Frederick Walter Woods

Served with Southend Borough Constabulary from Jul 19, 1937 and died on Mar 31, 1944.

Police Constable Frederick Walter Woods was the son of Charles Joseph and Maude Ethel Woods, of Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex., and was born at Westcliff on 20th July 1915. He was educated at Chalkwell Hall and Westcliff High Schools.

After serving with the Metropolitan Police from 12th April 1937 to 6th June 1937 he joined the Southend force on 19th July 1937. At that time he was described as five foot eleven and three-quarters tall, with brown hair and eyes, a fresh complexion and regular features. He was initially posted to the Central Section but on 2nd February 1942 he left the Police and joined the Royal Air Force (Volunteer Reserve).

He went missing during air operations in the early hours of Friday, 31st March 1944 whilst serving as Flying Officer 136862 with 640 Squadron, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve. He was the Navigator on Halifax Mk III LW500 (coded C8-Z) of 640 Squadron, which had left R.A.F. Leconfield at 10.05pm the previous evening on an operation to Nurnberg. On its return the aircraft was hit by flak when clearing the coast near Dieppe and presumably crashed into the English Channel. All seven crew died.

Frederick was aged 28. He has no known grave and is commemorated on panel 210 of the Runnymede Memorial in Surrey.