LEST WE FORGET
Flight Sergeant William Henry DANIEL
Service No: 9344
Born: Maryborough QLD, 8 September 1920
Enlisted in the RAAF: 26 February 1940
Unit: No. 567 Squadron (RAF), RAF Station Hornchurch, Essex
Died: Aircraft Accident (No. 567 Squadron Hurricane aircraft LF537), Kent, 23 November 1944, Aged 24 Years
Buried: Maidstone Cemetery, Kent
CWGC Additional Information: Son of William Mabin Daniel and Bertha May Eliza Daniel, of Wynnum North, Queensland, Australia
Roll of Honour: Wynnum QLD
Remembered: Panel 121, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
On 23 November 1944, Hurricane LF567 took off from Hornchurch detailed to carry out an anti-aircraft cooperation flight. The aircraft crashed at 1130 hours in Squirrel Wood, Stockbury and Flight Sergeant Daniel was killed.
A report into the accident stated: “the aircraft was engaged in an ack-ack cooperation flight, and it can only be surmised that the cause of the accident was loss of control in cloud, resulting in the aircraft striking the ground at Headton at high velocity. The wreckage shows signs of a high speed high angle crash. The weather conditions at the time were poor. The aircraft had flown over the aerodrome at 500 feet immediately prior to the accident and it appeared normal. The Pilot had called for a ’homing” and reported that he was in cloud. Bad weather appears to be the most contributory factor to the accident.”
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, 166/9/462