Flight Sergeant Norman Athol Cooper (421978) served in the Royal Australian Air Force during the Second World War. Born on 22nd July 1918, he was the son of Alfred Ernest Cooper and Rhoda May Cooper of Tingha, New South Wales, Australia.
He died on 19th June 1944 aged 25 years old when Consolidated Liberator FL990 came down in Co. Donegal. The RAF 59 Squadron crew took off from RAF Ballykelly, Co. Londonderry before climbing to 1,500 feet. Low cloud down to 900 feet and fog made visibility difficult and the plane crashed into high ground between Moville and Greencastle on Inishowen Head.
The plane burst into flames on impact. A witness of the crash who was a teenager at the time gave the time of the incident as between 1200hrs and 1230hrs. The Irish Army records suggest a crash time of 1310hrs.
Remembering the crew of Liberator FL990
| Last Name | First Name(s) | Rank | Role | Information |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anderson | John | Flight Sergeant | Pilot | RAFVR 1550924. |
| Apitz | Kenneth John Nielsen | Flight Sergeant | RAAF 422370. Buried in Tamlaght, Co. Fermanagh. | |
| Cook | John | Sergeant | Wireless Operator / Air Gunner | RAFVR 1384560. |
| Cooper | Norman Athol | Flight Sergeant | RAAF 421978. Buried in Tamlaght, Co. Fermanagh. | |
| Haines | John | Flight Sergeant | Navigator | RAFVR 931471. Buried in Tamlaght, Co. Fermanagh. |
| Parsons | James Alfred | Flying Officer | Wireless Operator / Air Gunner | RAFVR 128381. |
| Utting (Steer) | James | Flight Sergeant | Flight Engineer | RAF 564898. |
| Wade | Rowland Paine | Flight Lieutenant | Pilot | RAFVR 88398. Buried in Tamlaght, Co. Fermanagh. |
A second Liberator, FL989 also came down on the same day. It came down shortly after take off from RAF Ballykelly, Co. Londonderry while following the same route as Liberator FL990. A total of 16 crew members of RAF 59 Squadron from Ballykelly lost their lives that afternoon.
Norman Athol Cooper’s grave is in Plot W, Grave 10 of Finlagan Church of Ireland Churchyard, Tamlaght, Co. Fermanagh. His name is on a memorial plaque opposite the Drunken Duck Pub near Greencastle, Co. Donegal. His headstone bears the inscription:
Sleep on, our son, your duty done.