BIRMINGHAM, William John
| Service Number: | 406500 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 6 January 1941 |
| Last Rank: | Flight Sergeant |
| Last Unit: | No. 103 Squadron (RAF) |
| Born: | Fremantle, Western Australia., 30 January 1921 |
| Home Town: | Not yet discovered |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Orchardist |
| Died: | Accidental, Lincolnshire, United Kingdom, 28 July 1942, aged 21 years |
| Cemetery: |
St Mary’s Churchyard Manby, Lincolnshire. Grave 15. INSCRIPTION FROM DWELLINGUP, WESTERN AUSTRALIA , St Mary Churchyard, Manby, Lincolnshire, England, United Kingdom |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, International Bomber Command Centre Memorial |
World War 2 Service
| 3 Sep 1939: | Involvement Flight Sergeant, 406500 | |
|---|---|---|
| 6 Jan 1941: | Enlisted Royal Australian Air Force, Flight Sergeant, 406500, No. 103 Squadron (RAF) |
Help us honour William John Birmingham's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Geoffrey Gillon
Enlisted Perth, WA.
Son of Herbert E. and Dorothy A. Birmingham, of Dwellingup, Western Australia.
Flight Sergeant Birmingham was one of 7 airmen killed in the crash of their Halifax aircraft at Cold Harbour Farm, Ludborough, Lincolnshire. The other casualties of this aircraft accident were:-
RAFVR Sergeant Douglas Charles COCHRANE,
RCAF Flight Sergeant Francis Leon Joseph HARTNETT,
RCAF Flight Sergeant Alexander Francis PEARSON,
RAF Flight Sergeant Stanley Norman RYDER,
RAF Sergeant Stewart William STOCKFORD and
RAF Sergeant Leonard Joseph STOREY.
Royal Australian Air Force
Unit: 103 RAF Squadron (MOTTO: 'Noli Me Tangere')
In August 1938, RAF Manby opened as a training station housing No. 1 Air Armament School and subsequently the Empire Central Armament School, which opened early in 1943. It became the RAF Flying College in 1946 and then the College of Air Warfare until its closure in 1974. Inevitably there were accidents, some of which involved fatalities.
Click images to start slideshow.