LEST WE FORGET
Flying Officer William August CRANZ
Service No: 407927
Born: Broken Hill NSW, 14 December 1909
Enlisted in the RAAF: 3 February 1941 (at Adelaide SA)
Unit: No. 150 Squadron (RAF), RAF Kirmington, Lincolnshire
Died: Air Operations (No. 150 Squadron Wellington aircraft X3957), off the French coast, 28 October 1942, Aged 32 Years
Buried: Unrecovered
CWGC Additional Information: Son of William Nelson Cranz and Rosina Beatrice Cranz, of Beulah Park, South Australia.
Roll of Honour: Broken Hill NSW
Remembered: Panel 109, Runnymede Memorial, Surrey UK
Remembered: Panel 120, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
Remembered: World War II Honour Roll, National War Memorial of SA, North Terrace, Adelaide
Wellington X3957 of No. 150 Squadron took off at 1719 hours on 28 October 1942 from Kirmington. It was one of 9 aircraft on a gardening (mine laying) expedition off the French coast. X3957 did not return to base. Visibility over the target area was fair. There was some haze and ten tenths cloud cover to within a short distance from the French coast, after which it dispersed. Some heavy and late but inaccurate anti-aircraft fire was encountered at Lorient. In a 1949 search report it was recorded that the aircraft and crew were lost at sea.
The crew members of X3957 were:
Flying Officer William August Cranz (407927) (Pilot)
Sergeant John Roberts Ovens (656766) (RAFVR) (Bombardier)
Sergeant Harry Pollitt (1006357) (RAFVR) (Wireless Operator/Air Gunner)
Sergeant Arthur Reginald Rudd (971942) (RAFVR) (Air Gunner)
Sergeant James Arthur Taylor (1379000) (RAFVR) (Navigator)
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 Veteran’s Affairs On-Line WWII Nominal Roll
National Archives of Australia On-Line Record A705, 163/26/280