LEST WE FORGET
Flight Sergeant William BEUTEL
Service No: 434288
Born: Toowoomba QLD, 3 May 1924
Enlisted in the RAAF: 9 November 1942
Unit: No. 106 Squadron (RAF), RAF Station Metheringham
Died: Air Operations: (No. 106 Squadron Lancaster aircraft LL975), France, 25 June 1944, Aged 20 Years
Buried: St Sever Cemetery Extension, Rouen, Seine Maritime, France
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Wilhelm August Beutel and Mary Beutel, of Brigalow, Queensland, Australia
Roll of Honour: Chinchilla QLD
Remembered: Panel 119, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
At 2225 hours on the night of 24 June 1944 Lancaster LL975 took off from Metheringham detailed to bomb a flying bomb site at Pommerval, France. Nothing was heard from the aircraft after take-off and it failed to return to base. The aircraft was attacked and crashed with five crew members killed while two crew members baled out and evaded capture.
The crew members of LL975 were:
Flight Sergeant William Beutel (434288) (Rear Gunner)
Sergeant Arthur Tracey Clarke (1896551) (RAFVR) (Mid Upper Gunner)
Sergeant W R Knaggs (1559141) (RAFVR) (Air Bomber) Evaded capture
Flight Sergeant Leslie James McGregor (424536) (Wireless Air Gunner)
Sergeant W S McPhail (1125288) (RAFVR) (Flight Engineer) Evaded capture
Flight Sergeant Hugh McPherson Smith (1559802) (RAFVR) (Navigator)
Pilot Officer Stanley Mountford Wright (422329) (Pilot)
Sergeant Knaggs later reported “After the release of the bombs, the aircraft was attacked without warning and hit in the main plane close to the fuselage. The Pilot ordered bale out. I did not hear any acknowledgement. The aircraft was under control when I baled out. I saw only one other parachute which I believe was McPhail.”
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 Veterans’ Affairs On-Line WWII Nominal Roll
National Archives of Australia On-Line Record A705, 166/5/586