LEST WE FORGET
Warrant Officer William Arthur NEILL
Service No: 429615
Born: Townsville QLD, 16 December 1922
Enlisted in the RAAF: 9 October 1942
Unit: No. 12 Squadron (RAF), RAF Wickenby, Lincolnshire
Died: Air Operations: (No. 12 Squadron Lancaster aircraft RF181), Germany, 16 March 1945, Aged 22 Years
Buried: Durnbach War Cemetery, Bad Tolz, Bayern, Germany
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Arthur Ernest and Annie Aralinda Neill, of Richmond, Queensland, Australia.
Roll of Honour: Richmond QLD
Remembered: Panel 127, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
Lancaster RF181 took off from RAF Wickenby at 1716 hours on the night 16/17th March 1945, to bomb Nuremburg, Germany. Nothing was heard from the aircraft after take off and it failed to return to base. A Missing Research & Enquiry unit report stated “The aircraft was flying in a west/east direction on the night of 16/17th March 1945 when it was attacked by a night fighter. The aircraft lost height and exploded the wreckage spreading over a wide area. The bodies of 5 crew members were found hanging in the trees in the crash area, 3 with half opened chutes. It seems almost certain that all had been killed instantly by the explosion in the air and their chutes had been opened by the blast. Main portions of the aircraft were on the east side of Frankenberg and other portions of the wreck confirmed an English aircraft.”
The crew members of RF181 were:
Pilot Officer Walter Gordon Brown (J/94899) (RCAF) (Mid Upper Gunner)
Sergeant Walter James Charles (1665264) (RAFVR) (Flight Engineer)
Flying Officer D O R Dickey (150492) (RAFVR) (Pilot) PoW
Flight Sergeant A Henry (1324158) (RAFVR) (Bomb Aimer) PoW
Flight Sergeant Colin Howe Irving (428714) (Navigator)
Warrant Officer William Arthur Neill (429615) (Wireless Operator Air Gunner)
Sergeant John Thomas Nicholls (1176177) (RAFVR) (Rear Gunner)
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, 166/29/224