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I am trying to find information on what happened to Pilot Office 'Bill' Smith who was, I think, killed in action during WW2. He was the son of Rod Smith and Elizabeth Reveler and born in the Easington District of County Durham in the first quarter of 1913 - in the family he was known as 'Will' Smith. I have a photograph of 'Bill' Smith standing in front of his Halifax Bomber with the names of the crew written on the back - in this list he is named as Pilot Officer Bill Smith - Skipper and the other members of the crew are Flight Officer Johnny Crisp - Wireless Operator, Flight Sergeant Taffy Kingdom - Bomb Aimer, Flight Seargeant “Mac” McPherson - Navigator, Sergeant “Ginger” Ollerton - Mid-Upper Gunner, Sergeant B. Peckham - Rear Gunner, Sergeant Johnny Grist - Flight Engineer.
:-S

Look for his death on the CWGC site........it's free

here you are..................

SMITH, WILLIAM REVELER

Rank: Pilot Officer
Trade: Pilot
Service No: 190551
Date of Death: 08/02/1945
Age: 32
Regiment/Service: Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve

102 Sqdn.
Grave Reference
I. B. 9.
Cemetery
LEOPOLDSBURG WAR CEMETERY
Additional Information:
Son of Roger and Elizabeth Smith, of Staithes, Yorkshire.

Many thanks Roger and Elizabeth did move to Staithes on the Yorkshire Coast :-)

You can send for a photograph of his head stone from here:


http://twgpp.org/information.php?id=1401290

Many Thanks :-)

Just out of curiosity I looked for the other crew members that you listed from the photograph. They weren't on the Commonwealth War Graves site so evidently they weren't with him that fateful day.

Many thanks - I was wondering if he still was flying with the same crew :-)

If it is any help I am the son of John Grist one of the crew that flew with Bill Smith. I have researched the flight of Bill's aircraft and helped place a memorial in Belgium at the site of the aircraft crash. The aircraft a Handley Page Halifax was brought down by a German night fighter on its way back from its target at Goch. Bill died but the rest of the crew survived. I have visited Bill's grave and flowers are placed on his grave every year by a Belgian family. If anyone wishes the full details please contact me on [email protected]

Welcome to the boards, Stephen.

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