AIRCDRE Keith Parsons (Ret'd) unveiled the new plaque on ANZAC Day eve.

The hazards of wartime aviation and lost friends were fresh in the memories of Beaufort bomber veterans who gathered at the Australian War Memorial on ANZAC Day eve.

Around 130 former crewmen, their families and friends attended the dedication of a new plaque to be installed in the sculpture garden.

Air Commodore Keith Parsons (Ret'd) unveiled the plaque honouring all those who flew, built and maintained the Beaufort.

The Beaufort served in countless bombing and reconnaissance missions during World War II and was important in Allied resistance to the Japanese advance in the southern Pacific.

Story and photograph courtesy of The Canberra Times.

Story John-Paul Moloney
Photograph by Graham Tidy