LEST WE FORGET
Flying Officer Bernard Joseph COLEMAN
Service No: 411287
Born: Newcastle NSW, 28 November 1915
Enlisted in the RAAF: 28 April 1941
Unit: No. 56 Squadron (RAF)
Died: Aircraft Accident (No. 56 Squadron Typhoon aircraft PN433), Norfolk, 20 January 1943, Aged 27 Years
Buried: Scottow Cemetery, Norfolk
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Francis Bernard and Jessie Mary Coleman, of Merewether, New South Wales, Australia
Roll of Honour: Newcastle NSW
Remembered: Panel 120, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
Remembered: NSW Department of Education Teachers and Trainees WW2 Honour Roll, Sydney NSW
At 0930 hours on 20 January 1943 Typhoon PN433 took off to carry out a non-operational day practice battle formation and crashed near Bickling, Norfolk. An accident occurred when PN433 collided with R8822 flown by Pilot Officer McKenzie. The formation was in a thin layer of cloud at the time. PN433 was flying on the left of a V formation behind R8822. PN433 slid across underneath R8822 and the propeller of R8822 cut off the tail of Flying Officer Coleman’s aircraft that then crashed and he was killed.
References:
Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour On-Line Records (RAAF Casualty Information compiled by Alan Storr (409804))
Commonwealth War Graves Commission On-Line Records
Department of Veterans’ Affairs On-Line WWII Nominal Roll
National Archives of Australia On-Line Record A705, 166/8/28
Register of War Memorials in New South Wales On-Line