Flight Sergeant William Burnaby Wheeler
- Rank
- Flight Sergeant
- Appointment
- Royal Australian Air Force 1944 NW Europe
- Service number
- 436353
- Unit
- 233 Squadron Royal Air Force
- Cause of death
- Killed in Action
- Place of death
- Holland, Netherlands
- Date of death
- 21 September 1944
- Age
- 20
- Plaque number
- L215
- Dedicated by
- His friends on 28 July 2007
- More information
Biography presented during the plaque dedication:
Flight Sergeant William Burnaby Wheeler of 233 Squadron Royal Air Force (RAF) was born in October 1924 in Bunbury, Western Australia. He was the only child of William and Elsie May Wheeler. He was known as Burnie to save confusion with his father. He attended Bunbury High where he was a good student, being in the top three of the school. He was a member of the Bunbury Surf Club and enjoyed playing sport.
He was 19 when he enlisted in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) in December 1942 and completed his basic flying training at Geraldton, Western Australia, before going to Canada to complete his training. He then went to Britain and was assigned to 233 Squadron flying in Hudson Medium Bombers. In February 1944 the Squadron was re-equipped with Dakotas in preparation for D-day. Their role was to tow Horsa Gliders loaded with troops to Normandy and drop parachute troops and supplies. In September they carried out similar missions over Arnhem Land.
Flight Sergeant William Burnaby Wheeler, service number 436353 of 233 Squadron, flying in Dakota aircraft KG566 which was shot down over the Netherlands on 21 September 1944, was killed in action. He was 20 years old.
His official memorial is his grave in the Eindhoven (Woensel) General Cemetery, Netherlands, where his grave is inscribed with “His duty nobly done. Ever remembered. Our son”. His Roll of Honour is Bunbury.
The crew members of KG566, all of whom were killed, comprised RAAF members, Flight Sergeant Wheeler, Warrant Officer Louis James Firth 414923 of Nanango, Queensland, Flying Officer Charles Douglas Hamilton 409695 of Melbourne, Victoria, and Pilot Officer Frederick Benbow Knight 409798 of North Fitzroy, Victoria; and four British Soldiers of 800 Air Despatch Company, Royal Army Service Corps, Driver Robert Winter Crooks T/857964 of Glasgow, Scotland, Corporal Joseph Dellanzo T/10684750 of Dundee, Scotland, Lance Corporal Robert Sharpe T/4806032, and Driver George Van Ingen T/14508172 of Forest Hill, London, England.