Norm - Bomber Command
The Story of Francis Norman Crouch, the first Australian to fly a Lancaster Bomber in WWII
Published on 1. August 2020
Book
Paperback/Softback
140 pages
978-0-6487145-2-1 (ISBN)
Description
The touching, true story of the first Australian RAAF airman to fly a Lancaster Bomber in World War II.
As a fifteen-year-old boy growing up in Sydney, Francis Norman 'Norm' Crouch knew he wanted to be a pilot after he saw his first airplane-a low-flying Tiger Moth Biplane. He was so transfixed he crashed his bike into a nearby thicket. It was a fascination which led him to become a trainee pilot in the RAAF where he became notorious for his low-flying antics.
Part of an early group of Australian airmen who went to Canada with the Empire Air Training Scheme, Norm survived the perilous Atlantic crossing to Scotland. He was then sent to Coningsby, England in 1941 to join Squadron 97- one of the many RAF squadrons in the legendary 'Bomber Command'-where he became the first Australian to fly a Lancaster bomber in air raids over Germany.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Australia
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Unsewn / adhesive bound
Dimensions
Height: 178 mm
Width: 127 mm
Thickness: 8 mm
Weight
141 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-6487145-2-1 (9780648714521)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Born in August 1944, in the then Bomber Command County of Lincolnshire, England, James emigrated to Australia in January 1946 with Margery, his English mother. His father Norm got a job as a pilot with Trans Australia Airways (TAA) and James' young life was spent moving from city to city as his father was transferred with his work. From Sydney to Brisbane to Melbourne to Sydney and finally back to Melbourne, James saw many schools as he grew up. He joined TAA as a Dispatch Officer and stayed for 21 years. His time with TAA included a posting to Goroka in the Eastern Highlands of Papua New Guinea. A most beautiful place with a perfect climate. In 1987, tired of the shift work, James resigned and ventured into small business buying the local Produce store and Saddlery. In 1974, he married Margaret Challons who was also a Dispatch Officer with TAA. They bought a second Produce Store and Saddlery in Whittlesea. After 15 years they sold the stores and tried other small business ventures finishing with a bakery. They recently retired and have four adult children and nine grandchildren. James had major surgery for prostate cancer in November 2019 with follow up radiation and is doing well. His interests are his family, the Collingwood AFL team, aviation and keeps a cautious eye on politics.
'My father joined Bomber Command in 1941 and was one of few to survive. Not only did he survive, his war was an adventure and he brought home a family. His welcome home was very poor, as it was for the Vietnam veterans many years later. These events are now 75 years old but still worth telling.'
Norm - Bomber Command is James' first book.