LEST WE FORGET
Sergeant William Ernest PEARCE
Service No: 402825
Born: Sydney NSW, 31 March 1919
Enlisted in the RAAF: 14 October 1940
Unit: No. 261 Squadron (RAF)
Died: Air Operations: (No. 261 Squadron Hurricane aircraft Z5533), Sri Lanka, 9 April 1942, Aged 23 Years
Buried: Trincomalee War Cemetery, Sri Lanka
CWGC Additional Information: Son of William Ernest and Phoebe Pearce; husband of Lesley Norma Pearce, of Rose Bay, New South Wales, Australia
Roll of Honour: Unknown
Remembered: Panel 128, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
On 9 April 1942, Sapphire Section was patrolling base at 15,000 feet, and the Section Leader dived to attack a formation of Japanese Navy fighter aircraft at about 12,000 feet with Sergeant Pearce flying in Hurricane Z5533 as No. 2 and with No. 3 also flying in line astern. After this nothing was seen of Pearce but his aircraft was found 40 miles west close to Dambulla, on the Trincomalee Road and he had been killed.
Nine RAAF Members were lost in the attack on the Japanese Naval task Force including Flying Officer Geoffrey Shuttleworth Burgan DFC (407284).
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, 163/150/159