CREW MEMBER PROFILE |
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Surname: |
WILLIAMS |
First Name/s: |
Walter Ernest "Bill" |
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Service No/s: |
1890975 |
Service: |
RAFVR |
Branch: |
Flight Engineer |
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Awards: |
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SERVICE RECORDS |
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Date |
Event |
Aircraft Flown |
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08 Dec 1942 |
Underwent Medical, possibly at Uxbridge |
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23 Dec 1942 |
Air Crew Selection Board - 'not recommended for training in aircrew duties'. |
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12 Feb 1943 |
Air Crew Selection Board, Euston. Re-interviewed and recommended for training as Flight Mechanic or Flight Engineer. Enlisted as AC2. |
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13 Feb 1943 |
Transferred to the Reserves |
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03 May 1943 |
No.1 Air Crew Reception Centre, St John's Wood, London |
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22 May 1943 |
No.3 Initial Training Wing, St James' Hotel, Torquay, Devon. |
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28 May 1943 |
No. 21 Initial Training Wing (formed from No.3 ITW), Torquay, Devon. |
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14 Jul 1943 |
No.4 School of Technical Training, St Athan, Glamorgan. |
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13 Dec 1943 |
Attached to A V Roe & Company, Chadderton, Lancashire. |
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19 Dec 1943 |
Returned to No.4 School of Technical Training, St Athan, Glamorgan. |
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10 Jan 1944 |
No.11 Base Lindholme, Yorkshire, for No.1662 Heavy Conversion Unit, Blyton, Lincolnshire. Joined the Bain crew. |
Halifax |
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13 May 1944 |
No.1 Lancaster Finishing School, Hemswell, Lincolnshire. |
Lancaster |
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18 May 1944 |
No.576 Squadron, 'B' Flight, Elsham Wolds, Lincolnshire |
Lancaster |
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07 Jun 1944 |
Attacked by a fighter just before commencing their bombing run at 3,000ft and the port wing caught fire. The bombs released normally, but by then the fire had become uncontrollable and very shortly afterwards the Captain ordered the aircraft to be abandoned. Williams was second out of the aircraft, rolling head-first through the forward escape hatch (removing his flying helmet first) and landed comfortably in a field just south of Chendolle at about 0030 hrs. |
Lancaster |
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14 Aug 1944 |
No.1 Personnel Holding Unit, Clarendon Hotel, Morecambe, Lancashire. Although listed on the establishment of this unit, he probably did not go there until after he arrived in the UK on or after the 17 Aug. |
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17 Aug 1944 |
Fully interrogated by RAF Intelligence Section 9 and instructed to report to 2 DAC (?), at the Great Central Hotel, Marylebone, London, on arrival back in the UK. This suggests he did not actually reach the UK until after 17 Aug. |
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27 Sep 1944 |
No.105 Operational Training Unit, Bramcote, Nottinghamshire. |
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04 Oct 1944 |
No.1332 (Transport) Heavy Conversion Unit, Riccall, Yorkshire (tbc). |
York |
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29 Dec 1944 |
No.246 Squadron, Holmsley South, Hampshire (probably an administrative post, or ground school). |
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10 Jan 1945 |
Promoted to Flight Sergeant |
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09 Feb 1945 |
No.46 Squadron, 'C' Flight, Stoney Cross, Hampshire (attached). |
Stirling |
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24 Feb 1945 |
No. 242 Squadron, 'A' Flight, Stoney Cross, Hampshire. |
Stirling, York |
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11 Jun 1945 |
Confirmed as Flight Engineer (solo) on Stirling aircraft. |
Stirling |
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20 Jun 1945 |
Confirmed as Flight Engineer (solo) on York aircraft. |
York |
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29 Aug 1945 |
Admitted to No.6 RAF Hospital, Persia and Iraq Force (PAI Force), Habbaniya, Iraq (discharged 11 Sep 45). Returned to operations 05 Oct 45. |
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12 Nov 1945 |
Attached to Rolls Royce Ltd (location not known) |
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18 Nov 1945 |
Returned to No.242 Squadron, Stoney Cross, Hampshire. |
York |
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10 Jan 1946 |
Promoted to Warrant Officer |
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15 Feb 1946 |
Attached with Bartlett crew to No.246 Squadron, Holmsley South, Hampshire. |
York |
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01 May 1946 |
Awarded First Good Conduct Badge |
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30 Jul 1946 |
Last recorded flight on No.242 Squadron. |
York |
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13 Sep 1946 |
No.100 Personnel Despatch Centre, Uxbridge, Middlesex, for demobilisation. |
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14 Nov 1946 |
Released from the Service. |
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576 Squadron FLYING RECORDS |
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Date |
Aircraft |
Code |
Flight Details |
T/O |
Land |
Flt Time |
Crew |
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28 May 1944 |
ND903 |
UL-R2 |
Training |
nk |
nk |
0:45 |
P1 Fg Off G.A.J. Bain RCAF |
NOTES: |
Cross-country navigation exercise - DNCO (reason unknown) |
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29 May 1944 |
LL799 |
UL-N2 |
Training |
nk |
nk |
3:35 |
P1 Fg Off G.A.J. Bain RCAF |
NOTES: |
Cross-country navigation exercise. |
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31 May 1944 |
ME811 |
UL-S2 |
Training |
nk |
nk |
2h20 |
P1 Fg Off G.A.J. Bain RCAF |
NOTES: |
High-level bombing and fighter affiliation. (Sgts Huberman and Brain, gunners from Ireland’s crew also flew on board probably as observers) |
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02 Jun 1944 |
ME811 |
UL-S2 |
CALAIS |
2255 |
0310 |
4h15 |
P1 Fg Off G.A.J. Bain RCAF |
NOTES: |
Target: Coastal railway battery. Load: 11x 1000lb, 4x 500lb bombs. Most aircraft could not bomb due to cloud cover and brought their bombs back - it is not known if the Bain crew was one of those. Flight time in William's logbook stated as 3:35. |
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03 Jun 1944 |
ME811 |
UL-S2 |
WIMEREUX |
2315 |
0325 |
4h10 |
P1 Fg Off G.A.J. Bain RCAF |
NOTES: |
Target: Coastal gun battery. Load: 1x 4000lb 'cookie' and 15 or 16 500lb bombs. Given as 'Boulogne' in Williams' logbook. |
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04 Jun 1944 |
ND903 |
*UL-R2 |
Training |
nk |
nk |
2h20 |
P1 Fg Off G.A.J. Bain RCAF |
NOTES: |
'Y' (H2S) cross-country navigation exercise. |
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05 Jun 1944 |
ME811 |
UL-S2 |
ST MARTIN DE VARREVILLE |
2145 |
0210 |
4h25 |
P1 Fg Off G.A.J. Bain RCAF |
NOTES: |
Target: Coastal gun battery. Load: 18x 500lb bombs. Bombardment of the coastal batteries on the eve of the D-Day invasion of France. |
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06 Jun 1944 |
ME811 |
UL-S2 |
VIRE |
2205 |
FTR |
uk |
P1 Fg Off G.A.J. Bain RCAF |
NOTES: |
Target: Road/rail bridge (Western Aiming Point). Load: 18x 500lb bombs. Aircraft hit by cannon and machine gun from an enemy fighter. Caught fire but dropped its bombs before being forced to abandon shortly afterwards. The full story is detailed below. Sgt Humphreys was the only one who did not bail out and was killed. The other crew evaded but Flt Sgt Walkty was taken POW. |
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PERSONAL INFORMATION |
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Personal Records Restricted - not available to the public |
PHOTOS & DOCUMENTS |
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Personal Documents Restricted - not available to the public |
