LEST WE FORGET
Flight Sergeant William James STRUTHERS
Service No: 426790
Born: Chinchilla QLD, 19 January 1913
Enlisted in the RAAF: 21 July 1942
Unit: No. 57 Squadron (RAF), RAF Station East Kirkby
Died: Air Operations: (No. 57 Squadron Lancaster aircraft LL893), France, 21 April 1944, Aged 31 Years
Buried: Clichy Northern Cemetery, Hauts-de-Seine, France
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Thomas and Catherine Struthers; husband of Gwen Struthers, of Grassdale, Queensland, Australia
Roll of Honour: Quilpie QLD
Remembered: Panel 131, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
At 2139 hours on the night of 20 April 1944 Lancaster LL893 took off from East Kirkby detailed to bomb railway yards at La Chappelle, France. Nothing was heard from the aircraft after take-off and it failed to return to base. The aircraft crashed in the avenue St-Milelet at St Omer, France and all the crew members were killed.
The crew members of LL893 were:
Sergeant James Coulter (1560932) (RAFVR) (Wireless Operator Air)
Sergeant Kenneth John Cresswell (1609239) (RAFVR) (Flight Engineer)
Flying Officer Alfred Charles Elliott (141982) (RAFVR) (Air Bomber)
Flight Sergeant Edward Francis Hill-Cottingham (1321806) (RAFVR) (Navigator)
Sergeant Herbert Walter Lawrence Smith (941420) (RAFVR) (Mid Upper Gunner)
Flight Sergeant William James Struthers (426790) (Rear Gunner)
Squadron Leader Philip Mervyn Wigg (33203) (RAF) (Pilot)
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, 166/38/497