LEST WE FORGET

Flight Sergeant Ernest Edward NORMAN

Service No: 412176
Born: Brisbane QLD, 16 September 1915
Enlisted in the RAAF: 22 June 1941 (at Sydney NSW)
Unit: No. 1662 Conversion Unit (RAF), RAF Station Blyton
Died: Aircraft Accident (No. 1662 Conversion Unit Lancaster aircraft W4893), Irish Sea, 20 July 1943, Aged 27 Years
Buried: Unrecovered
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Ernest Edward and Mary Norman; husband of Veronica Rose Norman, of Annandale, New South Wales, Australia
Roll of Honour: Lismore NSW
Remembered: Panel 193, Runnymede Memorial, Surrey UK
Remembered: Panel 128, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
Remembered: Lismore Cenotaph, Lismore NSW

On 20 July 1943 Lancaster W4893 took off from Blyton to carry out a daytime training flight over the UK. The route was Blyton – Alston – St John – Isle of Man – Bardsey Island –Aberdovey – Thane – Binbrook – Maplethorpe – return to Blyton. Part of the flight was over the sea. The aircraft was to be at Binbrook at 1630 hours to carry out air firing. Nothing was heard from the aircraft and it did not return to base. Despite extensive searches no trace was found of the missing aircraft or crew. It was thought possible that it had crashed in the Welsh mountains. In 1949 it was recorded that the missing crew members had lost their lives at sea.

The crew members of W4893 were:

Sergeant John Haworth (1081225) (RAFVR) (Wireless Operator Air)
Sergeant Dennis Harold Head (1337670) (RAFVR) (Navigator)
Sergeant Joseph George Lysaght (1802900) (RAFVR) (Flight Engineer)
Sergeant George Duffett McCulloch (1567335) (RAFVR) (Air Gunner)
Flight Sergeant Ernest Edward Norman (412176) (Pilot)
Sergeant William Edward Pearce (1817261) (RAFVR) (Air Gunner)
Sergeant Robert Raisbeck (1558903) (RAFVR) (Air Bomber)

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, 166/30/20
Register of War Memorials in New South Wales On-Line

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