Pilot Officer William James Champion
75 Squadron Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve

Early Life

William Champion was born in 1919 in West Byfleet, the son of Edward and Mary Champion (nee Ford) of Woking and attended the County School 1931-1935. Edward was verger of St. John's church, West Byfleet (where my mother and father were married). 

William was married to Edna Champion.

World War 2

William received an emergency commission to the RAFVR on 23 September 1943 (service number 53774).

Stirling Mk. III serial number BF461 had flown 30 missions when it took to the air at 1601 from RAF Mepal in Cambridgeshire on 4 November 1943 headed for the Kattegat Sea between Sweden and Denmark on a 'gardening mission' to lay mines. Pilot Officer Champion aged 25 was the Wireless Operator/Gunner.

The other members of the crew were Pilot Officer G. K. Williams (RNZAF), Sgt. H. Moffat, Flt. Sgt. W. F. Morice (RNZAF), Sgt. F. E. McGregor (RNZAF), Flt. Sgt. J. A. Black and Sgt. Reggie Ingrey.

Sterling Mk. III's

Over Denmark and on its way to the target area BF461 was attacked by a German night fighter. During the exchange of fire tail gunner Reggie Ingray wounded the fighter pilot in the thigh and forced him to call off the attack and land his damaged plane at Fliegerhorst Grove. But meanwhile a fire had taken hold in the rear of the Sterling and it soon became evident that the controls had been damaged. Pilot Officer Gordon (Bill) Williams ordered the crew to bail out. The bomber was then left to crash into a hillside near Kallerup.

William Champion jumped from the doomed aircraft but his parachute failed to deploy and he fell to his death. His body was discovered the next day lying beneath his parachute. Of the other six crew members, five were captured and one walked to freedom in Sweden from where he was repatriated.

William's grave

William Champion was buried at Frederikshaven Cemetery, Denmark on 13 November 1943 (allied plot 48).

If you have any further information or corrections please contact me.

Post Note

Gordon Williams' account of the night (copyright Simon Williams):

On the night of 4 November 1943, four Sterling bombers from 75 Squadron took off from an RAF base at Mepal in England on a mission to lay mines in the Baltic Sea. Near Kallerup in Denmark a German JU88 night fighter piloted by Leutenant Karl Rechberger attacked Sterling BF461. Some of the fighters fire shit home, but Rechberger was wounded in the thigh by return fire from the bomber. Despite the injury he landed safely.

The Sterling wasn't so lucky. The exact nature of the damage will never be known, but it was sufficient to cripple the bomber. Unable to control the doomed plane, pilot Gordon Williams gave the command to bail out.

On hearing the order  the front gunner spun his turret to align it so he could climb back into the bulkhead to retrieve his parachute. Unfortunately he misaligned the turret; the wind caught and wrenched it and strained the hinges and he found himself trapped in the turret. Fighting panic he ripped off his helmet and managed to squeeze his head and shoulders through the gap. Suddenly the plane lurched and he was thrown thought the gap into the bulkhead. He reached for his parachute and tried to clip it on, but by now his fingers were numb and he couldn't tell if the clips had buckled securely. Time was running out. He opened the hatch and lowered his legs into the space, then, with a terrific effort of will, released his hold and tumbled into the night sky, away from the crippled bomber. He waited several seconds, free-falling through the night until he was sure his parachute would clear the plane, then pulled the rip cord. A moment later he felt the impact as the parachute opened. The clips were secure.

With help from the local Danes he evaded capture for two days but was finally turned over to the Germans. He spent the remainder of World war II as a prisoner of war in the huge Stalag IV-B at Muhlburg, about 50 km north of Dresden.