Roll of Honour

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Name NORMAN
First names Leonard Charles
Rank Airman First Class
Nationality British
Crew position Observer
Age 20
Date joined 49Sqn 25/05/18
Date of death 30/05/18
Cemetery St. Riquier British Cemetery
Aircraft DH 9 serial D462 broke up in the (12,000ft) on ops to Roziers on 30/5/18. It is unknown if a result of collision or shell fire. Sadly Pilot Lt R.H.B. Stevens and Observer Private First Class L.C. Norman were killed.

Photographed by Graham Glover

Photographed by Graham Glover

Information received from Peter L Norman (whose father's elder brother was Leonard Charles Norman):

The official casualty lists give his death as 30th May 1918 having joined 49Sqn on the 25th of the same month. However, later in the squadron records another DH-9 is reported to have been lost on the 30th October 1918 with Pilot 2nd Lt Cotterrell and Observer L C Norman aboard.

This later date would be consistent with a family tradition that my Uncle was killed just before the Armistice.

49 Association Note: Our information shows that, in this loss, Sgt Gumbley was the observer)

Unfortunately I have no photograph of Leonard but the photograph (shown below) of the football team has a player (second from the left back row) who has the characteristics of my paternal grandmother's family to a marked degree.
If the picture was taken in 1919 then the theory goes out of the window!

49Sqn Association
Finally, he seems to have been the squadron artist. I believe his watercolours of glamorous ladies decorated the Airmen's mess.

Image courtesy of Peter Leonard Norman

Image courtesy of Peter Leonard Norman

Image courtesy of Peter Leonard Norman

Images courtesy of Peter Leonard Norman