William Ernest Fuller

William Ernest Fuller

The last of the military burials at St. Paul’s, Sketty, took place in January 1945, when nineteen-year-old William Ernest Fuller was laid to rest.

Born in 1926, William was the only son of Ernest G. Fuller and his wife, Elizabeth (née Webb). Ernest, born in Somerset in 1881, had a long association with the armed forces, while Elizabeth, born in 1888 in Rajputana, India, came from a family with deep ties to Britain’s colonial service.

1921 Census

1921 Census

At the time of the 1921 Census, the Fuller family was living at 55 Gwydr Crescent, Swansea. Ernest’s occupation is recorded as Company Quartermaster Sergeant with the Defence Forces. Alongside him and Elizabeth was their young daughter Stella, born in 1920. William had not yet been born.

Service with the Royal Air Force

By the Second World War, William followed his father’s military tradition. He served with No. 15 Squadron, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, a unit which had been heavily engaged in bomber operations throughout the conflict.

Avero Lancaster Mk I

Tragically, William’s service was cut short not in combat, but in training. On 15^th January 1945, he was part of a crew flying an Avro Lancaster Mk I on a night bombing exercise from RAF Mildenhall, Norfolk.

South Wales Daily Post

South Wales Daily Post

Taking off at 16:03, the aircraft flew for over five hours before disaster struck. At 21:30, the Lancaster crashed near Harling, eight miles east of Thetford, Norfolk. All seven crew members were killed.

The Crew

The crash claimed the lives of a mixed Commonwealth crew, reflecting the international nature of Bomber Command:

• Pilot: John Henry Crone, 21, Royal Australian Air Force – buried at Cambridge City Cemetery.
• Flight Engineer: Sergeant Richard Devlin, 31 – buried at Cambridge City Cemetery.
• Navigator: Sergeant George Russell Lake, 31 – buried at Cambridge City Cemetery.
• Wireless Operator: Lex Maitland Riordan, Royal Australian Air Force – buried at Cambridge City Cemetery.
• Air Bomber: Leonard Richard Wilkins, 22 – buried at Cambridge City Cemetery.
• Air Gunner: Harry Harold Freeman, 20 – buried at Marlow Road Jewish Cemetery, East Ham.
• Air Gunner: William Ernest Fuller, 19 – returned home to Swansea, to be buried at St. Paul’s, Sketty.

Reflection

South Wales Daily Post

William’s burial at St. Paul’s marked the final wartime military interment in the churchyard. At only nineteen, his death came in the last winter of the war, just months before victory was declared in Europe. His loss — and that of his crew — is a poignant reminder that even in its final stages, the Second World War continued to exact a heavy price.

Standing among the earlier graves of the First and Second World Wars, William’s headstone closes a chapter in the churchyard’s story of remembrance. Together, these memorials ensure that the sacrifices of Swansea’s sons are not forgotten, each grave carrying with it the unfinished story of a life given in service.