LEST WE FORGET
Sergeant William Chantler WILLIAMS
Service No: 407487
Born: Durham, England, 29 November 1908
Enlisted in the RAAF: 12 October 1940 (at Adelaide SA)
Unit: No. 50 Squadron (RAF), RAF Skellingthorpe, Lincolnshire
Died: Aircraft Accident (No. 50 Squadron Hampden aircraft AE381), Derbyshire, 21 January 1942, Aged 33 Years
Buried: South Shields (Harton) Cemetery, Durham
CWGC Additional Information: Son of John Henry and Lena Williams; husband of Constance Bertha Williams, of Hazlewood Park. South Australia.
Roll of Honour: Adelaide SA
Remembered: Panel 132, Commemorative Area, Australian War Memorial, Canberra ACT
Remembered: World War II Honour Roll, National War Memorial of SA, North Terrace, Adelaide
Hampden AE381 crashed at 2038 hours on the night of 21st January 1942 during a non-operational night cross country training exercise. The aircraft crashed at a place known as Cluther Rocks on Kinder Scout in the Derbyshire Peak District, following an attempt to land at Ringwood. The weather was extremely poor at the time. The aircraft was completely destroyed and all the crew members were killed.
The crew members of AE381 were:
Sergeant Royal George Heron (404820) (Pilot)
Sergeant Sydney Albert Peters (1375369) (RAFVR) (Air Gunner)
Sergeant William Thomas Tromans (1152528) (RAFVR) (Wireless Air Gunner)
Sergeant William Chantler Williams (407847) (Observer)
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 Veteran’s Affairs On-Line WWII Nominal Roll
National Archives of Australia On-Line Record A705, 163/177/206