LEST WE FORGET
Flight Sergeant Wilfred Herbert Aloysius DALY
Service No: 415623
Born: Mt. Hawthorn WA, 21 June 1918
Enlisted in the RAAF: 7 December 1941
Unit: No. 1662 Conversion Unit (RAF), RAF Blyton, Lincolnshire
Died: Aircraft Accident (No. 1662 Conversion Unit Halifax aircraft V9983), Lincolnshire, 7 February 1944, Aged 25 Years
Buried: Cambridge City Cemetery, Cambridgeshire
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Patrick Joseph and Alice Kate Daly, of Leederville, Western Australia.
Roll of Honour: Perth WA
Remembered: Panel 121, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
Remembered: Cenotaph Undercroft, State War Memorial, Kings Park WA
On 7 February 1944, Halifax V9983 took off from RAF Blyton at 2013 hours for solo night circuits and landings, but crashed within five minutes of commencing the exercise. The Instructor had just handed over the aircraft to the Student Pilot who had safely completed his dual instruction. The aircraft crashed at the start of the downward leg about five miles from the aerodrome. Eye witnesses said the aircraft did a sharp turn to the right with the nose dropping, and it went into a dive and hit the ground. In their opinion the sharp turn was carried out to avoid another aircraft in the vicinity. The aircraft crashed just off the east Lound to Graizelound road, near Haxey, Lincolnshire, and all on board were killed.
The crew members of V9983 were:
Flight Sergeant Wilfred Herbert Aloysius Daly (415623) (Pilot)
Sergeant Thomas Riddle Davison (1367521) (RAFVR) (Flight Engineer)
Sergeant Harry Raymond Freeman (1818935) (RAFVR) (Air Gunner)
Sergeant Joseph Edwin George Nowlan (1585902) (RAFVR) (Wireless Air Gunner)
Sergeant Leslie Norman Singer (1578129) (RAFVR) (Navigator)
Sergeant Richard John Payne (1528967) (RAFVR) (Air Gunner)
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 Veteran’s Affairs On-Line WWII Nominal Roll
National Archives of Australia On-Line Record A705, 166/9/248