The Last Post Ceremony commemorating the service of (21152) Aircraftman Class 1 William Ernest Menzies, No. 10 Squadron, Second World War.

The Last Post Ceremony is presented in the Commemorative area of the Australian War Memorial each day. The ceremony commemorates more than 102,000 Australians who have given their lives in war and other operations and whose names are recorded on the Roll of Honour. At each ceremony the story behind one of the names on the Roll of Honour is told. Hosted by Sharon Bown, the story for this day was on (21152) Aircraftman Class 1 William Ernest Menzies, No. 10 Squadron, Second World War.

21152 Aircraftman Class 1 William Ernest Menzies, No. 10 Squadron
Flying Battle 8 August 1942

Today we remember and pay tribute to Aircraftman Class 1 William Ernest Menzies.

William Menzies was born on 12 December 1919, one of four children born to Allan and Mabel Menzies. William, his brothers Alan and George, and his sister Isobel grew up in Belmont, near Newcastle in New South Wales, and the family were respected members of their local mining community.

William enlisted in the Royal Australian Air Force in May 1940, and after six months training embarked with his squadron for the war in Europe. He served in Number 10 Squadron, whose main function was to hunt the waters off Western Europe for German U-boats, particularly in the Bay of Biscay on the east coast of occupied France. This was vital work to protect British and American shipping, but it also attracted significant attacks from German fighter planes.

At 2.15 in the morning on 8 August 1942, William set off on an anti-submarine raid in the Bay of Biscay aboard his Sunderland patrol bomber. At approximately 6.30 pm the plane sent out an SOS signal. Despite an extensive search, no further trace of the aircraft was found. William and his six fellow crew members were initially reported missing. William’s family in Australia was informed of his having gone missing and knew the likelihood of his fate, but held out hope that he may one day be found.

William’s older brother Alan also served in the RAAF. On 11 October 1942, just two months after his brother was reported missing, Alan died when his Spitfire crashed during a dog fight with German fighters.

In March 1943, the Menzies family’s fears were realised when William was officially pronounced to be presumed killed, a sad confirmation that the family had lost two sons in just over two months. William was 22 years old. In a further tragedy for the family, William’s father passed away soon after hearing confirmation of William’s death.

The brothers’ names are commemorated on the Air Forces Memorial at Runnymede in England, along with the names of over 20,000 airmen from the Second World War who have no known grave.
William’s name is listed on the Roll of Honour on my left, among some 40,000 Australians who died while serving in the Second World War.

This is but one of the many stories of service and sacrifice told here at the Australian War Memorial. We now remember Aircraftman Class 1 William Ernest Menzies, who gave his life for us, for our freedoms, and in the hope of a better world.

David Sutton
Historian, Military History Section