Mayo, William James (Flight Sergeant)

Killed in Action 1943-November-16

Flight Sergeant William James Mayo RCAF

Birth Date: 1921

Born:

Parents: Son of William Thomas Mayo and Mildred Gladys Mayo; husband of Helen Florence Sixt Mayo, of Toronto, Ontario.

Spouse: Husband of Helen Florence Sixt Mayo, of Toronto, Ontario.

Home: Hamilton, Ontario

Enlistment:

Enlistment Date: unkown date

Service

RCAF

Unit

432 (B) Sqn- Squadron
Saeviter Ad Lucem Ferociously toward the light

Base

RAF Tholthorpe

Rank

Flight Sergeant

Position

Bomb Aimer

Service Numbers

R/145924

Home
Google MapHamilton, Ontario
Final Burial
Google MapCity Cemetery
Grave 14319

Mission

Lancaster Mk.II DS847

Bombing 1943-November-16 to 1943-November-16

434 (B) Sqn (RCAF) Eastmoor

Lancaster aircraft DS 847 had engine failure and crashed at night one mile west of Ingham Village, Lincolnshire, England. ExWarrant Officer Andy Hoggins of Port Elgin, Ontario had this to say about this, his second crash, We converted to Lancs and were on a cross-country flight when all four of our Lanc engines broke out in flames one after the other. The Lanc went into a stall spin and FS J.B. Peel (Nav.), FS P.J. Powers (AG), Sergeant Calderwood (RAF - WOAG), and myself bailed out. FS W.J. Mayo (BA), Pilot Officer R.C. Burgess (P), and Sergeant K.C. Simmons (RAF - FE) were killed as the Lanc blew up on impact. I returned to Canada as they thought I'd been thru enough."

Please seeWarrant Officer R.M. Barlow for details of Noggins' and Mayo's previous crash.

Unit Desciption

432 (B) Sqn Saeviter Ad Lucem ("Leaside")

History of the Squadron during World War II (Aircraft: Wellington X, Lancaster II, Halifax III, VII)

The Squadron was the twelfth RCAF bomber squadron to be formed overseas in WWII. It was formed on May 1, 1943 at Skipton-on-Swale, Yorkshire, UK as a unit of No 6 (RCAF) Group of RAF Bomber Command: indeed, it was the first bomber squadron to be formed directly into No 6 Group. Using the squadron identification letters QO it flew Vickers Wellington Mk X medium bombers until it moved to East Moor, Yorkshire on 19th September 1943, when it re-equipped with Avro Lancaster Mk II aircraft. East Moor was part of No 62 (RCAF) Base. The squadron re-equipped with Handley Page Halifax Mk III aircraft in February 1944, and with Halifax Mk VII in July of that year, and continued with them until the squadron was disbanded at East Moor on May 15, 1945.

In the course of operations the squadron flew 246 missions, involving 3130 individual sorties, for the loss of 73 aircraft. 8980 tons of bombs were dropped. Awards to squadron members included 2 DSOs, 119 DFCs,1 Bar to DFC, 1 CGM, 20 DFMs and 1 Croix de Guerre (France). Battle Honours were: English Channel and North Sea 1943, Fortress Europe 1943-44, France and Germany 1944-45, Biscay Ports 1944, Ruhr 1943-45, Berlin 1943-44, German Ports 1943-45, Normandy 1944, Rhine, Biscay 1943.Moyes, Kostenuk and Griffin

Squadron History (Bomber Command Museum PDF)

Maps for Movements of 432 Squadron 1943-45

MAP 1: 432 Squadron Bases 1943-45 (marked in green). Right-click on image to display enlarged in new tab

432 Squadron History Summary 1943-45

History of the Squadron Post-WWII (Aircraft: Canuck)

The squadron was re-formed at Bagotville, Quebec as an All-Weather Fighter unit on 1 October 1954. The squadron flew Avro CF-100 Canuck aircraft on North American Air Defence until it was disbanded on 15 October 1961.