LEST WE FORGET
Pilot Officer William GOLDMAN
Service No: 400403
Born: Melbourne VIC, 28 May 1912
Enlisted in the RAAF: 20 August 1940
Unit: No. 458 Squadron, RAF Station Holme-upon-Spalding Moore, Yorkshire
Died: Air Operations: (No. 458 Squadron Wellington aircraft R1775), North Sea, 15 November 1941, Aged 29 Years
Buried: Unrecovered
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Harry and Amelia Goldman, of Caulfield, Victoria, Australia
Roll of Honour: Melbourne VIC
Remembered: Panel 62, Runnymede Memorial, Surrey UK
Remembered: Panel 106, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
Date: 15-16 November 1941
Target: Emden
Total Force: Dispatched – 49, Attacking – 23
RAAF Force: No. 458 Dispatched – 6, Attacking – 5
Tons of Bombs Dropped: 25
Total Aircraft Lost: 1
RAAF Aircraft Lost: 1
Extract from Herington, J. (John) (406545) Air War Against Germany and Italy 1939-1943, Australian War Memorial, Canberra, 1954 – Pages 188
Wellington R1775 took off from RAF Holme-upon-Spalding Moor, Yorkshire, at 1717 hours on the night of 15/16th November 1941 to bomb Emden, Germany. Six aircraft from the Squadron took part in the raid and of these R 1775 failed to return. The aircraft was last heard from when a radio message was received at 2035 hours.
The crew members of R1775 were:
Sergeant Alexander Lewis Cox (400460) (Second Pilot)
Sergeant Henry William Duffield (745531) (RAFVR) (Rear Gunner)
Pilot Officer Ronald John Furey (404332) (Pilot)
Pilot Officer William Goldman (400403) (Observer)
Sergeant Douglas Bertram Pepper (946888) (RAFVR) (Front Gunner)
Sergeant Eric Rowland (1050936) (RAFVR) (Wireless Operator)
RAAF Casualty file 163/98/362 records that “the last message was received when the aircraft was flying over the North Sea on the return journey. Three QDMs (magnetic headings) were sent to the aircraft at the approximate time of ETA back at base, the last being strength 6. Nothing further was heard from the aircraft and it was assumed that the crew had lost their lives at sea. A square search by six aircraft found no trace of the missing aircraft or crew.”
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, 163/34/144
Bibliography:
Alexander, P. (Peter) We Find and Destroy: history of No. 458 Squadron, The 458 Squadron Council, 1959