THOMPSON, William Bethel
| Service Number: | 251651 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Squadron Leader |
| Last Unit: | Not yet discovered |
| Born: | Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 28 December 1906 |
| Home Town: | Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Race Car driver |
| Died: | Accidental (Aircraft accident), Marshall Islands, Marshall Islands, Pacific Islands, 12 February 1945, aged 38 years |
| Cemetery: |
Rookwood Sydney War Cemetery, New South Wales F B 12 |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour |
World War 2 Service
| 3 Sep 1939: | Involvement Squadron Leader, 251651 | |
|---|---|---|
| Date unknown: | Enlisted Royal Australian Air Force, Squadron Leader, 251651 |
Help us honour William Bethel Thompson's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Daryl Jones
Son of William Ernest and Gladys McDonald Thompson; husband of Millicent Francklyn Thompson, of Malvern, Victoria.
Biography contributed by David Barlow
USN Consolidated Coronado (PB2Y-5R Buno 7075) of Air Transport Squadron Two (VR-2), Naval Air Transport Command crashed while attempting to land in the lagoon at Ebeye Island Seaplane Base, Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands - Squadron Leader Thompson was the sole Australian on board.
SQNLDR Thompson was based at RAAF HQ in Melbourne where he organized the manufacture and supply of engine spares for Air-Sea rescue boats.
William Bethel Thompson was a three-time winner of the Australian Grand Prix before the war and has an entry in the Australian Dictionary of Biography
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