LEST WE FORGET
Flight Sergeant William Louis JARVIS
Service No: 414691
Born: Gosford NSW, 31 December 1917
Enlisted in the RAAF: 8 November 1941 (at Brisbane QLD)
Unit: No 75 Squadron (RAF), RAF Station Mepal
Died: Air Operations: (No. 75 Squadron Stirling aircraft EH935), Germany, 23 September 1943, Aged 25 Years
Buried: Rheinberg War Cemetery, Kamp Lintfort, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany
CWGC Additional Information: Son of William Edward and Mary Elizabeth Jarvis, of Yerongapilly, Queensland, Australia
Roll of Honour: Brisbane QLD
Remembered: Panel 124, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
Brother of Leading Aircraftman Vincent Edward Jarvis (414569)
At 1952 hours on the night of 23 September 1943 Stirling EH935 took off from Mepal detailed to bomb Mannheim, Germany. Nothing was heard from the aircraft after take-off and it failed to return to base. The aircraft crashed between Edersheim and Knoringen, 9 kms south of Neustadt, Germany. Five of the crew members were killed and two became Prisoners of War.
The crew members of EH935 were:
Sergeant Charles Percival Ellins (1509658) (RAFVR) (Flight Engineer)
Sergeant J Elliott (RAF) (Mid Upper Gunner) PoW, Repatriated: 6 February 1945
Sergeant Joseph Edwards Hoey (656134) (RAFVR) (Wireless Air Gunner)
Flight Sergeant William Louis Jarvis (414691) (Tail Gunner)
Flying Officer Laurence John Kirkpatrick (414990) (RNZAF) (Pilot)
Flying Officer W R A Mason (416865) (RNZAF) (Air Bomber) PoW
Flying Officer Hugh Powell Sands (403287) (RNZAF) (Navigator)
Flying Officer Mason later reported “the aircraft was attacked by a night fighter over the target and set on fire. After failing to put out the fire, the Captain ordered bale out. I was the first to leave and cannot state if Jarvis was alive. When I left none of the others were injured.”
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, 166/20/65