LEST WE FORGET

Sergeant William David NORMAN

Service No: 404315
Born: Melbourne VIC, 20 September 1916
Enlisted in the RAAF: 16 August 1940 (at Brisbane QLD)
Unit: No. 66 Squadron (RAF), RAF Station Portreath, Cornwall
Died: Aircraft Accident (No. 66 Squadron Spitfire aircraft AB496), Cornwall, 24 March 1942, Aged 25 Years
Buried: Illogan (St Illogan) Churchyard, Portreath, Cornwall
CWGC Additional Information: Son of William David and Alice Mabel Norman, of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
Roll of Honour: Brisbane QLD
Remembered: Panel 128, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT

Spitfires AB496 flown by Sergeant Norman and AB462 flown by Squadron Leader Cremin took off from Portreath detailed to carry out night flying practice. The weather was clear with moonlight. During the practice the aircraft collided in the air. AB462 spun in minus its starboard wing, and AB496 dived vertically into the ground. No parachutes were used and both pilots were killed. AB496 crashed at Frythem Farm in St Erth, Cornwall. A subsequent Court of Inquiry into the accident found “that AB496 had misjudged the distance between itself and AB462 and it collided with the starboard side of the fuselage and main plane of AB462.”

The Pilots were:

Squadron Leader Daniel Edward Cremin DFC (36124) (RAF) (Pilot Spitfire AB462)
Sergeant William David Norman (403315) (Pilot Spitfire AB496)

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, 163/147/198

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