Donnelly, William Archibald
Personal Information
Rank | F/O |
Forename(s) | William Archibald |
Surname | Donnelly |
Gender | M |
Age | 31 |
Decorations | |
Date of Death | 25-06-1943 |
Next of Kin | Son of Michael Joseph and Eleanor Gertrude Donnelly, of Farningham, Kent. |
Aircraft Information
Aircraft | Handley Page Halifax II |
Serial Number | JD258 |
Markings | VR-K |
Memorial Information
Burial/Memorial Country | Netherlands |
Burial/Memorial Place | Eindhoven (Woensel) General Cemetery |
Grave Reference | Plot EE. Grave 25. |
Epitaph | COME UNTO ME AND I WILL GIVE YOU REST |
Ribbon Stone | 0472 (Block 6, Column 11, Row 2) |
IBCC Memorial Information
Phase | 2 |
Panel Number | 156 |
Enlistment Information
Service Number | 129159 |
Service | Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve |
Group | 6 |
Squadron | 428 (Ghost) |
Trade | Air Bomber |
Country of Origin | United Kingdom |
Other Memorials
Location | Adjacent to fomer St. Georges Hotel, Teesside Airport, County Durham |
Country | United Kingdom |
Memorial Type | Memorial Stone with inscribed slate tablets |
Memorial Text | Dedicated to all who served on 428 (RCAF) Sqn at Middleton St. George during WWII, especially those who made the supreme sacrifice |
Miscellaneous Information
Crew attached to 419 Sqn to gain operational experience |
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
The National Archives
Record of Events (Operational Record Book) AIR 27/1849/12 |
Summary of Events (Operational Record Book) AIR 27/1849/11 |
Fellow Servicemen
Last Operation Information
Start Date | 24-06-1943 |
End Date | 25-06-1943 |
Takeoff Station | Middleton St. George |
Day/Night Raid | Night (48% moon) |
Operation | Wuppertal. 630 aircraft, 34 losses (5.4%). An attack on the Elberfeld half of the town- the Barmen half having been devastated a month ago. PFF marking was accurate but creepback was more evident than normal. A post-war British survey suggest that 95% of the Elberfeld half was destroyed. Approximately 1800 deaths, 300 homes destroyed and 171 businesses knocked out. |
Reason for Loss | Shot down by a night-fighter and crashed in the NW suburbs of Eindhoven, Holland |