| Sergeant
William Seabridge was serving as an Air Gunner on Halifax Mk.BIII
RG 443
coded ZA-Q for an operation to bomb the oil refinery at
Wanne-Eickel on February 2/3 1945. The aircraft departed from
Melbourne
at 2032hrs but crashed near Haelen and Nunhem, 17km East of
Weert, killing six of the seven crew on board including Sgt
William Seabridge The
rest of the crew
consisted of:
|
Name |
Service |
Hometown |
Age |
|
Sgt Jack Ashton |
RAFVR |
Leeds |
25 |
|
F/Sgt Lional Chell |
RAFVR |
Stourport on Severn, Worcestershire |
25 |
|
F/O P.Cook - POW |
RAFVR |
- |
- |
|
F/O William Parham |
RAFVR |
- |
- |
|
Sgt Thomas Smith |
RAFVR |
Sunderland,Co.Durham |
37 |
|
F/O Ronald Gibbs |
RAFVR |
Clapham,
London |
- |
Sergeant William Henry Seabridge RAFVR was one of
four sons of Josiah and Edith Seabridge, husband of Olive May and father of
David John Seabridge of Maybank, Newcastle, Staffordshire. He was employed as a
Motor Driver and enlisted on 1st December 1939 as a Flight
Mechanic/Air Rigger. He trained at No 2 RC Cardington, 7 FTS, 32 Squadron, RAF
Calvelly, RAF Reading, 3 GTS, HMS Flying Fox and 1666 Heavy Conversion Unit.
After qualifying as a gunner, he joined 10 Squadron on 29.9.1944
F/O
Gibbs, Sgt Ashton and F/O Parham were found in the wreckage of their Halifax,
Sgt Seabridge and two other crew members bodies were found behind a Dutch farm house. Captain
Candy, Padre of the 1st Canadian Paratroops performed the burial
service. F/O
Gibbs, Sergeant Ashton and F/O Parham rest in Jonkerbos War
Cemetery, while Sergeant Seabridge, Sergeant Smith and F/S Chell
rest in Venray War Cemetery. F/O P.
Cook survived the crash but was seriously injured and spent the rest of the war
in hospital.
|
