MHA trying to identify 1944 plane wreckage
By STEPHEN LEE, The Georgian
CAPE ST. GEORGE - In 1944 an Amercian Forces plane crashed in the mountains at Cape St. George. There were 18 passengers on board, only 11 made it out alive. Now, on the 50th anniversary of the fatal accident, Gerald Smith, MHA for Port au Port district, wants to know more.
"I can envision erecting a plaque with the names of the people who died here, after all it is a part of the history of the area," he says. "And who knows maybe the family of the people on the plane would like to visit the site. I'd say none of them have ever seen it."
In his search for more information Mr. Smith spoke with Alfred Marche and his wife Josephine. Mr. Marche was one of a group of men who carried the injured down From the crash site on the day of the accident. He says it happened on Sunday, Nov. 12, 1944. He was 27 years old.
"A man from here, Harry Crietian, was checking his rabbit snares and he came across one of the survivors who was walking out," Mr. Marche says. "Harry gave the man directions and then went on to the wreck to help. The American walked down to the post office to the telephone and that is when we found out about the crash, so we went up to help."
When Mr. Marche arrived on the scene he was homfierf'ar what he saw.
"There were men with stumps driven through their bodies and they were all burned up," he says. "And there was a horrible smell."
Mr. Marche says a second survivor who appeared uninjured was in control of the situation and was treating the rest of the survivors. More military personnel arrived from Stephenville and brought with them stretchers to carry out the injured and body bags for the dead.
"I remember the man I helped carry out was Polish. He was a big man and was he ever cross, but, I can understand why being in all that pain," He says.
Mr. Marche was one of four men carrying the stretcher. They walked through the woods for more than two hours to bring the soldier to the road where military medics treated them before sending them to Stephenville.
"They looked pretty broken up when we carried them out," he says. 'But it would be nice to see them again, to know they made it"
That was the last Mr. Marche heard about the survivors. He doesn't know how many of the injured men lived. All he knows is that the military took his name and sent him a check for $10. "That was a lot of money at that time," he says.
It has been years since Mr. Marche has been to the crash site, but he says he would like to return, especially if it is declared as a memorial site. He Would also like to know how many of the men survived the ordeal and if any are still living today.
"They looked pretty broken up when we carried them out," he says. 'But it would be nice to see them again, to know they made it".
Alfred Marche and his wife Josephine of Cape St. George remember the crash. Mr. Marche was one of a group who carried out the injured survivers. They told Gerald Smith about the incident when he visited the district on Thursday.
Source: The Georgian, Sept 20, 1994
