LEST WE FORGET
Pilot Officer William Edward BURCHER
Service No: 422402
Born: Tamworth NSW, 30 October 1922
Enlisted in the RAAF: 22 May 1942
Unit: No. 103 Squadron (RAF), RAF Station Elsham Wolds
Died: Air Operations (No. 103 Squadron Lancaster aircraft PB637), North West Europe, 7 January 1945, Aged 22 Years
Buried: Unrecovered
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Edward Arthur and Florence Emma Irere Burcher, of Mosman, New South Wales, Australia
Roll of Honour: Mosman NSW
Remembered: Panel 283, Runnymede Memorial, Surrey UK
Remembered: Panel 119, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
Remembered: St Clements World War 2 Roll of Honour, Mosman NSW
Lancaster PB637 took-off at 1607 hours on the night of 6 January 1945 from RAF Station Elsham
Wolds to lay mines in enemy waters in the Baltic. No message was received from the aircraft and the aircraft failed to return to base. In 1950 it was recorded that the crew were lost at sea.
The crew members of PB637 were:
Warrant Officer Sidney Edward Abrams (620836) (RAF) (Navigator)
Pilot Officer William Edward Burcher (422402) (Wireless Operator/Air Gunner)
Sergeant David Fell (611641) (RAF) (Flight Engineer)
Pilot Officer Harold Joseph Hutcheson (410895) (Air Bomber)
Sergeant Charles Henry Palmer (1178429) (RAFVR) (Rear Gunner)
Flight Lieutenant Charles Pearton (178069) (RAFVR) (Pilot)
Sergeant Gwynne Williams (2218948) (RAFVR) (Mid Upper Gunner)
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, 166/6/883
Register of War Memorials in New South Wales On-Line
Bibliography:
Charlwood, D.E.C. (Donald Ernest Cameron) (408794) No Moon Tonight (Angus and Robertson 1956), Penguin Ringwood VIC, 3134, 1991