40975 Sefton Douglas Lisle Hood
Flight Lieutenant World War 2
Royal Air Force, No. 1656 Heavy Conversion Unit
Sefton Hood on leave in Mt Somers with his grandmother Margaret Hood (mother of Errol Hood)
Was born at Mt Somers and educated at Mt Somers School and Ashburton Technical School. He became an engineer and worked at a sawmill at Ross on the West Coast.
He joined up when World War II broke out and was posted to Britain. During active service he became a pilot instructor on Lancasters before transferring to flying night bombing raids.
He was mentioned in Dispatches for Distinguished Service (see citation below) reported in NZ on 19 January 1943 and his family found out he was Missing in Action on 21 January 1943. He has no known grave but his name is on the Runnymede Memorial, Missing Presumed Dead in January 1943.
Hood, Flying Officer Sefton Douglas Lisle, MID NZ 40975. Born Mt Somers, Canterbury 4th October 1915; RNZAF 9th April 1940 to (Killed on Air Operations) 18 January 1943. Pilot.
Citation Mention in Despatches. (NY 1943): For distinguished services with 27 OTU (Operational Training Unit) RAF (Wellington) and 1656 HCU (Heavy Conversion Unit) RAF (Lancaster) Fg Off Hood’s operational flying included the following targets with 149 Sqn RAF Kiel (4) Brest (3) Bordeaux, Cologne, Mannheim (3) Hamburg (2) Hanover and Dusseldorf. As an instructor he also flew operationally to Bremen and Berlin. Kao Berlin Germany, 18th January 1943 with 1656 HCU. No Known Grave. Commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial.
Link: https://www.aucklandmuseum.com/war-memorial/online-cenotaph/record/C26258
Story by Pam Wilson
