People
Photos
Purpose
Advertisement
Advertisement
  2. People
  3. Surname Directory
  4. W
  5. Wilkowitz - Willtrout
  6. Williams
  7. Carlice - Clarycie
  8. Chappell - Charleset
  9. Charles Williams
  10. Charles Rowland Williams
A photo of Charles Rowland Williams

Charles Rowland Williams 1909 - 1943

Charles Rowland Williams was born on March 19, 1909 in Townsville, QL Australia to Horace Edward Williams, and had siblings Horace Douglas Williams, Francis Ainslie Williams, Sheila Williams, and Edward Gordon Williams. Charles Williams died at age 34 years old on May 16, 1943 in Germany, and was buried at New Albany National Cemetery Section F Site 176 Ekin Avenue, in New Albany, In.

Charles Rowland Williams
Name
Update name details
Last residence
Update residence details
March 19, 1909
Townsville, QL, Australia
Birth
Update birth details
May 16, 1943
Germany
Death
Update death details
Male
Looking for another Charles Williams?
Updated: September 9, 2019
Biography ID: 192432819 What's this
Charles Rowland Williams Charles Williams (1909 - 1943)
ADVERTISEMENT BY ANCESTRY.COM
This page exists for YOU
and everyone who remembers Charles.
Share what you know,
even ask what you wish you knew.
Invite others to do the same,
but don't worry if you can't...
Someone, somewhere will find this page,
and we'll notify you when they do.

Charles Rowland Williams' History: 1909 - 1943

Uncover new discoveries and connections today by sharing about people & moments from yesterday.
- Discover how AncientFaces works.

  • Introduction

    Charles Rowland Williams was born March 19, 1909 in Townsville, Queensland, Australia. His father Horace Edward Williams, an emigrant from England, managed a sheep station; his mother Helena was a governess and the daughter of a German Lutheran minister. Charlie was one of 5 children: his older brother Horace Douglas (Doug) (1906-1976), Edward Gordon, who died at or shortly after birth in 1907, Charlie, brother Francis Ainslie (Frank) who died age 4 from diphtheria (1910 to 1914), and sister Sheila (1916-2007). Early education came from their mother and from traveling teachers; later Charlie and Doug attended boarding school in Townsville. His formal education ended at 16 but he was intelligent, well read, mechanically adept, and a hard worker. Charlie was a good mixer with excellent manners and a straight faced, self-deprecating sense of humor. He enjoyed tennis and cricket and was a fine horseman. During his service in the RAAF, he took up squash and golf as well. A slender man of average height, Charlie had fair hair and grey or grey green eyes. In 1933, in the depths of the depression, the Williams’ sheep station was sold out from under them. The family struggled to start over, having to take over another station on very disadvantageous terms, but by the time war threatened, their business was doing better in spite of Horace’s ill-health, as the two brothers stepped up to take over. At the time of Australia’s entry into WWII, they felt they should serve, but agreed that Doug should join the Home Army, and that Charlie, who was eager to see something of the world but had never been further afield than Brisbane, should try for the Royal Australian Air Force. While waiting for the RAAF, he served with Doug in the local Home Army unit, where he learned the use and maintenance of machine guns. In August 1940 he was summoned for his RAAF medical and interview, at which time he became a member of the Reserve; in January 1941 he was called up for training. Like most young men, Charlie wanted to be a pilot, but at 31 it was felt he was too old and he trained as a Wireless Operator/Air Gunner, earning a rare commission as an officer. While training Charlie became engaged to a young nurse named Millie McGuiness. The relationship was not destined to survive separation as after Charlie shipped out to the UK, Millie stopped writing for several months; by the time she started again, Charlie was otherwise involved. Charlie went to the UK via Hawaii and Canada, arriving in November 1941. After refresher training, he was assigned to an Operational Training Unit to learn the ins and outs of crewing a bomber. During this period, he flew two of the three famous “Thousand Bomber Raids” in a Hampden as gunner and wireless operator. In July 1942 he was assigned to 61 Squadron, Bomber Command, a Lancaster unit. He served with distinction and his CO recommended him for the Distinguished Flying Cross, citing his steadiness in combat, efficiency, and good influence on his much younger crewmates. As Paul Brickhill pointed out in his book Dambusters, the DFC was a very unusual award for a wireless operator; most of them went to pilots, bomb aimers, flight engineers, and gunners. Charlie sadly never knew of this honor. While with 61 Squadron, Charlie met and fell in love with a young woman in Nottingham, Gwen “Bobbie” Parfitt. In March 1943 Charlie was asked by his friend F/Lt Norm Barlow, a fellow Australian in 61 Squadron, to join his crew and volunteer for a special unit being formed by Wing Commander Guy Gibson at Scampton: 617 Squadron. Charlie agreed; although he was eligible for 6 months in a non-combat assignment once his tour of operations ended (and in fact had been asked to remain with 61 Squadron as Signals Officer, a very responsible position that would have come with a promotion), he was eager to get his second tour done; he was homesick, his father was terminally ill, probably he was suffering from traumatic stress, and with summer coming he felt that his required 20 ops could be dealt with in 3 or 4 months, and that then, with his combat obligation fulfilled, he could hopefully go home. The fact that the remaining 2 operations of his current tour were evidently forgiven was probably an incentive as well. April found the crew training hard for a secret mission that involved low flying at night but otherwise was a mystery to them. Charlie and Gwen became engaged; her parents objected, not wanting their only daughter to go to Australia. By the time they agreed, Operation Chastise, the Dams raid, was ready for execution and the marriage was put off until afterwards, when the crews had been promised leave. F/Lt Barlow and his crew were assigned to the second wave, set to attack the Sorpe Dam, and on May 16, 1943, theirs was the first aircraft to leave Scampton. They never reached the target; at 23:50 hours their Lancaster, serial ED927/G, coded AJ-E, struck a high tension pylon, exploded, and crashed. The Upkeep mine rolled free, was studied by the Germans, and ironically today provides the best information on the appearance of the live Upkeeps carried on the Dams raid. The cost of Operation Chastise is too often a footnote. 19 aircraft took off; 2 aborted, 1 never found a target, and 8 crashed or were shot down. 53 men died, including Charlie Williams. The crew was buried in a cemetery in Dusseldorf; after the war they were identified and reburied in the Reichswald Forest British War Cemetery. In July 1945, Flying Officer Charles Rowland Williams (since deceased) was finally awarded his Distinguished Flying Cross, “with effect from 15 May 1943.” Sources: An Airman Far Away by Eric Fry, Dam Busters by James Holland, Charles Rowland Williams’ service records in the National Archives of Australia



