LEST WE FORGET

Flight Lieutenant William Douglas LEEK

Service No: 400592
Born: Brecon NSW, 15 March 1915
Enlisted in the RAAF: 18 September 1940 (at Melbourne VIC)
Unit: No. 12 Squadron (RAF), RAF Station Wickenby
Died: Air Operations: (No. 12 Squadron Lancaster aircraft W4369), Germany, 11 January 1943, Aged 27 Years
Buried: the Reichswald Forest War Cemetery, Kleve, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Arthur Albert and Frances Emily Leek, of Caulfield, Victoria, Australia
Roll of Honour: Caulfield VIC
Remembered: Panel 125, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT

Lancaster W4369 took off from at 1702 hours on the night of 11/12 January 1943 to bomb Essen, Germany. Nothing was heard from the aircraft after take-off and it failed to return to base. It was later established that the aircraft was hit by anti-aircraft fire and crashed near Duisberg. Five of the crew were killed two had become Prisoners of War.

The crew members of W4369 were:

Flight Sergeant Frederick William Baker (1380947) (RAFVR) (Pilot)
Sergeant Charles Herbert (1397124) (RAFVR) (Rear Gunner)
Sergeant Peter John Howlett Hogg (651799) (RAF) (Flight Engineer)
Sergeant L W Keating (1262723) (RAFVR) (Wireless Air Gunner) PoW
Flight Lieutenant William Douglas Leek (400592) (Navigator)
Flying Officer Edward Christian Carl Rasmussen (121260) (RAFVR) (Bomb Aimer)
Sergeant J V Richards (1292923) (RAFVR) (Mid Upper Gunner) PoW

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, 163/42/128

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