SCHROEDER, William Gerald

NAME                     SCHROEDER          William Gerald
RANK                     Flight Lieutenant / Pilot          12468                                                                                                                           South East Asia Command - 231 Group - No. 185 Wing
SQUADRON          RAF No. 159 Squadron
                               “whither not, when not?”
                               RAF Digri - Bengal - British India                                                                                          Born                       February 7, 1918 - Ailsa Craig - Township of McGillivary - County of Middlesex.                        Residence              Centralia - Ontario                                                                                                                        Died                       February 9, 1945          27 years
Cemetery               Traukkyan War Cemetery - Rangoon (Yangon) - Burma
                               7A E 10-17
Memorial                Taukkyan War Cemetery - Rangoon (Yangon) - Burma
                               7A E 10-17                                                                                                                      Parents                  Mr. William and Edith Schroeder - Centralia                                                                    Brothers                 Mr. Leroy, Earl, Orville, James, Reginald, Mel, Glen and Harry Schroeder - Centralia - Ontario  Sister                     Miss Edith Schroeder - Centralia

William was born in Ailsa Craig on February 7, 1918 and at some point when young the family moved to Huron County. He enjoyed baseball, swimming, skating and shooting. The family would have attended Centralia United Church. He attended Fairfield Public School from 1923-30 and High School at Exeter High School from 1930-33. His employment was that of a farmer before he joined the service on the family homestead. He was part of the Militia with the Middlesex Huron Regiment in 1940.

Canada

He decided in August of 1941 that he should go to London to enlist into the Royal Canadian Air Force. When he did so he received the rank of Aircraftsman 2. At this time he was 6' 3" and weighed 170 pounds. He had a fair complexion with green eyes and light brown hair. He was then tested and chosen by the selection committee to be a pilot. He was then assigned to No. 1 Manning Depot in Toronto for a short time until posted to No. 14 Service Flying Training School in Aylmer - Ontario on September 2. Then, near the end of October he was posted to Brockville - Ontario to No. 5 Initial Training School. He received the rank of Leading Aircraftsman while posted here and had an 89% average. Shortly after Christmas he was then posted to Malton - Ontario at No. 1 Elementary Flying Training School where he remained until the spring. In Flying Training his average was 71% and in Ground Training he was 3 out of 27 with an average of 76%.                                                                          In the spring of 1942 on March 15 he was posted to No. 5 Service Flying Training School in Brantford - Ontario. While here he had temporary duty in Calgary from May 10-19. While in Brantford he received the rank of Sergeant. He also received his flying badge while here. His Flying Training earned him a 67% Average while his Ground Training earned him a 74% average. In the middle of July he was posted to the east coast to RCAF No. 31 General Reconnaissance Squadron based at Charlottetown - Prince Edward Island  where he remained until August 30 when he was posted to No. 1 General Reconnaissance Squadron based at Summerside - Prince Edward Island.                                                                                                                                                  During the whole of 1943 he was based at Summerside - Prince Edward Island. Very early in January he received the rank of Flying Officer.                                                                                                                          On the first day of 1944 he was awarded the rank of Flight Lieutenant and on the last day of February he was posted to RCAF No. 2 Air Navigation School at Charlottetown - Prince Edward Island and then in the middle of May it was to the west coast to Boundary Bay - British Columbia. From May 15-October 11 he was posted with No. 5 Operational Training Unit. While posted here he flew B-24 Liberators, B-25 Mitchells and Bolingbrokes. Then with his training in Canada complete he was ordered to "Y" Depot at Lachine - Quebec and on November 1 he went to No. 2 Release Centre  and the next day he was at Dorval - Quebec with 45 Group Dorval.

Overseas

On November 4 Flight Lieutenant Schroeder was assigned to RAF Air Command - South east Asia and that same day he flew from Dorval to Gander - Newfoundland. He remained at Gander until November 5 when he embarked for overseas. 

In the Field

Between November 19-25 he attended the School of Jungle Self Preservation Training and attached to No. 6 Refresher Fling Unit in India.                                                                                                                                    On January 3, 1945 Flight Lieutenant Schroder was attached to RAF 231 Group and then two weeks later he arrived at RAF No. 159 Squadron                                                                                                                            No. 159 Squadron performed, bombing missions, mining missions, reconnaissance missions over Burma,
Siam, Malaya, Indo-China and the Dutch East Indies. The mission on this day was the objective of bombing
the Khal-Hua-Cang Railway yards in Burma.
Flight Lieutenant Schroeder and Liberator KH 255 were part of “B” Flight on this mission and the crews
had been briefed on the evening of February 8th at 17:00 hours. Liberator KH 255 was airborne from
Salbani Airfield at 09:06 hours and reached the target which was the wharfage area of the Khao Hagagang and the railway yards of the Khao Hua Gang railway at 16:00 hours. During the bombing mission, Liberator KH 255 caught fire in flight from enemy fire and other aircraft saw them pass over the target on fire and was flying due west in a shallow dive and the aircraft crashed with all bombs on board and exploded. It crashed among trees on the west shore of the Pakchan River and burned for a period of time. The aircraft crashed south of Moulmein in Burma. The captain of this aircraft was Flight
Lieutenant Schroeder. They were carrying 2,320 Imperial gallons of fuel and this would have been a low - level attack. Their bomb load was 8-500 pound bombs (incendiary clusters); 4-500 pound bombs (MC) and 14-100
pound bombs (incendiaries) for a total of 7,400 pounds of bombs.

His mother Edith in October of 1946 received the Memorial Cross and then in February 1947 the family received the 1939-45 Star, the Burma Star, the War Medal along with the Canadian Volunteer Service Medal with clasp which had been awarded to William. In the early spring of 1947 his mother received his Operational Wings.

The Schroeder family received a letter written in January of 1953 that their son William had no known grave. and that his name would be etched on the Singapore Memorial. Then three years later the family received a letter written in May of 1956 informing the family that the grave of their son and the graves of his crew had been found at last.

William is honoured and remembered on the the Memorial Plaques of Centralia United Church, Exeter High School as well his name is etched on the Exeter Cenotaph. He is honoured and remembered in the Books of Remembrance that can be found in the Centre Block of Canada's Parliament as well as in the Canadian Virtual War Memorial.