Carpe Diem - 576 Squadron RAF - The Crews

CREW MEMBER PROFILE
Surname:	DICKIE		First Name/s:	William

Service No/s:	1821247	Service:	RAFVR	Branch:	Flight Engineer

Awards:

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Date	Event	Aircraft Flown
SERVICE RECORDS
22 Dec 1942 22 Dec 1942	Enlisted at the Combined Recruiting Centre (CRC), Music Hall, 54 George Street, Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland, as Aircraftman Second Class, and mustering as Air Crew Hand (Flight Mechanic).
23 Dec 1942 23 Dec 1942	Attended No. 24 Aviation Candidates’ Selection Board (24 ACSB), at the Assembly Rooms, George Street, Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland, where he was recommended for training as Flight Mechanic or Flight Engineer. He was then transferred to the Reserve, pending call-up.
13 Jan 1943 13 Jan 1943	Called up at No. 3 Recruit Centre (3 RC), Padgate, Warrington, Cheshire.
17 Mar 1943 17 Mar 1943	No. 4 School of Technical Training (4 SoTT), 61 (Flight Engineer) Course, St Athan, Glamorgan, Wales.
14 Aug 1943 14 Aug 1943	Attached to A V Roe & Co., Chadderton, Lancashire.
22 Aug 1943 22 Aug 1943	Returned to No. 4 School of Technical Training (4 SoTT), St Athan, Glamorgan, Wales.
13 Sep 1943 13 Sep 1943	Awarded Flight Engineer’s (E) brevet, promoted to Sergeant, and remustered as Flight Engineer.
18 Sep 1943 18 Sep 1943	No. 11 Base, Lindholme, Yorkshire; administrative Base for 1 Group heavy bomber conversions.
18 Sep 1943 18 Sep 1943	No. 1662 Heavy Conversion Unit (1662 HCU), Blyton, Lincolnshire (Halifax tbc); joined F Ball crew. Date/ tbc – 1 Lancaster Finishing School, Hemswell, Lincolnshire (Lancaster) tbc – only if Lancaster not flown at HCU.	Halifax (TBC)
07 Dec 1943 07 Dec 1943	576 Squadron, ‘B’ Flight, Elsham Wolds, Lincolnshire (Lancaster). Ops (1): F Ball crew.	Lancaster
20 Dec 1943 20 Dec 1943	Frankfurt; lost in W4123, UL-R2, aged 19. Probably shot down en-route to the target by Oblt. Werner Baake of 3./NJG1 and crashed about 1km to S of De Planck, Sint-Peters-Voeren, Limburg. There were no survivors. Originally buried by the Germans in Brusthem Cemetery, St Truiden (Tongeren), Limburg, Belgium, and later reburied on 25 Mar 47 at Heverlee War Cemetery, 3 km S of Leuven (Louvain), Brabant, Belgium, grave 5.B.2.	Lancaster

Date	Aircraft	Code	Flight Details	T/O	Land	Flt Time	Crew
576 Squadron FLYING RECORDS
20 Dec 1943 20 Dec 1943	W4123	UL-R²	FRANKFURT	1700	FTR	nk	P1 Flt Sgt F. Ball P2 FE Sgt W. Dickie AB Sgt L. Balich NAV Sgt L.P.E. Allais WOp Sgt F.H. Gage MUG Sgt A.J. Pollitt RG Sgt J.E. Redmond RCAF
NOTES:	Target: Built-up area Load: 1x 4,000lb 'Cookie', 56x 30lb and 1,122x 4lb incendiaries Shot down over Sint-Pieters-Voeren, NE of Liege, by a Bf-110 flown by Oblt. Werner Baake of 3./NJG 1 from Venlo airfield. The aircraft crashed in the Red Wood, 1km S of De Planck at 1930 Buried in Haverlee War Cemetery, Coll. Grave 5.B.5-7 ‘GREATER LOVE HATH NO MAN THAN THIS’

PERSONAL INFORMATION
Details
William Dickie was born 8 February 1924 in Saltcoats, Stevenston, Ayrshire, SCotland, son of William Dickie (? - 1978) and Margaret Alexander (? - 1958). He had a sister Margaret Grant (1921 - ?) - later Margaret McKelvie. Margaret was lining in Saltcoats in 2002. William attended Androssan Academy, Ayrshire. There is a memorial to him at the college. 576 Squadron Memorial Project

PHOTOS & DOCUMENTS
Details
Androssan Academy Memorial 1
Androssan Academy Memorial 2
Parents' grave with mention of William