LEST WE FORGET
Flight Sergeant William Jeffery ADCOCK
Service No: 426856
Born: Bundaberg QLD, 22 August 1918
Enlisted in the RAAF: 15 August 1942
Unit: No. 625 Squadron (RAF), RAF Kelstern, Lincolnshire
Died: Air Operations: (No. 625 Squadron Lancaster aircraft PB126), France, 1 July 1944, Aged 25 Years
Buried: Unrecovered
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Jeff and Alice Maud Adcock, of North Kolan, via Bundaberg, Queensland, Australia.
Roll of Honour: Bundaberg QLD
Remembered: Panel 259, Runnymede Memorial, Surrey
Remembered: Panel 118, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
Lancaster PB126 of 625 Squadron took off from RAF Station Kelstern at 2210 hours on the night of 30 June 1944 to attack Vierzon, France. Nothing was heard from the aircraft after take-off and it did not return to base. The aircraft was attacked by a night fighter and crashed, killing two members while five were returned safely to the UK.
The crew members of PB126 were:
Flight Sergeant William Jeffrey Adcock (426856) (Air Gunner)
Sergeant J Blakey (1582692) (RAFVR) Evaded Capture
Flight Lieutenant J C Elmhirst-Baxter (119545) (RAFVR) (Pilot) Evaded Capture
Flight Sergeant Francis Owen Evans (417950) Evaded Capture, Discharged from the RAAF: 3 June 1948
Flight Sergeant A J Foley (656426) (RAF) Evaded Capture
Flight Sergeant Robert Gledstone (1378355) (RAFVR)
Warrant Officer Wilfred John Edgar King (417084) Evaded Capture, Discharged from the RAAF: 21 February 1947
Both Warrant Officer King and Flight Sergeant Evans stated “the aircraft was attacked by a night fighter when returning from the target and set on fire. Flight Sergeant Adcock was seen to get out of the rear turret but flames were spreading rapidly. The Bomb Aimer, Flight Engineer, Navigator and Wireless Operator/Air Gunner baled out from the forward escape hatch, followed by the Captain. Warrant Officer Adcock would normally abandon the aircraft from the rear escape hatch, but the survivors considered that his parachute was possibly damaged by flames. They state that they had later heard that two bodies were found in the wreck of the aircraft.” Following post war enquiries and investigations it was recorded in 1947 that no trace of the two missing crew members could be found and that they had no known graves.
References:
Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour On-Line Records (RAAF Casualty Information compiled by Alan Storr (409804))
Commonwealth War Graves Commission On-Line Records
Department of Veteran’s Affairs On-Line WWII Nominal Roll
National Archives of Australia On-Line Record A705, 166/3/242