Whitehead, William Edwin
Personal Information
Rank | Sgt |
Forename(s) | William Edwin |
Surname | Whitehead |
Gender | M |
Age | 22 |
Decorations | |
Date of Death | 20-06-1942 |
Next of Kin | Son of Walter and Ida Elizabeth Whitehead, of Frizinghall, Bradford, Yorkshire. |
Aircraft Information
Aircraft | Short Stirling I |
Serial Number | W7530 |
Markings | HA-Q |
Memorial Information
Burial/Memorial Country | Netherlands |
Burial/Memorial Place | Bergen General Cemetery |
Grave Reference | Plot 1. Row C. Grave 10. |
Epitaph | DEAR ONLY CHILD OF IDA AND WALTER, FRIZINGHALL, BRADFORD, YORKS. "O VALIANT HEART" |
IBCC Memorial Information
Phase | 2 |
Panel Number | 263 |
Enlistment Information
Service Number | 994746 |
Service | Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve |
Group | 3 |
Squadron | 218 (Gold Coast) |
Trade | Air Gunner |
Country of Origin | United Kingdom |
Other Memorials
Location | St. Mary's Church, Bexwell, Norfolk |
Country | United Kingdom |
Memorial Type | Inscribed Stone Tablet |
Memorial Text | In memory of the squadrons based at R.A.F. Downham Market and those who have their lives during the 1939 - 1945 war |
Location | All Saints Church, Chedburgh, Suffolk |
Country | United Kingdom |
Memorial Type | RoH and Sqn Crest |
Memorial Text | Roll of Honour and scroll remembering the members of the Royal and Polish Air Forces who served at RAF Chedburgh 1942 - 1946 |
Miscellaneous Information
https://internationalbcc.co.uk/about-ibcc/news/a-fathers-tale/ |
One of the survivors, Des Plunkett, went on to play a major role in the ‘Great Escape’, firstly as the ‘map-maker’ and then as the 13th man out of the tunnel. He evaded capture for two weeks and travelled the furthest of all the British escapers, but was arrested on the Austrian border. Having suffered weeks of torture and interrogation at the hands of the Gestapo in Prague, he was eventually sent to Stalag Luft I for the remainder of the war. |
For another survivor, Alan Green, this was his second time of being shot down- the first being in May 1942 in a night-fighting Hurricane over the south coast. Alan initially evaded capture but was eventually captured and taken prisoner, ending up as a PoW in Stalag Luft III. He had attended Coventry Preparatory School and Bablake School 1934 to 1937. |
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
The National Archives
Record of Events (Operational Record Book) AIR 27/1350/12 |
Summary of Events (Operational Record Book) AIR 27/1350/11 |
Fellow Servicemen
Last Operation Information
Start Date | 20-06-1942 |
End Date | 21-06-1942 |
Takeoff Station | Marham |
Day/Night Raid | Night (41% moon) |
Operation | Emden. 185 aircraft, of which 8 were lost. 100 houses damaged and 1 person injured |
Reason for Loss | Shot down by a night-fighter and crashed NNW of Hoorn, Holland. Sgt Whithead was able to leave the aircraft but his parachute failed to open. |