Gardiner, William Henry
Personal Information
Rank | P/O |
Forename(s) | William Henry |
Surname | Gardiner |
Gender | M |
Age | 24 |
Decorations | |
Date of Death | 17-06-1944 |
Next of Kin | Son of Frederick Gerald Gardiner and Nellie Violet Gardiner (née Stretton), of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Husband of Dorothy Nell Gardiner (née Farmer), whom he married at Toronto on 4 January 1943. |
Aircraft Information
Aircraft | Avro Lancaster X |
Serial Number | KB734 |
Markings | VR-F |
Memorial Information
Burial/Memorial Country | Netherlands |
Burial/Memorial Place | Amersfoort (Oud Leusden) General Cemetery |
Grave Reference | Plot 13. Row 1. Grave 6. |
Epitaph |
IBCC Memorial Information
Phase | 2 |
Panel Number | 168 |
Enlistment Information
Service Number | J/92341 |
Service | Royal Canadian Air Force |
Group | 6 |
Squadron | 419 (Moose) |
Trade | Navigator |
Country of Origin | Canada |
Other Memorials
Location | Outside Former St. Georges Hotel, Teesside Airport, County Durham |
Country | United Kingdom |
Memorial Type | Inscribed Slate Memorial Tablet on Stone Memorial |
Memorial Text | A memorial to Nos 419, 420 and 428 Sqns RCAF who flew from RAF Middleton St George during WW2 |
Miscellaneous Information
William was born on 20 March 1920. His father was a Baggage man who was born in Bristol, England and his mother was born in Birmingham, England. He had one brother Frederick. The schools he attended were Alexander Muir 1926-1933, followed by Central Technical 1933-1937 (Industrial Course). He would play hockey and rugby occasionally. William worked at Holophane Ltd., 1937-1941, inspecting, packing and shipping. Also at Amalgamated Electric Corporation, engineering , estimating and layout between 1941 and 1942. |
William enlisted on 3 June 1942 and after training was posted to the U.K. He embarked from Canada on 16 July 1943, arriving at 3 PRC on 23 July. He then continued to 10 AFU on 14 September 1943, 24 OTU 2 November 1943, 61 Base on 28 February 1944 and 419 Squadron on 22 April 1944. Sadly William then lost his life on 17 June 1944. |
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
The National Archives
Record of Events (Operational Record Book) AIR 27/1823/12 |
Summary of Events (Operational Record Book) AIR 27/1823/11 |
Fellow Servicemen
Last Operation Information
Start Date | 16-06-1944 |
End Date | 17-06-1944 |
Takeoff Station | Middleton St. George |
Day/Night Raid | Night (16% moon) |
Operation | Sterkrade to bomb a synthetic oil plant, despite a poor local weather forecast The target was indeed covered in thick cloud and the PFF markers were not easily visible. Bombing was scattered as a result and there was little impact on production. The bomber stream passed within 30 miles of the Tame Boar night-fighter beacon that was being used that night, resulting in large bomber losses on the approach. Total losses for the night were 31 aircraft (13.6%) although losses among certain squadrons were higher still- notably 77 Sqn which Lost 7 of its 23 aircraft (30.3%). |
Reason for Loss | Crashed at Zeist (Utrecht), Holland |