557

A.E. McCORMICK.
2. (centre aligned)
course, at the conclusion of which he was posted on the 9th August to No. 1 "Y" Depot, Halifax, Nova Scotia for embarkation to the United Kingdom.

F/Sgt. McCormick arrived at No. 12 (RNZAF) Personnel Reception and Receiving Centre, Brighton on the 28th August 1943 and on the 21st September was posted to No. 8 (Pilots) Advanced Flying Unit, Church Lawford, Warwickshire. During November he underwent a Beam Approach Training Course at this station and on the 5th January 1944 proceeded to the Reserve Flight at Snitterfield, Warwickshire, and thence - on the 10th February - to No. 5 Personnel Despatch Centre, Blackpool, for embarkation to the Middle East.

F/Sgt. McCormick arrived at the Reception Centre, Jerusalem, on the 9th March and on the 8th April was posted to No. 78 Operational Training Unit, at Einshemer, Palestine. Here and with the same unit at ME99100 and later again at Einshemer, he crewed up and completed his training on Wellington bomber aircraft. On the 13th June he proceeded to the Transit Centre, Almaya, Egypt, and thence, by Dakota aircraft to Maison Blanche in Algeria via Castel Benito, in Tripoli, joining No. 36 Squadron in Algeria. With this squadron he carried out, as pilot of Wellington aircraft, an air/sea rescue search.

F/Sgt. McCormick was the pilot of a Wellington aircraft engaged on an anti-submarine patrol on the 27th August 1944 and which failed to return to its base. F/Sgt. McCormick was classified as missing. A later message revealed that the aircraft crashed into the sea, three members of the crew being saved, but the three other members of the crew, including F/Sgt. McCormick according to the survivors lost their lives. In consequence F/Sgt. McCormick was reclassified as missing, believed killed in action. In due course his death was officially presumed to have occurred on the 27th August 1944.

Find a Grave link with a photo of F/Sgt. McCormick: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/15270619/albert-edward-mccormick

5/2/1132 AS2
461 hrs. as pilot.

Mr. E. McCormick (F) (right aligned)
21 Benefield Street (right aligned)
WANGANUI (right aligned & underlined)