William George Lewis – Royal Air Force, 214 Squadron

Flight Sergeant William George Lewis – Royal Air Force, 214 Squadron

Early Life

William George Lewis was born in 1922 in Swansea, the son of George Lewis and Ivy Bishop. No surviving civilian records provide detail about his early life, schooling, or pre‑war occupation, and much of his background remains undocumented in official archives.

Military Service

William served as a Flight Sergeant with the Royal Air Force, attached to 214 Squadron, based at RAF Stradishall. Before joining 214 Squadron, he flew as an Air Gunner with No. 25 Squadron, operating Blenheim and Beaufighter aircraft during the Battle of Britain—a role demanding exceptional nerve, endurance, and skill under combat conditions.

By 1941, William was serving aboard Vickers Wellington IC bombers with 214 Squadron, part of Bomber Command’s night‑raiding force.

Loss of Aircraft

On 14 July 1941, William’s Wellington IC was lost over the North Sea. The aircraft failed to return from operations, and William’s body was later washed ashore on an English beach. After identification, his remains were brought home to Swansea for burial.

William George Lewis
Mynyddbach Congregational Chapel credit - findagrave

Burial

William was laid to rest at Mynyddbach Congregational Chapel, where his grave forms part of the chapel’s wartime roll of honour.

The Crew

The other members of the crew were:

• Pilot Officer Victor Kingsley Brown – buried at Bergen‑op‑Zoom War Cemetery, Netherlands

• Sergeant Ronald Douglas Hull – buried at Sutton Road Cemetery, Essex

• Sergeant Maxwell Ritchie Collins – commemorated at the Runnymede Memorial

• Sergeant Joseph Shield Else – commemorated at the Runnymede Memorial

• Sergeant Jack Taylor – commemorated at the Runnymede Memorial

Their names, together with William’s, represent one of the many Bomber Command crews lost during the demanding and hazardous operations of 1941.