Search results Next record Previous record English Māori William Leslie Knowles Born 24 December 1919 - Died 6 August 1941 PDF Key details Service numberNZ402160 AWMM WWII 402160 AWMM Also known as Armed force / branchAir Force AWMM Last rankSergeant (Pilot) AWMM Royal New Zealand Air Force, 106 Squadron, RAF AWMM WarWorld War II, 1939-1945 AWMM Enquire Lay a poppy Portrait from The Weekly News; 3 September 1941 - This image may be subject to copyright Hide sources Show empty fields Identity About Contribute › Title ForenamesWilliam Leslie AWMM SurnameKnowles AWMM Ingoa Also known as Service numberNZ402160 AWMM WWII 402160 AWMM GenderMale AWMM Iwi Hapū Waka Rohe Religion Images and documents Images Contribute › Documents Contribute › Civilian life About birth Contribute › Birth24 December 1919 AWMM New Plymouth, Taranaki AWMM Date of birth Place of birth Birth notes Address before enlistment Post war occupation Next of kin on embarkation Relationship status Service Wars and conflicts Contribute › WarWorld War II, 1939-1945 AWMM CampaignEurope (Air) AWMM Armed force / branchAir Force AWMM Service numberNZ402160 AWMM WWII 402160 AWMM Military serviceRoyal Air Force, 108 Squadron AWMM Promotions/ Postings/ Transfers Military decorations Contribute › Medals and Awards Training and Enlistment Contribute › Military training Branch Trade Proficiency EnlistmentWW2 1940 AWMM Printer/Civilian AWMM Occupation before enlistment Age on enlistment Embarkations Contribute › Embarkation detailsWW2 Royal New Zealand Air Force AWMM Prisoner of war Contribute › Capture details Days interned Liberation date Liberation Repatriation POW liberation details POW serial number Medical history Contribute › Medical notesKilled in Action, Cause of Death AWMM Killed on air operations AWMM Last known rank Contribute › Last rankSergeant (Pilot) AWMM Royal New Zealand Air Force, 106 Squadron, RAF AWMM Biographical information Biographical information Contribute › William Knowles was the son of Ellen Knowles, of New Plymouth, Taranaki, New Zealand.Biographical details are found in an article about an embroidered silk memorial, a fragment from the parachute from the fatal, in the Review in 1974. The article includes a photograph of the silk. AWMM William Leslie Knowles was born in New Plymouth on 24 December 1919 and on leaving school worked as a printer for the Taranaki Herald. In 1940 he enlisted with the Royal New Zealand Air Force and began his training. By February 1941 he had been promoted to Sergeant and was sent to the United Kingdom via Canada. His first operational posting was to No 106 Squadron based at Coningsby, Lincolnshire. On only his second operational flight the Hampden bomber he was pilot and captain of failed to return to base, with the loss of all crew on-board. The flight on 6 August 1941 took off to attack a target in Mannheim, Germany but crashed near Gendringen, Holland. William Knowles was buried in the Roman Catholic Cemetery, Gendringen, Holland. He was 21 years old. Public - Louise - Researcher - 22 July 2019 - West, J. (1995). Lest We Forget. New Plymouth: New Plymouth Boy’s High School Centennial Trust.Puke Ariki, Swainson/Woods Collection ARC#WD.054676Retrieved from https://collection.pukeariki.com/objects/157005 Read more Death About death Contribute › Death6 August 1941 AWMM Age 21 AWMM The Netherlands (Holland), Europe AWMM Date of deathWednesday, 6th august 1941 at 01:00 Public - G.J. - 24 February 2015 - My father and my uncle told me that, they lived in the house were he was crashed, i live in the house now, i have also some old pictures from after the crash, let me know if you want to see them. Age at death Place of deathGelderland province - Gendringen, about 16 kilometer southeast of Doetinchem Public - G.J. - 24 February 2015 - My father and my uncle told me that, they lived in the house were he was crashed, i live in the house now, i have also some old pictures from after the crash, let me know if you want to see them. Cause of deathKilled in Action AWMM His aircraft was shot down by a night-fighter Public - G.J. - 24 February 2015 - My father and my uncle told me that, they lived in the house were he was crashed, i live in the house now, i have also some old pictures from after the crash, let me know if you want to see them. Death notes CemeteryGendringen Roman Catholic Cemetery, Netherlands AWMM Row A. Grave 4. AWMM Cemetery name Grave reference Obituary Memorial name Memorial reference Memorials Memorial Contribute › Memorial name Roll of Honour Remember William Leslie Knowles by laying a poppy. William Edward Knowles William Gibson Knowles William Leslie Knowles James Edward Knowling John Knowlman Lay a poppy for 2021 Leave a note Leave a tribute or memory of William Leslie Knowles Leave a note Contribute › Processing Sources Sources Contribute › External linksCommonwealth War Graves Commission record https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/2648002 Sources Used DocumentsRSA review: the official journal of the N.Z. Returned Services' Association AWMM She didn't forget. (1974, June 19). Review. p. 10 AWMM Martyn, E. (1998-2008). For Your Tomorrow (Vols. 1-3). Christchurch, N.Z.: Volplane Press. AWMM Contributors Processing Command item Command item Add new record Refresh DateFirst namesLocationRelationshipContact 16 July 2020JohnUKOther 22 July 2019LouiseNew Plymouth, New ZealandResearcher 24 February 2015G.J.Breedenbroek - Gendringen- NetherlandsOther The development of the Online Cenotaph is an ongoing process; updates, new images and records are added weekly. In some cases, records have yet to be confirmed by Museum staff, and there could be mistakes or omissions in the information provided. Online Cenotaph Data by Auckland War Memorial Museum is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License Search results Next record Previous record