LEST WE FORGET

Flight Sergeant Francis Alfred WILLIAMS

Service No: 21213
Born: Cessnock NSW, 12 April 1915
Enlisted in the RAAF: 3 June 1940
Unit: No. 97 Squadron (RAF), RAF Station Bourn
Died: Air Operations: (No. 97 Squadron Lancaster aircraft JB238), Germany, 22 November 1943, Aged 28 Years
Buried: Reichswald Forest War Cemetery, Kleve, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Richard and Margaret Williams; husband of Kathleen Mary Williams, of Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia
Roll of Honour: Unknown
Remembered: Panel 132, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT

At 1730 hours on the night of 22 November 1943 Lancaster JB238 took off from Bourn detailed to bomb Berlin. Nothing was heard from the aircraft after take-off and it failed to return to base. The aircraft crashed at Achmer, 4 kms west south west of Bramsche, Germany. Three crew members were killed and four became Prisoners of War.

The crew members of JB238 were:

Warrant Officer I J R A Burke (R/76052) (RCAF) (Rear Gunner) PoW
Sergeant W S Gibb (1573457) (RAFVR) (Mid Upper Gunner) PoW
Sergeant J J Johnson (1078720) (RAFVR) (Wireless Air Gunner) PoW
Flying Officer Eugene Francis McEgan (403200) (Pilot)
Pilot Officer P A Spencer (155157) (RAFVR) (Navigator) PoW
Flying Officer John Vincent Tyler (51097) (RAF) (Air Bomber)
Flight Sergeant Francis Alfred Williams (21213) (Flight Engineer)

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, 166/43/423

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