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FRANK CECIL WOOD Sub. Lieutenant, Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve
HMS Grebe
1917 - 31st March 1943

The son of Arthur and Mabel Wood, Frank grew up in North Cray. He married Diana Margery
Walden in 1939.

Frank was 23 years-of-age at the outbreak of War, and a member of the Royal Naval
Volunteer Reserve. He was assigned to a Royal Naval Air Squadron which was then sent to
HMS Grebe (a Royal Naval Air Station in Alexandria, Egypt). On 6th November 1942, Frank
was promoted to Sub Lieutenant.

826 Naval Air Squadron

826 Naval Air Squadron was a Fleet Air Arm Aircraft Squadron formed at Ford in Sussex as
a torpedo bomber squadron and equipped with 12 Fairey Albacore biplanes. After initial
training, it was placed under the operational control of RAF Coastal Command, flying its
first mission, (a daylight bombing raid against a road junction at Nieuwpoort, Belgium) on
31st May 1940.

The Squadron was deployed on night bombing raids over the Western desert in support of
the Eighth Army, before being transferred to Nicosia, Cyprus for operations against Vichy
French naval forces during the Syria-Lebanon Campaign on 28th June 1941. It returned to
North Africa on 15th July 1941,and continued to carry out night bombing attacks until early
1942, when it returned to the torpedo bomber role, operating from Berka in Libya to attack
Italian convoys.

The squadron continued to carry out both anti-shipping and bombing missions in support
of the army for much of the rest of 1942, adding the role of dropping flares to illuminate
targets for Vickers Wellington bombers, participating in both the first and second Battles of
El Alamein. Following the British victory at El Alamein, the squadron continued to fly anti-
shipping and convoy escort missions until disbanded on 25th August 1943.

It is believed that Frank Wood was on a flying mission when, on 31st March 1943, he was
killed during an air attack along with 22-year-old Sub. Lt.William Courtney and Sub.
Lieutenant Arthur Walker.

In Memoriam: The men, who have no burial place, are remembered, together with
thousands of others who gave their life in the service of their country, on the Lee-on-Solent
Memorial.

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