LEST WE FORGET
Flying Officer William Max HOOPER
Service No: 416577
Born: St Peters SA, 6 February 1923
Enlisted in the RAAF: 21 July 1941
Unit: No. 5 (Pilot) Advanced Flying Unit (RAF)
Died: Aircraft Accident (No. 5 (Pilot) Advanced Flying Unit Master DL685), Shropshire, 26 February 1943, Aged 20 Years
Buried: Stoke-Upon-Tern (St Peter) Church Cemetery, Shropshire
CWGC Additional Information: Son of William and Amy Marian Soubie Hooper, of Glenelg, South Australia
Roll of Honour: Glenelg SA
Remembered: Panel 124, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
Remembered: World War II Honour Roll, National War Memorial of SA, North Terrace, Adelaide
On 26 February 1943, Master DL685 took off from RAF Tern Hill on a solo non-operational night training flight, and crashed at 2050 hours near Woodworth farm Bunbury. After take off, the aircraft flew some 4/500 yards without reaching a height of more than 25 feet, and it touched the top of low trees and crashed and Flying Hooper was killed.
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, 166/18/41