LEST WE FORGET
Flight Lieutenant William DOBSON
Service No: 38380
Born: Perth WA, 23 January 1914
Enlisted in the RAAF: 9 April 1941
Unit: No. 15 Squadron (RAF), RAF Mildenhall, Suffolk
Died: Air Operations: (No. 15 Squadron Lancaster aircraft LM468), France, 11 June 1944, Aged 30 Years
Buried: Ste. Gemme-Moronval Churchyard, France
CWGC Additional Information: Son of John William and May Kathleen Dobson; husband of Una Frances Dobson, of Geraldton, Western Australia.
Roll of Honour: Geraldton WA
Remembered: Panel 121, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
Remembered: Cenotaph Undercroft, State War Memorial, Kings Park WA
Lancaster LM468 took off from RAF Mildenhall at 2300 hours on the night of 10 June 1944 to bomb rail installations at Dreux, France. Nothing was heard from the aircraft after take off and it failed to return to base. A post war report by a Missing Research and Enquiry Unit stated “the aircraft crashed at St Denis de Moronval at approximately 0100 hours on the night of 10/11th June 1944. The aircraft jettisoned its bombs and tried to make a forced landing but crashed and all crew members were killed.
The crew members of LM468 were:
Sergeant Norman Davis (1322108) (RAFVR) (Wireless Operator Air)
Flight Lieutenant William Dobson (38380) (Pilot)
Sergeant John Peter Ogilvie Bell (1811656) (RAFVR) (Rear Gunner)
Flying Officer Michael Hills (147663) (RAFVR) (Navigator)
Sergeant Thomas Brynnor Rees (1652964) (RAFVR) (Flight Engineer)
Warrant Officer George Radcliffe (634738) (RAFVR) (Mid Upper Gunner)
Flight Sergeant John William Robinson (1318764) (RAFVR) (Bomb Aimer)
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, 166/10/250