  • 03/19
    1909

    Birthday

    March 19, 1909
    Birthdate
    Townsville, QL Australia
    Birthplace
    ADVERTISEMENT BY

  • Nationality & Locations

    Australia

  • Early Life & Education

    Townsville Grammar School, Townsville, Queensland, Australia

  • Religious Beliefs

    Church of England

  • Military Service

    Royal Australian Air Force Service #405224 Units: 61 Squadron, Bomber Command 617 Squadron, Bomber Command Distinguished Flying Cross Reichswald Forest British War Cemetery, Plot: 5. C. 11.

  • Professional Career

    Sheep farmer
  • 05/16
    1943

    Death

    May 16, 1943
    Death date
    airplane crash
    Cause of death
    Germany
    Death location
    ADVERTISEMENT BY

  • Gravesite & Burial

    mm/dd/yyyy
    Funeral date
    New Albany National Cemetery Section F Site 176 Ekin Avenue, in New Albany, In 47150
    Burial location
  • share
    Memories
    below
Advertisement
Advertisement

Add Memories, Stories & Photos about Charles

Charles Rowland Williams
Photo of Susan Paxton Susan Paxton
28 favorites
02/20/2014
Charles Rowland Williams
A photo of Flying Officer Charles Rowland Williams, DFC
Date & Place: Not specified or unknown.
Comments
Leave a comment
The simple act of leaving a comment shows you care.
Cancel Share
Photo of Barbara Lucas Barbara Lucas
40 favorites
02/26/2014
What a moving story about a good man. I was a kid in the USA during the war years. One of my mother's friends lost her son, when his fighter plane was shot down over the English Channel. His body was never recovered.
Reply
Photo of Susan Paxton Susan Paxton
28 favorites
04/13/2014
So many of them never came home. I was very fortunate in that all of my uncles served, and all of them, amazingly, came home.
Reply
Loading...one moment please loading spinner
- See how biographies work.
Be the 1st to share and we'll let you know when others do the same.
ADVERTISEMENT BY ANCESTRY.COM
Advertisement

