Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

William Arthur ALLSOPP (1921-1942)

William Allsopp was a 22yo apprentice electrician living at Tamworth NSW when he enlisted in the RAAF on 31 March 1941.  His parents, Harold and Imelda Gladys Allsopp of No  14 Napier Street Tamworth, were listed as his Next of Kin.

He was mustered for aircrew training and began the Empire AIr Training Scheme training continum almost immediately.  At No.2 Initial Training School he was screened for Wireless Operator / Air Gunnery training, in his case in Canada.  He was duly embarked for Canada in late May 1941.  He then commenced a series of schools taking him further east across Canada;  starting at No.3 Wireless School at Winnipeg, then No. 7 Bombing and Air Gunnery School at Paulson, both in the Western Prairie State of Manitoba.   

Fully qualified, he then moved to Nova Scotia pending embarkation for the United Kingdom which occurred on 31 December 1941.  In the UK, he progressed through another series of schools clminating in at No. 4 Operational Training Unit, where he 'crewed up' with the men with whom he would go to war, as the crew of a RAF night bomber.  In due course he and his crew were posted to No. 35 Squadron RAF in early July 1942.  No. 35 Squadron was operating Handley Page Halifax four-engined heavy bombers; at that stage the last word in RAF night bomber design, although that mantle would quickly be taken by the Avro Lancaster.

In a sobering revelation of the intensity of the Air War at this point, they were only to occupy their quarters in No. 35 Squadron for a bare fortnight before on 26 July, their aircraft was lost on a night bombing raid to Disbrg in Germany on the night of 25/26 Juky 1942.

This detail from https://35squadron.wordpress.com/category/halifax-losses-and-incidents-1942/

Halifax W1147 was one of eight No. 35 Squadron aircraft detailed to attack Duisburg on the night of the 25th / 26th July 1942.

Its seven-man crew comprised:

John Edward Maple (Pilot)
Clarence Ernest Evans (Observer)
John Francis Day (WOP / AG)
Douglas Macrae Ross (WOP / AG)
Haddo Eric Von Bruce (Air Gunner)
William Arthur Allsopp (Air Gunner)
John Thomas Bennett (Flight Engineer)

Halifax W1147 failed to return and the squadron’s Operations Record Book shows “Took off from Linton to attack Duisburg; nothing was heard from this aircraft after take-off and it failed to return”.

Wartime activities relating to the loss

On 26th July 1942 the squadron informed Bomber Command, the Air Ministry and the RAF Records Office that the aircraft and crew were missing.

A telegram, along with a follow up letter from the Commanding Officer, was sent to the next of kin of each crew member advising them that he was “missing as the result of air operations on 25th / 26th July 1942”.

22/12/1942: Information received from the Air Ministry that P/O Maple, P/O Day and Sgt Allsopp were all killed on the night of 25th July 1942

JT Bennett survived the crash and evaded capture as follows:

Evasion Route: Holland / Belgium / France / Spain / Gibraltar (Comet 41)
Repatriated: Whitchurch (14/09/1942)
It is understood that he was initially captured with injured leg, but escaped

Post War search for the missing crew members

After the war, an investigation officer from the Royal Air Force Missing Research and Enquiry Service (MRES) was tasked with locating the remains of the missing crew member(s).

CWGC records show that the remains of DM Ross, CE Evans and HEV Bruce were located at Uden

Their remains were exhumed, identified and concentrated (reinterred) on 21st June 1946 [Ross and Evans] and 2nd July 1946 [Bruce] at UDEN WAR CEMETERY as follows:

ROSS, DOUGLAS MACRAE, Flight Sergeant ‘R/76228’ Joint grave 4. A. 10-11.
EVANS, CLARENCE ERNEST, Flight Sergeant ‘R/91535’ Joint grave 4. A. 10-11.
BRUCE, HADDO ERIC VON, Pilot Officer ‘J/15668’ Grave 4. A. 13.

The CWGC records show that the remains of JE Maple, JF Day and WA Allsopp were located N. of S. Hertogenbosch (GSGS 2541)  Their remains were exhumed, identified and concentrated (reinterred) on 4th December 1947 at JONKERBOS WAR CEMETERY as follows:

MAPLE, JOHN EDWARD, Pilot Officer ‘110870’  Joint grave 18. E. 7.
DAY, JOHN FRANCIS, Pilot Officer ‘J/8099’ Joint grave 18. E. 7.
ALLSOPP, WILLIAM ARTHUR, Sergeant ‘411063’ Grave 18. E. 8.

Aircraft was shot down by flak, burnt out and disappeared partially into the ground where it still remains buried out of sight on the property of Mr Veghel.

Theo Boiten (Nachtjagd Combat Archive)

Nightfighter Claim: Oblt. Kurt Loos, 1./NJG1, 3km N S-Hertogenbosch (Holland) (5B), 3000m, 02.26

WR Chorley (Bomber Command Losses of the Second World War)

Crashed 02.30hrs near S-Hertogenbosch (Holland)

Evasion Report Numbers (National Archives)

WO208/3310/854 JT Bennett

Citation for DFM award (JT Bennett)

JT Bennett was awarded the Distinguished Flying Medal for his efforts. The recommendation, but not the final citation, reads:

This airman was a member of a crew of an aircraft shot down over Holland on 25th July 1942 while returning from an attack on Duisberg.  Unable to escape from the scene of his landing through a leg injury sustained while baling out, he was arrested by the enemy and imprisoned. Applying an old stratagem, he soon succeeded in breaking out and, escaping from the neighbourhood, went into hiding. During this period he endeavoured to rescue other British airmen who had baled out nearby, and also avoided detection from no less than four searches of his place of concealment. He ultimately reached Belgium by crossing a bridge at the Dutch-Belgian frontier, pausing a while to offer cigarettes to the enemy sentries.  Passing through Belgium and France he reached Paris to find himself suspected and shadowed by a Gestapo agent.  He lured his would-be captor into an air raid shelter where he overpowered and killed him. Sergeant Bennett then continued his adventurous journey into Spain, whence he was repatriated on 13th September 1942.  This airman displayed the greatest courage, coolness and resource in carrying out his escape from the enemy.

Notes:

WA Allsopp’s service file is digitised in the Australian Archives; there are no details regarding the loss

Other crew members interred inthe Jonkerbos cemetery inclde:

John Francis Day, WOP/AG
Pilot Officer RCAF
Service Number: J/8099

John Edward Maple, pilot
Pilot Officer, RAFVR
Service Number: 110870

William ALLSOPP was the only RAAF member of the crew.

Compiled by Steve Larkins from Service records - Dec 2021