LEST WE FORGET
Flight Sergeant George William WOODD
Service No: 426208
Born: Bowen QLD, 13 February 1919
Enlisted in the RAAF: 23 May 1942
Unit: No. 106 Squadron (RAF), RAF Station Metheringham
Died: Air Operations: (No. 106 Squadron Lancaster aircraft JB292), France, 8 May 1944, Aged 25 Years
Buried: Orleans Main Cemetery, Loiret, France
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Holysake Harry and Margaret Jane Woodd, of Mackay, Queensland, Australia
Roll of Honour: Mackay QLD
Remembered: Panel 132, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
At 2210 hours on the night of 7 May 1944 Lancaster JB292 took off from Metheringham detailed to bomb an ammunition dump at Salbris, France. Nothing was heard from the aircraft after take-off and it failed to return to base. A Missing Research and Enquiry team report stated “the aircraft exploded when hit and crashed at Ouzouer-Le-Doyen, 26kms north east of Vendome, France.”
All the crew members had been killed.
The crew members of JB292 were:
Pilot Officer Cyril Alfred Bartlett (170963) (RAFVR) (Pilot)
Flight Sergeant Edward Charles Fry (603443) (RAFVR) (Air Bomber)
Flight Sergeant Robert Antoine Frederick Loretan (1295153) (RAFVR) (Navigator)
Sergeant Herbert Gordon Pratt (1202339) (RAFVR) (Wireless Air Gunner)
Sergeant Brian Douglas West (1851950) (RAFVR) (Flight Engineer)
Sergeant Raymond George Williams (1652811) (RAFVR) (Mid Upper Gunner)
Sergeant George William Woodd (426208) (Rear 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 Veterans’ Affairs On-Line WWII Nominal Roll
National Archives of Australia On-Line Record A705, 166/44/128