PAUL, William
| Service Number: | 423870 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 18 July 1942 |
| Last Rank: | Flight Sergeant |
| Last Unit: | No. 467 Squadron (RAAF) |
| Born: | Grafton, New South Wales, Australia, 12 May 1924 |
| Home Town: | Grafton, Clarence Valley, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Clerk |
| Died: | Lost on operations-mid air collision between two Lancaster bombers, France, 16 July 1944, aged 20 years |
| Cemetery: |
Lignieres-de-Touraine Communal Cemetery One of 15 graves of the crews of two Lancasters which collided and cashed near the town on 16 July 1944, |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, International Bomber Command Centre Memorial |
World War 2 Service
| 18 Jul 1942: | Enlisted Royal Australian Air Force, Aircraftman 2 (WW2), 423870, Sydney, New South Wales | |
|---|---|---|
| 18 Jul 1942: | Enlisted Royal Australian Air Force, Flight Sergeant, 423870 | |
| 16 Jul 1944: | Involvement Royal Australian Air Force, Flight Sergeant, 423870, No. 467 Squadron (RAAF), Air War NW Europe 1939-45 |
Missing Clarence River Airmen
"News was received yesterday of two Clarence River airmen, members of the crew of the same bomber, reported missing. Captain and Mrs. W. Paul, of Southampton road, South Grafton, were informed by the Air Board that their only son, Flight Sergt. W. Paul, was missing from operations of July 16, and Mr. and Mrs. W. Jenkins, of Southgate, received a similar notification regarding their son, Flight Sergt. A. H. (Hedley) Jenkins. These young men were on a Lancaster bomber, Flight Sergt. Paul being wireless operator, and Flight Sergt. Jenkins air gunner. Flight Sergt. Paul, after completing all except his operational training with the R.A.A.F. in Australia, left for England about 15 months ago. Flight Sergt. Paul, who is a very athletic young man, took a prominent part in swimming, rowing and other sports and was particularly noted as a footballer. Flight Sergt. A. H. Jenkins, who was born in the locality, attended the Southgate school and afterwards the Grafton High School, where he passed his Intermediate Certificate examination. He is about 19 years of age. He was a very popular young man and was a good footballer. He joined the R.A.A.F. a year and nine months ago and completed his training as an air gunner in Australia. He then went to England." – Grafton Daily Examiner 21 Jul 1944
http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article194602143
Submitted 4 December 2016 by John Johnston
Biography contributed by John Edwards
"...423870 Aircraftman (later Flight Sergeant) William Paul, 467 Squadron RAAF, of South Grafton, NSW. Flt Sgt Paul was killed on operation on 16 July 1944, aged 20 years, and is buried at Lignieres-de-Touraine Communal Cemetery, France. He was killed when two Lancaster aircraft crashed after one had been hit by flak and gone out of control. Fifteen airmen died in this crash and the people of the town of Azay-le-Rideau requested permission for them to hold a service for these men, after which they were buried in the local cemetery. When the war ended the townspeople requested that the bodies of the airmen remain there, rather than being reinterred in a military cemetery; they undertook to look after the graves and hold a memorial service annually." - SOURCE (www.awm.gov.au)
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