Sheppard, William Arthur Died

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Personal Information

Rank F/S
Forename(s) William Arthur
Surname Sheppard
Gender M
Age 19
Date of Death 07-07-1944
Next of Kin Son of Howard Arthur and Beatrice Magdalene Sheppard, of Leichhardt, New South Wales, Australia.
SHEPPARD WA

Aircraft Information

Aircraft Vickers Wellington X
Serial Number LP314
Markings

Memorial Information

Burial/Memorial Country United Kingdom
Burial/Memorial Place Oxford (Botley) Cemetery
Grave Reference Plot I/2. Grave 244.
Epitaph SAFE IN THE ARMS OF JESUS. TILL WE MEET AGAIN

IBCC Memorial Information

Map
Directions to panel 96
SHEPPARD WA

Location

Row -
Panel 96
Column -
Line -

Directions From the Chadwick Centre, take the central path towards The Spire.

Phase 1
Panel Number 96

Enlistment Information

Service Number 432582
Service Royal Australian Air Force
Group 92
Squadron 26 OTU
Trade Wireless Operator
Country of Origin Australia

Other Memorials

Location Old Airfield Site, Wing, Buckinghamshire
Country United Kingdom
Memorial Type Inscribed Metal Plaque
Memorial Text In memory of the crew of Wellington LP314 who died here on the 7th July 1944

Miscellaneous Information

A Court of Inquiry in to the accident stated: "It appears that the starboard propeller feathered either by itself or by the pilot by means of the 'decrease' switch, causing the aircraft to swing starboard and lose height rapidly. Full right rudder trim indicates an attempt was made to counteract the swing and obtain control of the aircraft prior to the crash, but not until it was nearly on a reciprocal to its original course. The aircraft stalled before it hit the ground and dropped the starboard wing. The aircraft burst into flames and the ammunition exploded. The cause of the accident was obscure."

Fellow Servicemen

Please note that this list gives all the losses aboard the quoted aircraft and occasionally these may have occurred on an earlier date when the aircraft was not itself lost. Please check the dates of death carefully.

Name Outcome
Bolter J (Sgt) Died
Checkley I A (Sgt) Died
Dalton J P S (F/S) Died
Henry W M (P/O) Died

Last Operation Information

Start Date 07-07-1944
End Date 07-07-1944
Takeoff Station Wing
Day/Night Raid Day
Operation Training Flight
Reason for Aircraft Loss Aircraft took off at 0125hrs for night circuit training. At approximately 0215hrs the aircraft suffered starboard engine failure. The crew attempted a return to the airfield, when at a height of approximately 250ft it swung violently and crashed to the ground.
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Casualty Pack

IBCC is delighted to introduce a unique facility to link the Losses Database to the relevant RAF Casualty Pack on the National Archives website. This project is the result of on-going collaboration between IBCC, the MOD Records Office and National Archives, Kew. This document describes what Casualty Packs are, when they were created, the process of making them available to the public and then goes on to describe the process by which you can view the contents of the packs. Casualty Packs (CPs) were created by the RAF whenever there was serious injury or loss of life associated with operational activity within the RAF. This includes operational flying losses, enemy action due to air raids, road accidents either on station or even off-station if they involved RAF vehicles. Deaths due to natural causes in service or accidents that did not involve RAF vehicles did not generally give rise to a CP.

CPs were originally given a unique reference number by the RAF. Each begins with the letter ‘P’ and is followed by six digits, then an oblique (forward slash) and the finally the year in which the incident took place- for example P396154/42.

The CPs are in the process of being made available to the general public as they are passed from the MOD Records Office, Portsmouth to National Archives, Kew. This process requires some rework to the files which is very time consuming, so the process of making them all available to National Archives will take several years. They are being made available in increasing date order.

Once CPs arrive at National Archives they are assigned a unique AIR81 number, so each CP has both a P-number and an AIR81 number. Both are searchable on the National Archives website under ‘Search the catalogue’ and both are included on the IBCC website.

The AIR81 reference on the IBCC website is a link to the file on the National Archives website. When you click on it, the relevant page will open in a new tab on your browser.

There is currently no plan to digitise AIR81 files, partly because they are fragile and partly because the information they contain can at times be sensitive, even harrowing, since they may contain exhumation reports and even photographs of corpses. Family members wishing to read the AIR81 files relating to their ancestors are advised to exercise caution and be guided by National Archives warnings where appropriate.

There are two means for accessing AIR81 files- to attend in person or to order a copy by post.

To attend in person, the attendee should first create a Reader’s Ticket. This can be done online by following this link: https://secure.nationalarchives.gov.uk/login/yourdetails. Then click on the AIR81 reference on the IBCC website and click Order in Advance. Enter your Reader’s Ticket number and state the date on which you intend to visit. National Archives will have the file ready for you when you arrive, saving you time. When you visit Kew, you must quote the Reader’s Ticket number and take along two forms of ID- one bearing your signature and one bearing your address. When you view the files, you are permitted to take photographs of each page, should you wish.

Alternatively, if you wish to order a copy by post, please be aware that there is a charge for this service based on the number of pages in the file. Click on the AIR81 reference on the IBCC website and then click Request a Copy. There is an £8.40 charge for National Archives staff to access the file and give you a quotation for the copying service. The process takes around 24 days to complete and can be expensive.

IBCC wishes to thank the staff at the MOD Records Office and National Archives for their engagement and assistance in making this facility available to our website users.