LEST WE FORGET
Flying Officer William Alexander GREENSHIELDS
Service No: 409692
Born: Melbourne VIC, 12 October 1917
Enlisted in the RAAF: 10 October 1941
Unit: No. 464 Squadron
Died: Air Operations: (No. 464 Squadron Mosquito aircraft HR353), Netherlands, 27 November 1944, Aged 27 Years
Buried: Zwolle (De Kkranenburg) General Cemetery, Overijssel, Netherlands
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Robert Eadie and Clara Greenshields, of Port Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Roll of Honour: Port Melbourne VIC
Remembered: Panel 109, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
Mosquito HR353 took off from RAF Thorney Island at 1927 hours on the night of 27 November 1944, being one of a force of 17 aircraft of the squadron detailed to carry out night intruder operations on towns in the Ruhr area and bomb and strafe road and rail junctions. HR353 failed to return from the mission and both crew members lost their lives.
The crew members of HR353 were:
Flying Officer William Alexander Greenshields (409692) (Pilot)
Flying Officer Edward Harry Norman (55626) (RAF) (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 Veterans’ Affairs On-Line WWII Nominal Roll
National Archives of Australia On-Line Record A705, 166/16/487
Bibliography:
Lax, M. (Mark) and Leon Kane-Maguire The Gestapo Hunters: 464 Squadron RAAF 1942-5, Banner Books Maryborough QLD 4650, 1999
Vincent, D. (David) Mosquito Monograph: A history of Mosquitoes in Australia and RAAF operations, David Vincent Highbury SA 5089, 1982