Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

FLYING OFFICER FREDERICK NORMAN CROXFORD WHITE 401331 RAAF

Frederick White was born on the 29th of September 1915, the second of four children born to Arthur and Vera White. At the time he joined the RAAF on the 2nd of February 1941 as a trainee under the Empire Air Training Scheme, Norman was a Commercial Traveller.  Pre-war he had served in the 5th Battalion of the Army Militia. After initial training in Australia, he was selected for Pilot Training and embarked for South Africa in July 1941. His younger brother Douglas served in the RAN as a Telegraphist.

Norman trained as a pilot at #26 EFTS Gwelo and #21 SFTS in Kumalo in Southern Rhodesia (Now Zimbabwe), He was awarded his Wings on the 2nd of December 1941. In February 1942 Frederick was commissioned as a Pilot Officer. He left South Africa for the UK in April 1942 and after further training returned to South Africa to join 262 Squadron RAF, flying Catalina Flying boats on anti-submarine patrols.

On the 26th of June 1943, Frederick was the Pilot in Command of a heavily laden Catalina departing St Lucia Lake in Natal Province at night on an operational mission. There was no moon, and the lake surface was flat calm. The aircraft crashed on take off and Frederick and all eight of his crew, including fellow Australians Flight Sergeant Thomas Lane and Sergeant Albert Soady, were killed.

Their bodies were recovered from the lake and are buried in the Stellawood CWGC plot in Durcan South Africa.