LEST WE FORGET
Flight Sergeant William Edmund SOMERVILLE
Service No: 402618
Born: Tarnagulla VIC, 23 June 1913
Enlisted in the RAAF: 16 September 1940 (at Sydney NSW)
Unit: No. 459 Squadron, Landing Ground 226, Egypt
Died: Air Operations: (No. 459 Squadron Hudson aircraft FH294), Mediterranean, 13 August 1942, Aged 29 Years
Buried: Unrecovered
CWGC Additional Information: Son of William Francis and Gertrude Annie Somerville, of Lidcombe, New South Wales, Australia
Roll of Honour: Lidcombe NSW
Column 266, Alamein Memorial, Egypt
Remembered: Panel 106, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
Remembered: Ryde Ex-Services Honour Roll, Ryde NSW
Hudsons V8994 and FH294 were tasked on a pre-dawn shipping strike to attack “F” boats and V8994 (Sergeant Bryan Rostron (RAF) (Pilot)) successfully attacked one in position 32.06N 025.09E. Hudson FH 294 failed to return and the cause of the loss of this aircraft is unknown.
The crew members of FH294 were:
Flight Sergeant Reginald Brandon (403416) (Navigator)
Flight Sergeant Walter Richard Samuel Cornish (404472) (Wireless Air Gunner)
Flight Sergeant William Norris Smith (402410) (Pilot)
Flight Sergeant William Edmund Somerville (402618) (Wireless Air Gunner)
References:
Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour On-Line Records
Commonwealth War Graves Commission On-Line Records
Department of Veteran’s Affairs On-Line WWII Nominal Roll
National Archives of Australia On-Line Record A9816, 145 (No. 459 Squadron Unit History)
Register of War Memorials in New South Wales On-Line
Bibliography:
Kane-Maguire L. (Leon) Desert Scorpions: 459 Squadron RAAF 1942-1945, Australian Military History Publications Loftus NSW 2232, 2007
Vincent, D. (David) The RAAF Hudson Story Book 1, D. Vincent Highbury SA 5089, 1989