Date:	Wednesday 20 October 1943
Time:	09:10 EAST
Type:	de Havilland DH-82A Tiger Moth
Owner/operator:	11 EFTS, RAAF
Registration:	A17-144
MSN:	DHA.142
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1
Other fatalities:	0
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	10 miles West of Benalla, Victoria -   Australia
Phase:	En route
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RAAF Benalla, Victoria (BLN/YNBA)
Destination airport:	RAAF Benalla, Victoria (BLN/YNBA)

Narrative:
DH.82A Tiger Moth A17-144 of 11 EFTS, Benalla, Victoria: Written off (destroyed) when crashed and destroyed by fire 10 miles West of Benalla. Victoria 20.10.43. Pilot - LAC Murray Percival Thorburn (Service Number 430588, aged 19) - was killed. The incident was reported at the time in a contemporary local newspaper (Border Morning Mail (Albury, NSW) Friday 22 October 1943 Page 4 - see link #2)

"Walwa Trainee Killed in Air Crash:
MELBOURNE. Thursday.
During a training flight on Tuesday. a RAAF aircrew trainee crashed in Victoria while flying solo and was killed. He was LAC Murray Percival Thorburn, of Walwa (Vic). Before enlisting in the RAAF, Thorburn was in an AMP signals unit. In civil life he was a bank clerk."

The details were scarce at the time due to wartime censorship restrictions. According to one later source (see link #9) which provides more details

"At 09:10 hours, on the 20th of October, Murray was strapped into Tiger Moth A17-144. It was a lovely morning for a solo flight. He was keen to add to his already 15 hours of solo time. Up in the air, alone in his aircraft, he was no doubt feeling free and easy. The October skies around Benalla would have provided perfect flying conditions. Unfortunately, he was flying too low, trying to “shoot up” the farmhouse where his girlfriend lived, when the aircraft hit a small rise causing it to dive into the ground and burst into flames.

Murray’s funeral took place at Benalla War Cemetery the day after the accident. Canon Crigan of the Church of England officiated.

Murray is remembered at the Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, the Commercial Banking Company of Sydney WW2 Honour Roll and the Walwa WW2 Honour Roll".

Struck off charge 26.10.43.

1. https://air-britain.com/pdfs/production-lists/DH82.pdf
2. Border Morning Mail (Albury, NSW) Friday 22 October 1943 Page 4 Walwa Trainee Killed in Air Crash: https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/254935459
3. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/249852473/murray-percival-thorburn
4. https://aviationmuseumwa.org.au/afcraaf-roll/thorburn-murray-percival-430588/
5. http://www.adf-serials.com.au/2a17a.htm
6. https://vwma.org.au/explore/people/514325
7. https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/P10320509
8. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/dh/pAus1.html
9. https://placesofpride.awm.gov.au/stories/169736/biography-murray-thorburn
10. CWGC: https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/2246899/murray-percival-thorburn/
11. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._11_Elementary_Flying_Training_School_RAAF
12. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benalla_Airport

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
10-Apr-2025 01:13	Dr. John Smith	Added