MACHAN, Willis Elnor Ross

NAME                     MACHAN           Willis Elnor Ross
RANK                     Warrant Officer 1st / Wireless Operator / Air Gunner     90316                               
SQUADRON          RAF No. 233 
                               “strong and faithful”
                               Gibraltar Group          RAF Coastal Command
                               Northfront Airfield at Gibraltar
                               Squadron Markings QX                                                                                                        Born                        April 14, 1922 - Brussels - Grey & Morris Townships - County of Huron                    Residence              Brussels                                                                                                                                Died                       December 13, 1943          21 years   8 months
Cemetery               Lajes War Cemetery - Lajes - Terceira - Azores
                                A 10
Parents                  Mr. Stanley and Ivah Machan – Brussels

Willis was born in Grey Township on April 14, 1922. The family attended Brussels Methodist Church. As he grew up he enjoyed hockey, football and softball. Growing up he had bronchitis, mumps and the chicken pox. He received his public schooling at Union SS #11 in Grey 1928-34 and his high school education at Ethel Continuation School 1934-36. He left school after 2 years of High School at the age of 14. He was employed in farming on the family homestead for 5 years and before his enlistment he worked at a dairy farm in Atwood.

Canada

On February 25, 1941 he enlisted into the Royal Canadian Air Force in London. At that time he stood 6' tall and weighed 157 pounds. He had a medium complexion with blue eyes and medium brown hair. He received the rank of Aircraftsman 2. He was attached to the London Recruitment Centre until he was assigned to No. 1 Manning Depot in Toronto on June 10. On July 6 he was posted to No. 1 Equipment Centre in Toronto and he was there until October 26. At that time he was posted to No. 4 Wireless School based in Guelph. While here he received the rank of Leading Aircraftsman. While in Guelph he placed 47 in a class of 118 and had an average of 86%.  It was here that he received his Wireless Operator Badge.                                                                              Then in the spring of 1942 on May 10 he was posted to MacDonald - Manitoba to No. 3 Bombing and Gunnery School where he earned the rank of Sergeant. Here he placed 20 in a class of 26 and had an average of 64% in Gunnery and in the Air Training he placed 13 out of 26 men with an average of 80%. His next posting was back to Ontario to Hamilton to No. 33 Air Navigation School. In the autumn on October 6 he was posted to the prairies of Saskatchewan to No. 5 Bombing and Gunnery School. Here he was 6 in a class of 21 men and had a 77% average. His training then took him to No. 31 Operational Training Unit in Debert - Nova Scotia on November 7 where he was given the rank of Flight Sergeant. While here he trained on the Lockheed Hudson bomber.              He was here until February 15, 1943 at which time he was posted to No. 1 Y Depot in Nova Scotia.               

Overseas

Flight Sergeant Machan was here until March 8 at which time he volunteered for the RAF Training Pool. That same day he embarked from Canada by train and arrived in New York City and then embarked for overseas on March 9 arriving and disembarking in the United Kingdom on March 17. The next day he arrived at Bournemouth at the No. 3 Personnel Reception Centre. He remained here until his first posting in the UK which was on June 1 to No. 1 Coastal Operational Training Unit based at RAF Silloth - Cumbria. Shortly after his arrival here he was promoted to the rank of Warrant Officer 2. His next posting on August 12 sent him to his squadron which was RAF 233 Coastal Command Squadron based at RAF Northfront at Gibraltar. The duties of the squadron at this point in the war was to escort the convoys and anti-submarine duties. The Hudsons were now more heavily armed with rockets.

In the Field                                                                                                                                                            

The Hudson aircraft Mk III FK 735 with W/O Machan and his crew aboard was returning from an anti-submarine patrol when it encountered very low cloud resulting in the aircraft flying into high ground 5 miles west of RAF
Station Lagen in the Azores. WO Machan was the Wireless Operator on this flight. He received serious multiple injuries and died instantly.

In the month of November 1944 his mother Ivah received the Memorial Cross. Warrant Officer Machan was awarded the 1939-45 Star, the Italy Star, the War Medal along with the Canadian Volunteer Service Medal with clasp.

Willis is honoured and remembered on the Brussels Cenotaph, on the Memorial Plaque of Brussels Methodist Church and on the Canadian Virtual War Memorial.