LEST WE FORGET
Sergeant Charles Sydney BUTCHER
Service No: 403314
Born: Willoughby NSW, 30 August 1919
Enlisted in the RAAF: 6 January 1941
Unit: No. 51 Squadron (RAF), RAF Station Chivenor, Devon
Died: Air Operations (No. 51 Squadron Whitley aircraft Z9119), Atlantic, 3 August 1942, Aged 22 Years
Buried: Unrecovered
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Charles Walter and Florence Elizabeth Butcher, of Austinmer, New South Wales, Australia
Roll of Honour: Sydney NSW
Remembered: Panel 112, Runnymede Memorial, Surrey UK
Remembered: Panel 119, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
Remembered: Ku-ring-gai World War 2 Book of Remembrance, Gordon NSW
At 0630 hours on 3 August 1942 Whitley Z9119 took off from Chivenor to carry out an anti-submarine patrol over the Atlantic Ocean. Z9119 did not return to base after the patrol. About 0800 hours Z9119 was seen by the crew of Whitley Z9228 being attacked by two enemy Aradoe 196 aircraft. At 0810 hours Z9228 saw a Whitley ditch into the sea and burst into flames, in position 48.45N 070.30W. This position is about 130 miles south westerly from Lands End. Subsequent searches could find no trace of the missing aircraft or crew. It was recorded in 1949 that the missing crew had lost their lives at sea.
The crew members of Z9119 were:
Sergeant Harold Victor Anson (1257553) (RAFVR) (Observer)
Sergeant Charles Sydney Butcher (403314) (Pilot)
Pilot Officer Jack Edgar Forster (130788) (RAFVR) (Air Gunner)
Sergeant Stewart Ernest Fenton Hatch (1260483) (RAFVR) (Wireless Operator Air Gunner)
Pilot Officer Claude Dominic Hemy (104519) (RAFVR) (Second Pilot) (From Australia serving in the RAF)
Sergeant William Fincham Parker (915813) (RAFVR) (Wireless Operator Air 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, 163/94/260
Register of War Memorials in New South Wales On-Line