LEST WE FORGET
Flight Sergeant Walter William Nelson KNIGHTS
Service No: 30159
Born: Hobart TAS, 6 February 1922
Enlisted in the RAAF: 29 April 1940
Unit: No. 619 Squadron (RAF), RAF Station Woodhall Spa
Died: Air Operations (No. 619 Squadron Lancaster aircraft DV336), RAF Station Elvington, 27 November 1943, Aged 21 Years
Buried: Harrogate (Stonefall) Cemetery, Yorkshire
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Walter Nelson Knights and Isabel Marie Knights, of West Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
Roll of Honour: Hobart TAS
Remembered: Panel 125, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
At 1722 hours on the night of 26 November 1943, Lancaster DV336 took off from Woodhall Spa detailed to bomb Berlin. The aircraft was returning from the mission and it was diverted to RAF Station Elvington because of bad weather at base. It crashed when attempting to land and the aircraft completely disintegrated. All on board were killed.
The crew members of DV336 were:
Flight Sergeant Harry Vincent Birch (1284262) (RAFVR) (Rear Gunner)
Sergeant Derek Webb Blundell (967176) (RAFVR) (Navigator)
Flight Sergeant Walter William Nelson Knights (30159) (Mid Upper Gunner)
Pilot Officer Kenneth James Mears (156086) (RAFVR) (Pilot)
Flight Sergeant Leslie Pearse (574692) (RAF) (Flight Engineer)
Pilot Officer Gordon Geoffrey Salt (149344) (RAFVR) (Air Bomber)
Sergeant Aubrey Ralph Wilcher (1312013) (RAFVR) (Wireless Air Gunner)
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, 166/23/26