Gerald Anthony Willats

 

Sergeant Gerald Anthony Willats, South African — The Last Burial of 1941

The final military burial at St. Hilary, Killay in 1941 took place in late October with the funeral of Sergeant Gerald Anthony Willats, of the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, 79 Squadron. His death marked the last from the squadron to be buried at St. Hilary before the unit was redeployed to the Far East in 1942.

Gerald died on 27th October 1941,

Early Life and Arrival in Britain

Blue Funnel ship Diomed - Passenger Lists

Blue Funnel Line ship Diomed

Gerald was the son of Ralph and Alice Veronique Willats, of Mesetu, Basutoland (modern-day Lesotho), South Africa. Like many young men from the wider Commonwealth, he travelled far from home to play his part in the war.

Passenger records show that on 25th June 1941, Gerald arrived at the port of Bristol aboard the Blue Funnel Line ship Diomed, which had sailed from Cape Town. Only a few months later, he was serving with the Royal Air Force in South Wales.

Military Service

Hurricane Mk II

Gerald was posted to 79 Squadron, the same unit that had earlier buried American volunteers Glen Lewis Coats and Robert Early Willson Jr. The squadron, flying Hawker Hurricane Mk II fighters, was then based at RAF Fairwood Common, carrying out patrols, convoy escorts, and training exercises across South Wales.

Death and Burial

The exact circumstances of Gerald’s accident remain uncertain. Reports suggest that on 25th October 1941, while flying a Hurricane Mk II, he either crash-landed or overshot his landing on the North Gower Road. Seriously injured, Gerald was taken to RAF St. Athan Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries two days later, on 27th October, aged just 23

Gerald Anthony Willats
St. Hillay Church, Killay
credit - findagrave.com

He was buried at St. Hilary, Killay, joining the growing number of young men from across the world who had come to serve with 79 Squadron and who found their final resting place in this quiet Welsh churchyard. The inscription chosen by his grieving parents for his headstone bears the words:

“IN PROUD MEMORY OF OUR ONLY CHILD WHO GAVE HIS ALL FOR GOD AND ENGLAND.”

Legacy

Sergeant Gerald Anthony Willats represents the global nature of the Royal Air Force during the Second World War. A young man from Basutoland, trained and serving in South Wales, buried among comrades from Britain, the United States, and New Zealand, his story reflects the international effort that defended Britain during its darkest hours.

His grave, the last military burial at St. Hilary in 1941, stands as a testament to that shared sacrifice — one life among many, but each remembered with honour.