LEST WE FORGET
Flying Officer John Urban BILLING
Service No: 2114
Born: Warracknabeal VIC, 29 March 1916
Enlisted in the RAAF: 9 April 1936
Unit: No. 455 Squadron, RAF Station Langham
Died: Aircraft Accident (No. 455 Squadron Beaufighter aircraft NE773), near Langham, 1 July 1944, Aged 28 Years
Buried: Cambridge City Cemetery, Cambridgeshire
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Urban Stanley Billing and Louisa Ann Billing, of Mildura, Victoria, Australia
Roll of Honour: Mildura VIC
Remembered: Panel 106, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
Beaufighter NE773 took off from RAF Langham at 1600 hours on 1 July 1944 for formation practice and local flying. Three new crews took part in the exercise. At 1700 hours NE773 crashed some five miles from base and the aircraft was destroyed with both crew members killed.
The crew members of NE773 were:
Flying Officer John Urban Billing (2114) (Pilot)
Flying Officer Terence Oliver Edwards (426574) (Navigator Wireless)
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, 166/5/597
Bibliography:
Gordon, I. (Ian) Strike and Strike Again: 455 Squadron 1944-5, Banner Books Belconnen ACT 2616, 1995
Lawson, John Horwood Wightman (251634) The Story of No. 455 Squadron (RAAF), Wilke and Company, Melbourne VIC, 1951