LEST WE FORGET

Flight Sergeant William Arthur STEPHENS

Service No: 429247
Born: Neath NSW, 27 June 1916
Enlisted in the RAAF: 5 November 1942
Unit: No. 626 Squadron (RAF), RAF station Wickenby
Died: Air Operations: (No. 626 Squadron Lancaster aircraft PB412), North Sea, 5 October 1944, Aged 28 Years
Buried: Unrecovered
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Alexander and Emily Beatrice Stephens, of Belmont, New South Wales, Australia
Roll of Honour: Belmont NSW
Remembered: Panel 261, Runnymede Memorial, Surrey UK
Remembered: Panel 130, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
Remembered: Cessnock War Memorial, Cessnock NSW
Remembered: St John’s Anglican Church WW2 Roll of Honour, Cessnock NSW

Lancaster PB412 took off from Wickenby at 1716 hours on 4 October 1944 on a mine laying operation in enemy waters in the “Silverthorn” area. Nothing was heard from the aircraft after take off and it did not return to base. Following post war enquiries and investigations, it was recorded that the missing crew had lost their lives at sea.

The crew members of PB412 were:

Flight Sergeant William Alexander Dickson (423079) (Wireless Operator Air)
Sergeant Charles Frederick Farley (629251) (RAF) (Flight Engineer)
Sergeant Louis Cohen (1668508) (RAFVR) (Rear Gunner)
Flying Officer George Arthur Green (424456) (RNZAF) (Pilot)
Sergeant William Christopher Norman (1592453) (RAFVR) (Mid Upper Gunner)
Flight Sergeant William Arthur Stephens (429247) (Navigator)
Flying Officer Kenneth Edward Frederick Taylor (153350) (RAFVR) (Air Bomber)

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, 166/38/718
Register of War Memorials in New South Wales On-Line

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