Flight Lieutenant Roger Sherwood died in an aircraft accident in England on October 10th, 1946.

He was serving with 540 Squadron (RAF), which he had joined in 1942 before spending three years as a P.O.W. in the notorious Stalag Luft III camp in Sagan (famous for “The Great Escape”).

Born in Melbourne, the second son of the Rev. & Mrs R S Sherwood (née Hilda Warde), he started his schooling at Carey before spending some years at Geelong Grammar.

The family returned to England during 1935, where he completed his education at Trent College, near Nottingham (1936-41). He was a prefect and a Lance-Corporal in the Officer Training Corps, before joining the RAF.

In the RAFVR, he served in 1 Photographic Reconnaissance Unit at Heston in Middlesex, and then in 540 Squadron, RAF. It was the 1st RAF squadron to be equipped with the (twin-engined) Mosquito, reflected in their Squadron Badge. This was formed in October 1942. The squadron’s primary task was to keep photographic watch on the movements of ships of the German Navy, and as most of these transited the Norwegian coastline, the squadron flew most of its sorties there or in The Baltic. The principal preoccupation was with the battleship Tirpitz and her moves from fjord to fjord. 

Late in 1942 Sherwood was reported missing, but news was eventually received that he was a prisoner-of-war in Stalag Luft III (Sagan-Belaria), where he remained for three years. He was repatriated at the end of the war in Europe.

He returned to 540 Squadron, now at Benson Aerodrome, Oxford and, as a Flight Lieutenant, was engaged in duties as a test pilot and again in photographic reconnaissance work.

He was killed in a Meteor jet plane crash on October 10th 1946, and buried at Goring (St.Thomas of Canterbury) Churchyard, Oxfordshire (Goring-on-Thames), where his father was the Vicar, with full Air Force Honours.

A fellow officer wrote of his time at Benson:

When he came to Benson he very soon showed himself to be one of the most outstanding members of his squadron, and was universally well liked. It was because he was in so many ways outstanding that he was given the responsibility of running PRDU which has always been the most sought after appointment at Benson.

He was survived by his parents and older brother, the Rev. Chas. Purvis Sherwood, one-time Curate at St. Barnabas, Leicester.

Some information kindly supplied from Geelong Grammar’s “The Corian” and Trent College, NOTTS.