LEST WE FORGET
Sergeant William Arthur ALLSOPP
Service No: 411063
Born: Tamworth NSW, 13 May 1918
Enlisted in the RAAF: 31 March 1941
Unit: No. 35 Squadron (RAF), RAF Station Linton-on-Ouse
Died: Air Operations (No. 35 Squadron Halifax aircraft W1147), Netherlands, 26 July 1942, Aged 24 Years
Buried: Jonkerbos War Cemetery, Gelderland, Netherlands
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Harold and Imelda Gladys Allsopp, of Tamworth, New South Wales, Australia
Roll of Honour: Unknown
Remembered: Panel 118, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
At 0003 hours on the morning of 26 July 1942 Halifax W1147 took off from Linton-on-Ouse to bomb Duisberg, Germany. Nothing was heard from the aircraft after take-off and it failed to return to base. It was later established that the aircraft was shot down by anti-aircraft fire and crashed at 0230 hours near s’Hertogenbosch (Noord-Brabant), Netherlands. Six of the crew members were killed and one evaded capture.
The crew members of W1147 were:
Sergeant William Arthur Allsopp (411063) (Wireless Air Gunner)
Sergeant J T Bennett (928104) (RAFVR) (Flight Engineer) Evaded capture
Pilot Officer Haddo Eric Von Bruce (J/15668) (RCAF) (Air Gunner)
Pilot Officer John Francis Day (J/8099) (RCAF) (Wireless Air Gunner)
Flight Sergeant Clarence Ernest Evans (R/91535) (RCAF) (Observer)
Pilot Officer John Edward Maple (110870) (RAFVR) (Pilot)
Sergeant Douglas MacRae Ross (R/76228) (RCAF) (Wireless Air Gunner)
Sergeant Bennett later reported that “he had parachuted to the north of the town.”
References:
Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour On-Line Records (RAAF Casualty Information compiled by Alan Storr (409804))
Commonwealth War Graves Commission On-Line Records
Department of Veterans’ Affairs On-Line WWII Nominal Roll
National Archives of Australia On-Line Record A705, 163/87/240