PURNELL-EDWARDS William

William Purnell-Edwards was born in 1925. He attended Malvern College from 1939 to 1940.

William Purnell-Edwards was the Mid Upper Air Gunner on Lancaster LM165. The aircraft took off at 22.52 hours from RAF Tuddenham, Suffolk on a mission to Duisburg, Germany. The aircraft failed to return and was listed as lost without trace. Further detailed information on the mission and the crew of the aircraft can be found via the following link:
http://aircrewremembered.com/cook-francis-john.html

The following information has been provided by another researcher:

The Lancaster Aircraft was “borrowed” from 182 Squadron.

Post war examination of German documents revealed that LM165 was shot down at Meidrich at 01:45 on 15 October. The aircraft was one of 19 aircraft which failed to return from the Duisburg raid. All 19 were shot down in the Duisburg area, but it was not possible in all cases to determine which of the 19 each individual report referred to.

The remains of those who lost their lives in the 19 aircraft were buried by the Germans in various cemeteries in the district. Some were identified, but in the case of the majority it was not possible to determine which aircraft they had come from. German records show that 4 of the above crew had been identified prior to their original burial, although it was not possible to establish who they were. All the unidentified were laid to rest in a War Cemetery as unknown airmen who had no known grave. (RAAF Personnel Serving on Attachment in Royal Air Force Squadrons And Support Units in World War 2 and Missing with no Known Grave – Alan Storr)

Possible – Hit by 2-3/schw Flak Abt 446 (Eisb), 1-4/schw Flak Abt 394 (o), 1/schw Flak Abt 472 (o) and 4/schw 243 (o). Crashed at the railway station at Meidrich-Neumuhl at 01:34.

(Nachtjagd Combat Archive 1944 Part 4 – Theo Boiten)