LEST WE FORGET
Flight Sergeant George Forbes SHERWIN
Service No: 404942
Born: Merrylands NSW, 6 October 1913
Enlisted in the RAAF: 3 January 1941 (at Brisbane QLD)
Unit: No. 75 Squadron
Died: Aircraft Accident (No. 75 Squadron Kittyhawk aircraft A29-125), Turnbull Airfield PNG, 24 March 1943, Aged 29 Years
Buried: Port Moresby (Bomana) War Cemetery PNG
CWGC Additional Information: Son of George Reynolds Sherwin and Lillian Isabel Sherwin; husband of Madeline Anne Sherwin, of Kingsford, New South Wales
Roll of Honour: Sydney NSW
Remembered: Panel 104, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
At 1800 hours on 24 March 1943, Flying Officer George Hubert Newborne Shiells DFC (400358) (O33077) (Discharged: 13 June 1974) the Officer-in-Charge of Night Flying was informed that Flight Sergeant Sherwin and Sergeant Robert William Smith (410015) (Discharged from the RAAF: 23 June 1945) had been detailed to carry out dusk landings, followed by night interception with search light co-operation. Flying Officer Sheils then reported: “at 1928 hours, Flight Sergeant Sherwin in A29-125 took off followed by Smith in A29-126. I had instructed Sherwin to make his first landing about 1936 hours. I saw his navigation lights as he approached the flare path from the seaward end of the airstrip. He was making a left hand turn onto the flare path but swung too far out to his right so that he had to do an S turn back. When he finally straightened up he was still drifting off the flare path. The aircraft was almost in a stalled condition but had not touched down when he opened the throttle having apparently decided to go around again. The aircraft was still drifting and travelling along the strip with wheels retracted and flaps down. It was not gaining height. It appeared that he pulled the stick back to clear the Operations hut and then tried to climb over palm trees, but the aircraft crashed.”
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, 166/37/61; A9845, 5