LEST WE FORGET
Sergeant William Henry James GOURLEY
Service No: 402118
Born: Leichardt NSW, 26 March 1918
Enlisted in the RAAF: 27 May 1940
Unit: No. 76 Squadron (RAF), RAF Middleton St George, County Durham
Died: Air Operations: (No. 76 Squadron Halifax aircraft L9529), France, 24 July 1941, Aged 23 Years
Buried: Pornic War Cemetery, Loire-Atlantique, France
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Florence May Gourley. of Haberfield, New South Wales, Australia
Roll of Honour: Unknown
Remembered: Panel 122, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
At 1034 hours on 24 July 1941 Halifax L9529 took off from RAF Station Stanton Harcourt, Oxfordshire, detailed to bomb the German Battleship Scharnhorst at La Pallice, France. Nothing was heard from the aircraft after take-off and it failed to return to base. L9529 was seen to be attacked by enemy fighters and gradually lost height. It crashed between La Pallice and La Rochelle, France. Four of the crew members were killed and three became Prisoners of War.
The crew members of L9529 were:
Sergeant W A Finlayson (565372) (RAF) (Flight Engineer) PoW
Sergeant William Henry James Gourley (402118) (Second Pilot)
Flight Sergeant Charles Henry Horner (560615) (RAF) (Observer)
Flight Lieutenant Austin Ellerker Lewin (84304) (RAFVR) (Pilot)
Flying Officer N W McLeod (42359) (RAF) (Air Gunner) PoW
Sergeant B Phillips (974527) (RAFVR) (Wireless Air Gunner) PoW
Sergeant Percy James Vickery (981272) (RAFVR) (Second Wireless Air Gunner)
Sergeant Finlayson later reported “Sergeant Gourley baled out and landed safely in the sea. It was a considerable distance from land and he did not know if Gourley reached the shore.” Flying Officer McLeod reported that he believed Gourley had drowned.”
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, 163/118/187
Bibliography:
Chorley W R, To See the Dawn Breaking: 76 Squadron Operations, W R Chorley Devon UK, 1981