LEST WE FORGET
Pilot Officer Wilfred Wilson ALEXANDER
Service No: 416918
Born: St Peters SA, 28 April 1909
Enlisted in the RAAF: 8 November 1941
Unit: No. 27 Operational Training Unit (RAF), RAF Lichfield, Staffordshire
Died: Aircraft Accident (No. 27 Operational Training Unit Wellington aircraft Z 1681), Staffordshire, 14 March 1943, Aged 33 Years
Buried: Fradley (St Stephen) Churchyard, Staffordshire
CWGC Additional Information: Son of William Earnest and Blanche Caroline Alexander, of Adelaide, South Australia; husband of Marna Jeane Alexander, of Royston Park, South Australia.
Roll of Honour: Adelaide SA
Remembered: Panel 118, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
Remembered: World War II Honour Roll, National War Memorial of SA, North Terrace, Adelaide
On the night of 13/14th March 1943, Wellington Z1681 took off from RAF Lichfield, Staffordshire, at 1850 hours, foe a night navigation exercise. The aircraft returned to base about 0040 hours, and made an extremely low approach. In doing so it hit a tree, the force being sufficient to roll the aircraft over. Two of the crew were killed and four, one fatally, were injured in the crash. The aircraft on return from the cross country Instrument Rating night exercise, called up control at 0045 hours and was given permission to pancake. Nothing more was heard until a report was received at 0218 hours that an aircraft had crashed three quarters of a mile west of the aerodrome. Overdue action had already been taken. McCreath was a sound and dependable pilot.
The crew members of Z 1681 were:
Pilot Officer Wilfred Wilson Alexander (416918) (Air Bomber)
Sergeant John Denyer (1208830) (RAFVR) (Wireless Air Gunner)
Flying Officer Alfred Ronald Heins (413765) (Navigator) Fatally Injured, Died 16 March 1943
Pilot Officer Colin Andrew McCreath (409428) (Pilot) Injured, Discharged from the RAAF: 5 November 1948
Sergeant Phillip Stanley Woodhouse (405240) (Air Gunner) Injured, Discharged from the RAAF: 11 May 1945
Pilot Officer William John Ross Vincent (409350) (Air Gunner) Injured, Discharged from the RAAF: 19 September 1945
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 A9301, 416918