846554 Eric Williams 909 Squadron East Ham, March 1939 - August 1941

A request from Mr Harry Green who is researching the above WWII Barrage balloon Operator who served at East Ham with 909 Squadron from March 1939 to August 1941. He spent some time training at Cardington between August and September 1940.Eric was born in 1910 and was from Manor Park, North London.

In 1941 he volunteered as aircrew and passed out as a Navigator serving with Lancaster crews until October 1943 when on a flying and training exercise his aircraft crashed killing all of the crew.

At that time he was Flying Officer 134704 Eric Williams aged 33 and was killed 22nd October 1943. He is buried at :

CITY OF LONDON CEMETERY AND CREMATORIUM, MANOR PARK.

The aircraft he was killed in was a Lancaster Mk I, L7575, and it crashed on Colney Heath near St Albans at approx 2000 hrs on

Friday 22nd October 1943. They were on their final exercise, flying from Conversion Unit 1654 at Wigsley, Notts.
They were due to be posted to 467 Squadron at Bottesford. This was an RAAF Squadron, probably chosen because their pilot was RAAF. Eric, aged 33, was single. His parents, Henry & Kate Williams, lived at 10 Station Road,

Manor Park, London, E.12. He had two older brothers, Harry and Frank. Harry was a high ranking Army officer.

Click this link to the commemoration of his death on the Commonwealth War Graves Site: Commemoration Details

Anyone who might have information on Eric is asked to contact Harry Green by post at:

Harry Green

101 Mendip Vale,

Coleford

RADSTOCK

Somerset

BA3 5PP

Telephone 01373 812531 or by email : harrygreen318@hotmail.com