Charles Williams' Family Tree & Friends

Advertisement
Advertisement
Friendships

Charles' Friends

Friends of Charles Friends can be as close as family. Add Charles' family friends, and his friends from childhood through adulthood.
Advertisement
Advertisement
1 Follower & Sources

Connect with others who remember Charles Williams to share and discover more memories. People who have contributed to this page are listed below and in the Biography History of changes. Sign in to to view changes.

ADVERTISEMENT BY ANCESTRY.COM
Advertisement
Other Biographies

Other Charles Williams Biographies

Williams, Charles Williams, Charles (Chuck) (Nov 13, 1936 - Jul 12, 2020) Williams, Charles (1865 - 1937) Williams, Charles (Born Apr 22, 1972) Williams, Charles (Born May 1, 1940) Williams, Charles (Born 1858) Williams, Charles Williams, Charles (Born Apr 20, 1939) Williams, Charles (May 23, 1913 - Aug 16, 2013) Williams, Charles (Aug 3, 1874 - 1961)
Williams, Charles (1905 - 1969) Williams, Charles (Born Jan 26, 1925) Williams, Charles Williams, Charles Williams, Charles (May 1, 1884 - Apr 4, 1892) Williams, Charles Williams, Charles (Died Dec 2, 1936) Williams, Charles Williams, Charles (Apr 30, 1898 - Aug 17, 1968) Williams, Charles

Other Williams Family Biographies

Williams, Emily (Born Sep 29, 1914) Williams, Myrtle (Born Sep 10, 1889) Downing/williams, Fannie (Born Jul 28, 1869) Crooks, Elsie (Jul 18, 1895 - Nov 7, 1971) Semken, Rosemary (Nov 26, 1921 - Jul 16, 1994) Williams, Mary (Apr 20, 1862 - Nov 11, 1930) Williams, John (Born May 13, 1867) Williams, Alma Nee (Born Jun 21, 1900) Williams, June (Born Jun 9, 1923) Williams, Richard (Oct 11, 1897 - Jul 29, 1963)
Crow, Dora (Born Nov 1895) Williams, Bertha (Born Apr 21, 1921) Williams, Elizabeth (Born Sep 1839) Hulsey, Jessie (Feb 17, 1901 - Feb 22, 1920) Williams, Burl Edgar (Born Mar 16, 1871) Williams, Colbert (Apr 10, 1896 - Dec 1976) Williams, Cosby (Born Sep 17, 1898) Williams, Bonzie (Born 1901) Williams, Susan (Born Apr 23, 1875) Williams, Lucille (Born Feb 17, 1894)

Other people named Carlice Williams - Clarycie Williams

Carlice  -  Carlyle Williams Carlyn  -  Carney Williams Carni  -  Carr Williams Carra  -  Carstella Williams Carswell  -  Carvin Williams Carvis  -  Cassel Williams Cassell  -  Cathaline Williams Catharine  -  Catina Williams Catline  -  Ceanna Williams Ceaphes  -  Cedelia Williams Cedell  -  Celia Williams Celie  -  Centra Williams Central  -  Cesther Williams Ceth  -  Champ Williams Champion  -  Chappel Williams
Chappell  -  Charleset Williams Charlesett  -  Charlyn Williams Charlyne  -  Chauncey Williams Chauncie  -  Cher Williams Chera  -  Chest Williams Chesteen  -  Chimon Williams Chin  -  Chonita Williams Chonsie  -  Christell Williams Christella  -  Chrizzell Williams Chrles  -  Cilla Williams Cillia  -  Claborne Williams Clabron  -  Clarabell Williams Clarabelle  -  Claretha Williams Claretta  -  Clarycie Williams
Advertisement
Advertisement
Show more
  2. People
  3. Surname Directory
  4. W
  5. Wilkowitz - Willtrout
  6. Williams
  7. Carlice - Clarycie
  8. Chappell - Charleset
  9. Charles Williams
  10. Charles Rowland Williams
Back to Top
Advertisement
Advertisement