LEST WE FORGET
Sergeant William Roy MATTHEWS
Service No: 412166
Born: Junee NSW, 2 July 1916
Enlisted in the RAAF: 22 June 1941
Unit: No. 15 Squadron (RAF), RAF Station Bourne, Cambridgeshire
Died: Air Operations: (No. 15 Squadron Stirling aircraft R7279), North West Europe, 26 February 1943, Aged 26 Years
Buried: Unrecovered
CWGC Additional Information: Son of William Edward and Elsie May Matthews, of Albury, New South Wales, Australia
Roll of Honour: Unknown
Remembered: Panel 196, Runnymede Memorial, Surrey UK
Remembered: Panel 127, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
At 1918 hours on 26 February 1943 Stirling R7279 took off from Bourn to attack Cologne, Germany. Nothing was heard from the aircraft after take off and it did not return to base. Following post war investigations and enquiries, it was recorded in 1950 that the missing crew members had no known graves.
The crew members of R9279 were:
Flight Sergeant Richard Ashdown (656235) (RAF) (Second Pilot)
Flight Lieutenant Victor Henry Harris (J/9742) (RCAF) (Pilot)
Sergeant Howell Rees Jones (1126466) (RAFVR) (Air Bomber)
Sergeant William Roy Matthews (412166) (Rear Gunner)
Sergeant Sidney Phillips (1442651) (RAFVR) (Mid Upper Gunner)
Sergeant Peter Rogers (1380939) (RAFVR) (Navigator)
Sergeant Wilfred Shaw (1190732) (RAFVR) (Wireless Operator Air Gunner)
Sergeant Jack Wratten (1264399) (RAFVR) (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 Veterans’ Affairs On-Line WWII Nominal Roll
National Archives of Australia On-Line Record A705, 166/27/52