LEST WE FORGET

Pilot Officer William Owen WEABER

From Australia serving in the Royal Air Force

Service No: 83709 (RAF)
Born: Location, Date unavailable
Enlisted in the RAF: Date unavailable
Unit: No. 233 Squadron (RAF)
Died: Air Operations (No. 233 Squadron Hudson II aircraft T9377), off Norway, 31 October 1940, Age unavailable
Buried: Sola Churchyard, Norway
CWGC Additional Information: No further information
Roll of Honour: Unknown
Remembered: Commemorative Roll, Australian War Memorial, Canberra
Remembered: Battle of Britain Memorial, Westminster Abbey, London UK

Three aircraft reached the Norwegian coast in formation at 1244 hours 6 miles north of Lister and observed one vessel of 3000 tons heavily laden with timber, one of 500 tons and (1 mile ahead of them) a flak-ship of 1,000 tons, all steaming on a course of 350°. All three aircraft attacked the 3,000 ton vessel. Pilot Officer Weaber was seen to make an attack, but his bombs missed and he was later seen flying over the flak-ship. T9377 was not seen again but at 1255 hours a sheet of flame was seen on the beach 10 miles north of Lister. T9377 was probably shot down by a combination of fire from the flak ship and from Me109s attacking at the end of the bombing run.

The crew members of T9377 were:

Sergeant Henry Dean (642917) (RAF) (Observer)
Pilot Officer Basil Pollock Erskine (44190) (RAF) (Second Pilot)
Sergeant James Andrew Wallace (568661) (RAF) (Air Gunner)
Pilot Officer William Owen Weaber (RAFVR) (83709) (Pilot)

References:

Australian War Memorial Commemorative Roll On-Line Records
Commonwealth War Graves Commission On-Line Records
McNeill, Ross RAF Coastal Command Loses of the Second World War Volume 1 Aircraft and Aircrew Losses 1939-1941, Midland Publications UK, 2003
National Archives of Australia On-Line Record A705, 163/63/141

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