LEST WE FORGET
Flight Sergeant William Thomas Emmerick HIGHLAND
Service No: 32782
Born: Sydney NSW, 28 December 1921
Enlisted in the RAAF: 29 July 1940
Unit: No. 15 Squadron (RAF), RAF Station Mildenhall
Died: Air Operations: (No. 15 Squadron Lancaster aircraft BF470), Germany, 3 October 1943, Aged 21 Years
Buried: Rheinberg War Cemetery, Kamp Lintfort, Nordrhein-Westfal, Germany
CWGC Additional Information: Son of William Emmerick Highland and Mary Ellen Highland, of Ashbury, New South Wales, Australia
Roll of Honour: Sydney NSW
Remembered: Panel 124, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
At 1857 hours on the night of 3 October 1943 Lancaster BF470 took off from Mildenhall to bomb Kassel, Germany. Nothing was heard from the aircraft after take-off and it failed to return to base. Post war a missing Research & Enquiry unit established that a heavy bomber which was on fire approached the village of Haste from the north at approximately 2200 hours on 3 October/1943. It circled the village and finally crashed into a house. Three of the crew members were killed in the crash and the other four became Prisoners of War.
The crew members of BF470 were:
Sergeant J R Arrowsmith (1128426) (RAFVR) (Wireless Air Gunner) PoW
Sergeant Rex Blanchard (1339896) (RAFVR) (Mid Upper Gunner)
Flight Sergeant J S Curtis (417272) (RNZAF) (Navigator) PoW
Sergeant Leslie Thompson Graham (1603188) (RAFVR) (Flight Engineer)
Flight Sergeant William Thomas Emmerick Highland (32782) (Rear Gunner)
Flight Sergeant A V Wood (1320482) (RAFVR) (Pilot) PoW
Flight Sergeant G G Wright (R/133887) (RCAF) (Bomb Aimer) PoW
Flight Sergeant Wood later reported “Nothing is known re Highland. When I gave the abandon aircraft order, Highland was in possession of his parachute, but know nothing further of his whereabouts. Flight Sergeant Wright stated “When we were attacked I was injured to such an extent that I suffered a loss of memory for 5 days. As a result I know nothing of the Rear Gunner. He had his parachute with him and was perfectly OK up to the moment we were hit.”
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, 166/17/331