Hooson, Joseph

1914 – 29 December 1943

1206791 Sergeant Joseph Hooson, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, No. 35 Squadron. Awarded the Distinguished Flying Medal.

On 4th April 1943 this aircraft left Melbourne airfield at 20.21hrs to undertake an operational flight to bomb Kiel and whilst near the target area the Halifax was attacked and damaged by a Junkers Ju88 night-fighter. On the return to the UK the crew were diverted to land at Thornaby and while on the final approach to land there all four engines cut out at 500 feet, the aircraft crash landed on the eastern side of the airfield just short of the runway at 02.31hrs on 5th April 1943 but the crew are not thought to have been injured. It is highly likely that all the members of this crew were later posted to 35 PFF Squadron.

• Pilot - Sgt Ronald Charles Williams RAFVR (1377791).
• Flight Engineer - Sgt William Laverick RAF (545207), of West Cornforth, Co.Durham.
• Navigator - Sgt Joseph Hooson RAFVR (1206791), of Shirley, Derbyshire.
• Bomb Aimer - Sgt Eric John Stone RAFVR (1332888), of Walcot-on-Sea, Norfolk.
• Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - Sgt R H G Wray RAF.
• Air Gunner - Sgt H/F C Redman RAF (914991).
• Air Gunner - Sgt J Smith RAF.

On 29th December 1943 F/O Williams DFC (146333), Sgt Laverick DFM, P/O Hooson DFM (158427) and F/O Stone DFC were killed when their 35 Squadron Halifax HR986 crashed near Doberitz, they were initially buried locally but now lay in Berlin War Cemetery. Sgt Redman survived and became a PoW.

Joseph Hooson received his commission to the rank of Pilot Officer on probation (emergency) on 30th August 1943.

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