ARTHUR, William Charles
| Service Number: | 61516 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 8 December 1941 |
| Last Rank: | Sergeant |
| Last Unit: | Not yet discovered |
| Born: | Yahl Paddock, South Australia, 13 July 1906 |
| Home Town: | Whyalla (Formerly Hummock's Hill), Whyalla, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Not yet discovered |
| Died: | Aircraft accident, Parkes, New South Wales, Australia, 15 June 1942, aged 35 years |
| Cemetery: |
Parkes Cemetery, NSW Methodist Plot, Sect. R, Grave 16 , Parkes General Cemetery, Parkes, New South Wales, Australia |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Whyalla BHP Employees War Memorial, Whyalla Roll of Honour |
World War 2 Service
| 8 Dec 1941: | Involvement Sergeant, 61516 | |
|---|---|---|
| 8 Dec 1941: | Enlisted Parkes | |
| 8 Dec 1941: | Enlisted Royal Australian Air Force, Sergeant, 61516 |
Help us honour William Charles Arthur's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by David Barlow
Son of Edmund William Arthur and Margaret Ann Arthur of Prospect, SA
RAAF Dakota aircraft A30-7 of Number 2 Wireless and Gunnery School crashed a quarter mile from the north boundary of Parkes aerodrome (incident covered in book “Allied Air Transport Operations South West Pacific Area in WWII - Volume 1” by Robert H. Kelly)
Two members of the crew died in the crash with another two succumbing to their injuries over the following days:
Flight Lieutenant Norman Charles Philip Blight (2nd pilot) 366 (died 15/6)
Sergeant William Charles Arthur 61516 (died 15/6)
Flying Officer Harold Robert Irving Cox 689 (died 16/6)
Pilot Officer Cyril Richard Neil Lewis 3889 (1st pilot) (died 20/6)
Biography
2 Wireless & Gunnery School, Parkes NSW
Rank Sergeant
Whyalla News (SA: 1940 - 1954) Friday 5 December 1941
PERSONAL
Mr. W. C. Arthur left on Monday to join the instructional staff of the R.A.A.F. station at Parkes in New South Wales. A number of his friends presented him with a wristlet watch on Saturday night.
http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article195949428
Transcontinental (Port Augusta, SA: 1914 - 1954) Friday 26 June 1942
SGT. W. C. ARTHUR KILLED IN N.S.W. AIR CRASH
Advice has been received here that Sgt. W. C. (Bill) Arthur was one of the three members of the crew of a R.A.A.F. plane who were killed in a crash on Monday of last week. Bill Arthur, was wellknown in Port Augusta as a foundation member of the Whyalla Masonic Lodge and a member of the staff of the B.H.P. He left Whyalla to take over an appointment as instructor in N.S.W.
http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article168454627
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