LEST WE FORGET
Pilot Officer William Searle VALE
Service No: 401553
Born: Nathalia VIC, 18 December 1916
Enlisted in the RAAF: 28 February 1941
Unit: No. 157 Squadron (RAF)
Died: Air Operations: (No. 157 Squadron Mosquito aircraft MM678), Belgium, 6 October 1944, Aged 27 Years
Buried: Brussels Town Cemetery, Vlaams-Brabant, Belgium
CWGC Additional Information: Son of Henry William Searle Vale and Marion Eliza Vale; husband of Emilie Georgina Cecilia Vale, of Southall, Middlesex
Roll of Honour: Unknown
Remembered: Panel 131, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
At 1807 hours on 6 October 1944 Mosquito MM678 took off from RAF Swannington detailed to carry out an intruder support sortie of targets being Bremen and Dortmund. Nothing was heard from the aircraft after take off and it failed to return to base. The aircraft crashed 5 miles north east of Tirlemont which is east of Brussels, Belgium. Both the crew members were killed.
The crew members of MM678 were:
Flight Lieutenant Alfred Edward David Ashcroft DFC (112736) (RAFVR) (Navigator/Radio)
Pilot Officer William Searle Vale (401553) (Pilot)
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, 166/43/87
Bibliography:
Ilbery, P.L.T. (Peter Leslie Thomas) (422957) Hatching an Air Force: 2SFTS, 5SFTS, 1BFTS Uranquinty and Wagga Wagga, Banner Books Maryborough QLD 4650, 2002