LEST WE FORGET
Flight Sergeant Reginald William GOLDER
Service No: 407153
Born: Newton SA, 25 May 1917
Enlisted in the RAAF: 22 June 1940
Unit: No. 15 Squadron (RAF), RAF Station Wyton
Died: Air Operations (No. 15 Squadron Stirling aircraft W7448), North West Europe, 7 April 1942, Aged 24 Years
Buried: Unrecovered
CWGC Additional Information: Son of George Reubin Thomas and Alice Maud Martha Golder; husband of Gladys Stella Golder, of Norwood, South Australia
Roll of Honour: Norwood SA
Remembered: Panel 111, Runnymede Memorial, Surrey UK
Remembered: Panel 122, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
Remembered: World War II Honour Roll, National War Memorial of SA, North Terrace, Adelaide
Stirling W7448 of No. 15 Squadron took off from Wyton on 7 April 1942 to bomb Essen, Germany. Nothing was heard from the aircraft after take off and it did not return to base after the mission. Post war efforts to find the remains of the aircraft or of any member of the crew other than Sergeant Brandt were unsuccessful and they have been recorded as having no known graves.
The crew members of W7448 were:
Sergeant Augustus Ludwig Brandt (402585) (Observer)
Flight Sergeant Francis Weeks Cooper (1006147) (RAFVR) (Flight Engineer)
Flight Sergeant Reginald William Golder (407153) (Mid Upper Gunner)
Warrant Officer Thomas William Hare (R/69887) (RCAF) (Pilot)
Sergeant Edward Richard Cyril Oakley (1186110) (RAFVR) (Second Wireless Air Gunner)
Sergeant George Stephenson (528944) (RAFVR) (Rear Gunner)
Sergeant Kenneth Taylor (1105970) (RAFVR) (First Wireless Air Gunner)
Sergeant Robert Thompson-Horan (569528) (RAF) (Flight Engineer)
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 A705, 163/118/319