55 Squadron, Royal Flying Corps
(Henry) Norman Groves Dann was born on 9 June 1898 at Chalford, near Stroud. His parents were Henry Charles and Marie Dann of The Beeches, Thrupp, near Stroud. Mr Dann senior was a director of an umbrella and walking stick manufacturing company.
Norman was educated at Wycliffe College and Berkhamsted School, Hertfordshire where he was a private in the OTC. Afterwards he worked as a clerk in his father’s business before he attested for military service, for the duration of the war, on 31 July 1916, aged 18 years and 11 days.
Initially he joined the 28th (London) Regiment (Artists’ Rifles), as a Private (8168) but on 6 September 1916 joined 1st Officer Cadet Battalion at Denham, Buckinghamshire with a view to joining the Royal Flying Corps (RFC). From Denham he moved to Ox ford on 11 November 1916 and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the RFC on 27 January 1917.
He then served at a number of locations in the UK and France and was appointed Flying Officer on 12 June 1917 and on 10 July 1917 began his familiarisation training on the DH4 bomber, having previously flown BE2s. He spent the periods 18 July to 16 August in the UK and was with 51 Training Squadron flying the DH4 until 7 September 1917.
On 8 September 1917 he was posted to 55 Squadron, RFC, which had taken delivery of the Airco DH4 two seater bi-plane day bomber in January 1917. In March the squadron was based at Fienvillers (south west of Doullens) and on 31 May of that year had moved to Boisdinghem, near St Omer.
The Gloucestershire Chronicle of 29 September 1917 described what happened to Second Lieutenant Dann on 15 September 1917: Returning from a bombing raid (he) missed his landing and went on again. His engine failed to pick up and in turning the machine got out of control and crashed to earth. Both he and his observer were killed on the spot.
The War Office, in a letter to his father on 18 September 1917, stated that Second Lieutenant Dann was brought dead into No 10 Stationery Hospital, St Omer, having died of extensive burns, the result of an aeroplane accident. The observer was Second Lieutenant Frank Ridgway Brotherhood and the aircraft flown was DH4 Reg No B3962. Both airmen are buried at Longuenesse (St Omer) Souvenir Cemetery.
Longuenesse (St Omer) Souvenir Cemetery