LEST WE FORGET
Sergeant John Robert WORWOOD
Service No: 402558
Born: Sydney NSW, 13 November 1921
Enlisted in the RAAF: 16 September 1940
Unit: Overseas Aircraft Delivery Unit (RAF)
Died: Air Operations: (Overseas Aircraft Delivery Unit Wellington aircraft Z8952), central Mediterranean, 21 February 1942, Aged 20 Years
Buried: Salerno War Cemetery, Italy
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Isaac Norman and Annie Gwendoline Worwood, of Maroubra, New South Wales, Australia
Roll of Honour: Unknown
Remembered: Panel 133, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
Wellington Z8952 left the UK for transit to the Middle East. It reached Gibraltar safely and departed on the second stage at 1940 hours on 20 February 1942. At approximately 0100 hours on the following morning a distress message was received. The aircraft was in contact with Malta at 0235 hours but after that nothing was heard. The aircraft did not reach its destination and it was presumed that the aircraft had crashed into the sea. The body of one crew member was recovered from the shore at St Leone (Agrigento) by a motor fishing boat.
The crew members of Z8952 were:
Sergeant Eric Milne Chalmers Fahmy (1365560) (RAFVR)
Sergeant Henry Charles Hadley (1061456) (RAFVR)
Sergeant Peter Frank Monk (1181413) (RAFVR) (Pilot)
Sergeant Ernest Graham Oakley (904174) (RAFVR)
Sergeant Roy Rowley (926656) (RAFVR)
Sergeant John Robert Worwood (402558) (Observer) Remains recovered
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, 163/179/238