Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

ROYAL AUSTRALIAN AIR FORCE. ALEXANDER WILLIAM FRASER DFC AND BAR
Australian airman Flight Lieutenant Alexander William Fraser DFC and Bar lived in Lisburn, Co. Antrim at his time of death in England on 4th July 1944.
Flight Lieutenant Alexander William Fraser
404063

Flight Lieutenant Alexander William Fraser was known as Bill. Though born in Australia, he served in the Royal Air Force and lived in Lisburn, Co. Antrim with his wife and young son.

Date of Birth
7th May 1915

Date of Death
4th July 1944

Flight Lieutenant Alexander William Fraser DFC and Bar (404063) served in the Royal Australian Air Force during the Second World War. Born on 7th May 1915, he was the son of the late Alexander William Fraser and Rhoda Maria Fraser (née Hull) of Heberton, Queensland, Australia.

Known as Bill, he was the husband of Margaret “Madge” Fraser (née Ritchie) of 17 Westbourne Terrace, Lisburn, Co. Antrim. The couple had a baby son Malcolm Fraser in Northern Ireland at the time of the Australian airman’s death in 1944.

Distinguished Flying Cross and Bar
In March 1943, while serving in RAF 120 Squadron, Fraser received the Distinguished Flying Cross. The citation read:

This officer has taken part in numerous anti-submarine and convoy escort sorties and has proved himself an exceptional pilot. On one occasion he found one of our convoys when 50 miles from home and by escorting it for four and a half hours undoubtedly saved it from submarine attack.

In August 1943, he received a Bar to the DFC while flying in the same RAF Squadron.

This officer was the captain of an aircraft which attacked a U-boat In the face of heavy antiaircraft fire a vigorous attack was pressed home and the vessel was destroyed Although Flight Lieutenant Fraser s aircraft was hit by gunfire, he flew it to base where he executed a masterly landing This officer displayed skill, courage, and determination of a high order.
Death in Hampshire
Fraser died on 4th July 1944 aged 29 years old while serving as the Pilot of Vickers Wellington HF352 with RAF No. 1674 Heavy Conversion Unit. His crew took off from RAF Farnborough, Hampshire, England to test a new type of automatic alarm radio. During the flight, the Wellington suffered an engine failure and the crew attempted to return to the airfield. It came down in the wooded area of Gaston Copse near Odiham, Hampshire, England killing all those on board.