Young RAF Reserve Member Killed in Action
Creators: name: Project Team, Their Finest Hour
Publisher: name: University of Oxford
Year: 2024
Subjects: classificationCode: 430304
subject: British history
classificationCode: 430308
subject: European history (excl. British, classical Greek and Roman)
classificationCode: 430316
subject: International history

description: The contributors discussed the story of their uncle on their mother's side, William (known as "Willie") Worthington, who joined the Royal Air Force Reserve underage in 1941. He was active in World War II in 1944, serving with 460 Squadron 3341, an Australian squadron, and was killed in action at the age of 21 in June 1944. Willie completed four weeks of active service before being killed. He was based in Lancaster as a rear gunner. The contributors noted that the average lifespan in the RAF at the time was three weeks once active, and Willie had served for four weeks. He was killed in the Rheims railway yards. Three members of his unit survived by parachuting and landed in the village of Morienval. Willie's unit flew 11 missions together, and he was a chain smoker.The contributors mentioned that there were six or seven members per squadron, and they were dropping Tallboy bombs, including in daylight raids. They highlighted that there was no respite or breaks from the flights and fighting—squadrons took five flights per week. Many servicemen aged 18 to 20 were buried in the Battle of the Bulge cemeteries, which was a common age in World War II. They noted that there was a photo of the plane after it crashed, which was recorded by the Germans. Both the Germans and the British were meticulous recorders and administrators. The German "Ace" pilot who shot down the plane was tracked down and identified as Jürgen Raitt (spelling uncertain), who died in 1971 and had been awarded an Iron Cross. The contributors added that there were three Williams on the plane, and their Uncle Willie remained a part of their family long after his death. Another airman who survived the crash died in 1951 at the age of 27.The contributors noted that it took six months for their family to confirm Willie's death. He was killed on 22 or 23 June 1944, and a relative of Willie's was killed on 24 June 1944. The contributors advised that Williams in their family were named after their great-grandfather. They also mentioned having family killed in the Battle of the Somme in World War I. Their grandfather was gassed at the Battle of the Somme but survived and later returned to battle.The contributors stated that members of their family had visited the village where parts of the aircraft in which Willie died had been found. They noted that the graves were slightly overgrown now but had been well maintained over the years. They discussed recent efforts to re-energise interest in World War II among young people. They added that there were many unmarked graves and some names were only preserved in the wartime journals of fellow servicemen. The contributors noted that there were notes tallying up pay and expenses on the back of one of the photos they had brought for digitisation and that there had been a three-week delay in post to families.The contributors noted that they were raised on stories from the Second World War. There were more men than planes in the war. Despite having many (five) Williams and Bills in the family, they had brought Willie's rosary beads for digitisation and noted that there were family issues with marrying a Catholic. They highlighted that there were still missing bodies.