LEST WE FORGET
Flight Sergeant William Charles ANDREWS
Service No: 410614
Born: Brighton VIC, 8 September 1919
Enlisted in the RAAF: 31 January 1942
Unit: No. 40 Squadron (RAF)
Died: Air Operations: (No. 40 Squadron Wellington aircraft HZ522), Italy, 24 November 1943, Aged 24 Years
Buried: Staglieno Cemetery, Genoa, Italy
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Thomas Sydney and Violet Ellen Andrews, of Hampton, Victoria, Australia
Roll of Honour: Sandringham VIC
Remembered: Panel 118, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
At 1653 hours on 24 November 1943 Wellington HZ522 took off detailed to attack Turin, Italy. Nothing was heard from the aircraft and it failed to return to base. It was later established that the aircraft crashed in the locality of Pontemoli town, and all the crew members were killed.
The crew members of HZ522 were:
Flight Sergeant William Charles Andrews (410614) (Wireless Air Gunner)
Sergeant Robert Stevenson Colvin (1691852) (RAFVR) (Air Gunner)
Flying Officer William Albert Eagles (146527) (RAFVR) (Navigator)
Flight Sergeant Frederick Henry Haegi (659090) (RAF) (Pilot)
Pilot Officer James Cameron Harthill (139722) (RAFVR) (Air Bomber)
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 166/3/144