This circular brass Orientation Table has the following inscribed around the edge:
"Newcastle City Council Braye Park Lookout"
And, in the centre of the brass disk is inscribed:
"To Perpetuate
The Memory of
Ross Braye
R.A.A.F.
Killed in Action - Libya
December 1941"
Going clockwise from North, the locations identified (not all of which can be physically seen) are:
- North
* Dungog: 34 miles
* Raymond Terrace: 10 miles
- Magnetic North
* Gloucester: 63 miles
* Stroud: 36 miles; Tomago Sands: 7 miles; Grahamstown Water Supply: 10 miles
* Williamtown Aerodrome: 10 miles
* Tea Gardens: 30 miles
* Nelson Bay: 28 miles
* ???
-*East/Stockton Beach: 4 miles
* Nobbys: 5 miles
* Newcastle: ??
* Shepherds Hill: 4 miles
* Merewether Beach: 4 miles
* Adamstown: 2 miles
- South
* Norah Heads: 38 miles
* Pelican Aerodrome: 12 miles; Swansea: 14 miles
* Lake Munmorah Power Station: 23 miles
* Vales point: 21 miles
* Wangi Power Station: 14 miles; Blackbutt Lookout: 2½ miles
* Speers Point: 7 miles
* The Gap: 14 miles
* Wollombi: 33 miles
-*West/West Wallsend: 8 miles
* Wallsend: 3 miles
* Great Sugarloaf: 10 miles
* Cessnock: 21 miles
* Kurri Kurri: 15 miles
* Singleton: ?? miles
* Maitland: 10 miles
* Beresfield: 8 miles
* Barrington Tops: ?? miles
* Chichester Dam: 45 miles
[?? numbers have been abraded, so as to be unreadable]
Additional information on Ross Braye has been found from the Australian War Memorial, and the 3rd Squadron RAAF webpages:
"Leading Aircraftman Robert Allan Ross BRAYE, service number 6137, is buried at Knightsbridge War Cemetery, Acroma, Libya. Plot 15, row B, grave 17. Age 24.
"Son of Thomas Alfred Inglis Braye and Sarah Brewer Braye. Husband of Gladys Olive Braye, of Kurri Kurri, New South Wales, Australia.
"On 26/12/41, while collecting a new coil for his truck which had broken down, Leading Aircraftman Braye was killed instantly when a single enemy aircraft bombed No.121 Maintenance Unit. Corporal A. Campbell, No.8788, was seriously injured and admitted to 62nd General Hospital at Tobruk. Leading Aircraftman Braye was buried the next day by the 118 kilo post on the Tobruk to Derna road near Gazala No.2 airstrip." 3rd Squadron RAAF: (
visit link)
The Australian War Memorial has a public domain photo of the funeral of Ross Braye in Libya, which is included in the photos for this Waymark. (
visit link)
This Orientation Plaque is also listed in the War Memorials Register site: (
visit link)
Address: Braye Park Lookout, Boomerang Road, off Edit Street. Waratah, NSW, 2298.
Visited: 1051, Sunday, 23 October, 2016