Hills, William John
Personal Information
Rank | F/O |
Forename(s) | William John |
Surname | Hills |
Gender | M |
Age | 38 |
Decorations | |
Date of Death | 04-07-1943 |
Next of Kin | Son of Edward James Hills and Lilian May Hills (née Greenaway). Husband of Irene Winifred Hills (née Catley), of Ilford, Essex. Married March 1939. |
Aircraft Information
Aircraft | Avro Lancaster III |
Serial Number | ED917 |
Markings | OF-U |
Memorial Information
Burial/Memorial Country | United Kingdom |
Burial/Memorial Place | Runnymede Memorial |
Grave Reference | Panel 125. |
Epitaph |
IBCC Memorial Information
Phase | 2 |
Panel Number | 182 |
Enlistment Information
Service Number | 50475 |
Service | Royal Air Force |
Group | 8 |
Squadron | 97 (Straits Settlements) |
Trade | Navigator |
Country of Origin | United Kingdom |
Other Memorials
Location | Church of the Holy Spirit, RAF Coningsby, Coningsby, Lincolnshire |
Country | United Kingdom |
Memorial Type | Stained Glass Window |
Memorial Text | A stained glass window remembering 97 Sqn in the Church of the Holy Spirit, RAF Coningsby |
Miscellaneous Information
Born January 1914, Wanstead Flats, Ilford, Essex. Enlisted in 1931 when he was 16 and served in India on the North-West Frontier. In 1939 he retrained as a navigator and trained mostly in Canada. |
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
The National Archives
Record of Events (Operational Record Book) AIR 27/767/14 |
Summary of Events (Operational Record Book) AIR 27/767/13 |
Fellow Servicemen
Last Operation Information
Start Date | 03-07-1943 |
End Date | 04-07-1943 |
Takeoff Station | Bourn |
Day/Night Raid | Night (2% moon) |
Operation | Cologne- region on the east bank of the Rhine where most of the industry was located. 653 aircraft, 30 losses (4.6%). Accurate ground marking by Oboe equipped Mosquitoes leading to another very significant blow to this Ruhr city. 20 industrial and 2200 homes completely destroyed and 588 people killed. A further 72000 people were bombed out. This was the first time the 'Wild Boar' technique had been used, in which the flak height was limited to allow night-fighters to fly over the main force and pick out aircraft in silhouette against the fires below. |
Reason for Loss | Shot down by a night-fighter flown either by Offw. Otto Hofer or Hptm. Ewald Janssen. Crashed into the south of the city. Lancaster DS662 was shot down around the same time and crashed in the same vicinity. |