LEST WE FORGET
Flight Sergeant Norman Walter Ross WOOD
Service No: 402178
Born: St Peters NSW, 15 February 1920
Enlisted in the RAAF: 24 June 1940
Unit: No. 247 Squadron (RAF)
Died: Aircraft Accident (No. 247 Squadron Hurricane aircraft BN220), Cornwall, 7 February 1942, Aged 21 Years
Buried: Landewednack (St Winwallow) Churchyard, Cornwall
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Eric Harold and Myra Edith Wood, of Coogee, New South Wales, Australia
Roll of Honour: Sydney NSW
Remembered: Panel 132, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
On 7 February 1942 Hurricane BN220 flown by Flight Sergeant Wood crashed at Predannack and he was killed. The aircraft got into difficulties at too low to enable the Pilot to make use of his parachute. A Court of Inquiry found that: “the accident was an error of judgement by the Pilot in attempting to execute a roll at high speed and at such a height as to make recovery impossible.”
In his comments on the findings of the Court, the Station Commander stated: “I witnessed the accident from the air at a height of 1,000 feet and adjacent to the position which the Pilot chose to attempt a climbing roll. I saw the Pilot pull out of a dive at a low height and roll on to his back at approximately 500 feet. He continued to climb on his back and then at about the level at which I was flying at 1,000 feet he flicked into a spin from which he never recovered and the aircraft hit the ground and burst into flames. This regrettable flying accident must primarily be contributed to by a flagrant breach of flying regulations.”
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, 163/179/133