Streets of Bunbury

 ROBERT DEVON WILLIAMS (1923 - 1944)

Devon, the eldest son of Herron Hopetoun and Catherine Maud Williams (nee Fallon) was born on 19 January 1923 at Darkan, WA.  He had a younger brother Herron Cleveland (Cleve) born on 7 June 1926 and a sister Isobel Maureen born on 29 August 1932 (reference).

Devon was educated at Bunbury State School 1932 - 1935, Bunbury High School 1936 - 1938 and Bunbury Technical College in 1940.  He had various jobs including delivery boy for Bunbury Bakery on Victoria Street, clerk at Texas Oil Company depot in Zoe Street and a garage attendant for Don Wilson’s Garage, opposite the Highway Hotel in South Bunbury (reference).

On 14 September 1941 Devon enlisted in the Royal Australian Air Force at Perth as an Aircraftman Class 2, service number 415370.  He listed his parents’ address as 7 Ednie Street, Bunbury, with his father Herron as next-of-kin (reference, reference).

Devon commenced initial training at RAAF Pearce and was promoted to Leading Aircraftman on 31 January 1942. 

On 5 February 1942 he was posted to Wireless Air Gunners School Ballarat (1WAGS) to learn Morse code and wireless operating and from there to Bombing & Air Gunnery School at RAAF West Sale, Victoria (1BAGS) on 27 July 1942 to learn air-to-air and air-to-ground gunnery.  He was promoted to temporary Sergeant on 20 August 1942.

Whilst waiting to be sent overseas he returned to WA and was stationed at No 5 Embarkation Depot at Fremantle and eventually embarked from Melbourne on 17 October 1942, bound for the UK.  He was posted to RAF West Kirby, Cheshire on 23 January 1943 and a month later was promoted to temporary Flight Sergeant.   

On 27 May 1943 Devon left the UK for the Middle East and on 25 September 1943 was posted to RAF Gianaclis, Egypt (near Alexandria).  On 28 November 1943 he was assigned to 454 Squadron (reference,  reference, reference).

On 27 February 1944 Devon was one of four on board a Martin Baltimore plane on an enemy shipping reconnaissance mission along the coast of western Greece, departing from their base at RAF Berka, in Benghazi, Libya.

Devon’s role in the flight crew was wireless operator/air gunner (in conjunction with John Siebert), assisting the navigator, John Rowe to establish the plane’s position from base radio transmissions, logging all messages and to use the aircraft’s machine-guns to fight off the enemy should the plane come under attack.  The pilot was Arnold Dawe (reference, reference).

It was an uneventful mission but on return to base a weak strength message from the plane was received by all contact stations in the area, who were tasked in monitoring the plane’s location.  After two and a half hours all communications were lost with the plane, the last message being received, an SOS, about 100 miles from Benghazi and it was assumed that the plane ditched into the sea.  Air and sea searches found a petrol tank and wreckage but no sign of survivors (reference, reference).

Devon was posthumously made up to a Warrant Officer.  

It took a further two months for the full news on Devon’s passing to reach his parents as by which time his father Herron had been manpowered out of the RAAF and the family had moved back to Duranillin to assist Thomas Williams (Devon’s grandfather) at the family farm (reference, reference). 

Devon (21), with the rest of his flight crew, Warrant Officer John Siebert (21), Warrant Officer John Rowe (22) and Flying Officer Arnold Dawe (30) are commemorated at the Alamein Memorial, 130 miles west of Alexandria in Egypt (reference, reference, reference, reference).

Devon is commemorated on Bunbury Senior High School’s Roll of Honour Board 1936 - 1945.

In memory of those who fought but never returned.