle, from Christchurch.
Mel offered to arrange a seat on the flight for Ray as an observer. Ray turned the opportunity down because he didn’t particularly like flying, despite being in the Air Force.
The next morning, the 20-year-old, with four others, cleared the runway but never came back.
“For us, the discovery of these remains is a wonderful and remarkable thing. It gives us an opportunity for some sense of closure while my father is still alive.
“It means a lot to us. My father was in the Air Force and Mel and his cousin were very close. Mel was an only child and was one of the few male cousins within the family.”
There’s been a real sadness in the family with Mel’s loss, says Julie.
“It [Mel'sdeath] has been traumatic for my father. He was on the island when the crash occurred, so this discovery is poignant for the whole family.”
Ray’s wife of 57 years, Iris, says that over the last three months Ray has talked about Mel frequently.
Although he has problems with short term memory recall, Iris says he was always clear about the past and openly shared his military experiences with his family.
Julie first became aware of the search for relatives while reading the newspaper this week. When she read the story and saw Mel’s name printed there, she recognised it immediately.
“I phoned Mum (Iris Page) straight away and she broke the news to Dad. She couldn’t believe it.”
Iris had served in the Royal Australian Air Force as a weather observer between 1943 and 1946 and knows full well the anguish of being witness to crews that never returned home.
The role saw her attend many aircrew pre-flight mission briefings. In her four years service, there were an “awful lot that never came back,” she says.
Iris says Ray remembers that the aircraft was flying in formation with other aircraft and Mel’s plane was on the wing of the group. The plane just didn’t clear the hill, she says.
“Ray remembers the news sweeping through the Air Force units like wild fire. Nothing much could be done about it, the hill was hidden and it was at the end of the island,” she says.
Julie says her father was there when the plane did not come back.
“But he kept the memory of Mel alive and as children we grew up with a real but abstract family tragedy.”
Finding these remains now means there is a sense of connection for the whole family, she says.
“We have recognition and even my children, who are young adults, have a tangible link to Mel in their lives now.”
Anzac Day will become even more special, she says.
“We will feel for men and have that renewed recognition of sacrifice.
“It makes you realise the prices people paid, especially the young men, who never came home. This discovery will impact on a whole lot of people.”
ENDS
For further information please contact Denise Landau, Defence Public Relations, Phone 04 496 0225
Other crew members of Ventura PV-1 NZ4578 were:
• Flying Officer Keith Maxwell Graham (pilot) 20, of Franz Josef
• Flight Sergeant Leo Parkes Marshall (wireless operator) 20, of Raurimu
• Sergeant Eric George Priest (air gunner) 21, of Thames
• Sergeant Douglas David Read (air gunner) 20, of Kohu Kohu.
Return to the Feature Summary