Booth, Norman Robert

Personal Information

Rank F/S
Forename(s) Norman Robert
Surname Booth
Gender M
Age 37
Decorations
Date of Death 04-11-1944
Next of Kin Son of George and Maud Booth, of York. Husband of Monica Booth, of York, whom he married on 25th August 1943 at St. Wilfred’s Catholic Church in Duncombe Place, York
BOOTH NR

Aircraft Information

Aircraft Avro Lancaster I
Serial Number ME835
Markings AS-T

Memorial Information

Burial/Memorial Country United Kingdom
Burial/Memorial Place Runnymede Memorial
Grave Reference Panel 215.
Epitaph

IBCC Memorial Information

Phase 1
Panel Number 11

Enlistment Information

Service Number 1549743
Service Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
Group 1
Squadron 166
Trade Navigator
Country of Origin United Kingdom

Other Memorials

Location Terminal Building, Humberside Airport, Lincolnshire
Country United Kingdom
Memorial Type Air Ministry WWII Bell & Inscribed Metal Plaques
Memorial Text To commemorate the aircrew of 166 Sqn RAF who were killed in action flying from RAF Kirmington during WW2
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Location Adjacent to Terminal Building, Humberside Airport, Lincolnshire
Country United Kingdom
Memorial Type Info Board & Inscribed Stone Monument
Memorial Text In memory of the aircrew from many nations who flew with 166 Sqn RAF who were killed in action flying from RAF Kirmington during WW2
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Location Memorial Gardens, Kirmington, Lincolnshire
Country United Kingdom
Memorial Type Inscribed Plaques
Memorial Text Memorials to those who served on 166 Sqn flying from RAF Kirminton during WW2, including those who flew on Op MANNA
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Location St. Helena's Church, Kirmington, Lincolnshire
Country United Kingdom
Memorial Type Stained Glass Window, Inscribed Metal Plaque & Roll of Honour
Memorial Text In memory of the members of 166 Sqn RAF who flew from RAF Kirmington during WW2 and did not return
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Miscellaneous Information

Born November 1908 in Leaman Road, York where his father had been born 20 years earlier; his mother was from the Groves area of York. However, by 1911 they had moved to 12, Clayton Street, Marygate, York. Norman’s father, George was a motor mechanic & driver. He had flown 28 operations since July 1944.

Commonwealth War Graves Commission

The National Archives

Fellow Servicemen

Last Operation Information

Start Date 04-11-1944
End Date 05-11-1944
Takeoff Station Kirmington
Day/Night Raid Night (77% moon)
Operation Bochum
Reason for Loss Lost without trace with crew of seven. Possibly collided with Halifax MZ896 QB-Q of 424 Squadron as they approached the Dutch coast. A collision and explosion was witnessed by F/L Joseph B. Herman RAAF of 466 Squadron and described on page 166 of "Raider- the Halifax and its Flyers". Although the two aircraft were not identified at the time, there were only two aircraft lost on this attack not otherwise accounted for so it is highly likely that this accounts for the disappearance of both aircraft. The position of the collision is thought to be between The Hook of Holland and the small village of Ter Heijde. F/L Herman was unable to report his sighting to the authorities at the time since his own aircraft was shown down during this operation and he became a PoW. F/L Herman's survival in itself is a miracle since he was blown clear of the aircraft before he had chance to clip on his parachute and free fell 12,000 feet before miraculously finding the foot of his mid-upper gunner and hanging on. Both landed heavily but survived.
 
 
 
 

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Casualty Pack

IBCC is delighted to introduce a unique facility to link the Losses Database to the relevant RAF Casualty Pack on the National Archives website. This project is the result of on-going collaboration between IBCC, the MOD Records Office and National Archives, Kew. This document describes what Casualty Packs are, when they were created, the process of making them available to the public and then goes on to describe the process by which you can view the contents of the packs. Casualty Packs (CPs) were created by the RAF whenever there was serious injury or loss of life associated with operational activity within the RAF. This includes operational flying losses, enemy action due to air raids, road accidents either on station or even off-station if they involved RAF vehicles. Deaths due to natural causes in service or accidents that did not involve RAF vehicles did not generally give rise to a CP.

CPs were originally given a unique reference number by the RAF. Each begins with the letter ‘P’ and is followed by six digits, then an oblique (forward slash) and the finally the year in which the incident took place- for example P396154/42.

The CPs are in the process of being made available to the general public as they are passed from the MOD Records Office, Portsmouth to National Archives, Kew. This process requires some rework to the files which is very time consuming, so the process of making them all available to National Archives will take several years. They are being made available in increasing date order.

Once CPs arrive at National Archives they are assigned a unique AIR81 number, so each CP has both a P-number and an AIR81 number. Both are searchable on the National Archives website under ‘Search the catalogue’ and both are included on the IBCC website.

The AIR81 reference on the IBCC website is a link to the file on the National Archives website. When you click on it, the relevant page will open in a new tab on your browser.

There is currently no plan to digitise AIR81 files, partly because they are fragile and partly because the information they contain can at times be sensitive, even harrowing, since they may contain exhumation reports and even photographs of corpses. Family members wishing to read the AIR81 files relating to their ancestors are advised to exercise caution and be guided by National Archives warnings where appropriate.

There are two means for accessing AIR81 files- to attend in person or to order a copy by post.

To attend in person, the attendee should first create a Reader’s Ticket. This can be done online by following this link: https://secure.nationalarchives.gov.uk/login/yourdetails. Then click on the AIR81 reference on the IBCC website and click Order in Advance. Enter your Reader’s Ticket number and state the date on which you intend to visit. National Archives will have the file ready for you when you arrive, saving you time. When you visit Kew, you must quote the Reader’s Ticket number and take along two forms of ID- one bearing your signature and one bearing your address. When you view the files, you are permitted to take photographs of each page, should you wish.

Alternatively, if you wish to order a copy by post, please be aware that there is a charge for this service based on the number of pages in the file. Click on the AIR81 reference on the IBCC website and then click Request a Copy. There is an £8.40 charge for National Archives staff to access the file and give you a quotation for the copying service. The process takes around 24 days to complete and can be expensive.

IBCC wishes to thank the staff at the MOD Records Office and National Archives for their engagement and assistance in making this facility available to our website users.