William was the Navigator on an Avro Lancaster MkIII bomber, serial number LM464 (coded SR E), of Number 101 Squadron.

The aircraft took off from Ludford Magna in Lincolnshire at 19:20hrs on the 18th Mar 1944 with orders to attack Frankfurt in Germany. The aircraft was loaded with a 4000lb High-Capacity bomb and a mixture of incendiary munitions and, as was usual for the Squadron, carried an eighth crewman who acted as a special operator to function the radio and radar jamming equipment.

The aircraft made it back to the UK and was heard to be transmitting on R/T calling “Darky” which should have alerted airfields in its vicinity that it was in distress or lost and needed to land.

The Lancaster crashed at around 01:55hrs to the North-North-East of Horham on the Norfolk side of the Norfolk-Suffolk border killing all eight on board. Early investigation suggested that mismanagement of the aircraft’s fuel cocks may have led to loss of engine power and the Lancaster subsequently stalled.

William was the Son of William and Annie Thompson, of 1 Lisle Grove, Willington Quay. He is buried in Wallsend (Holy Cross) Cemetery.

[See also: Dixon, Roy Vernon, Roger Dunkerley Bryan, Robert Harry Crosby, Bertram Huntley, Sydney Leonard Marshall, Noris Sydney Lawn, Percy Reginald]