LEA, William Joseph
| Service Number: | 418963 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 20 June 1942 |
| Last Rank: | Flight Sergeant |
| Last Unit: | Not yet discovered |
| Born: | RICHMOND, VIC, 5 March 1923 |
| Home Town: | Not yet discovered |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Not yet discovered |
| Died: | Accidental, England, England, United Kingdom, 11 May 1944, aged 21 years |
| Cemetery: | Not yet discovered |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, International Bomber Command Centre Memorial, Ivanhoe Baptist Church Memorial Window |
World War 2 Service
| 3 Sep 1939: | Involvement Flight Sergeant, 418963 | |
|---|---|---|
| 20 Jun 1942: | Enlisted Royal Australian Air Force, Flight Sergeant, 418963 |
Short Sterling Bomber LJ524
Short Sterling heavy bomber LJ524
On the 11th May 1944, Stirling LJ524 from 1654 HCU took off from RAF Wigsley detailed to carry out a non-operational night exercise. The aircraft crashed at 0253 hours near Harby, about 12 miles south east of Nottingham, and five of the crew died and three were injured. The engine failed while the aircraft was approaching to land, and the causes of the accident were threefold, (1) the Pilot Plt Off Dunn had applied the wrong trim, (2) he decided to go around again at ground level on three engines at night because he was not quite lined up with the runway, and (3) the aircraft stalled when at 300 feet. It was concluded that it was bad flying and airmanship on Dunn’s part.
Crew:
Pilot; Plt Off Robert Wyndham Dunn 422460 RAAF Killed
Flight Engineer; Sgt E J Wild RAF Injured
Nav; Sgt Earnest Arthur Wilmshurst 941200 RAF Killed
Nav/Bomb Aimer; WO Harold Eric Hughes 26382 RAAF Killed
Nav/Bomb Aimer; FS William Joseph Lea 418963 RAAF Killed
WOp/AG; FS Ronald Walter Ely 26355 RAAF Killed
AG; FS Geoffrey Roy Whimpey 434299 RAAF Injured
AG; FS George Edward Dowling 429881 Injured
The four RAAF members killed are buried in the Oxford (Botley) Cemetery. Sgt Wilmshurst is buried in the Bottesford (St Peter Ad Vincula) Churchyard, Lincolnshire.
FS Whimpey despite being badly shocked, was one of the first to enter the burning fuselage and begin the task of pulling bodies from the wreckage. For his courage he was awarded the British Empire Medal, but by the time this honour was gazetted, he had perished in action with 463 Sqn, along with FS Dowling.
Submitted 20 July 2019 by David Potter