OLD AZURIANS

John Walter William Williams joined  the Royal Navy as a cadet in 1938 after leaving school. He was the son of Mrs D V Jackson and step-son of Captain A F Jackson of the Royal Merchant Navy School Wokingham and of Worthing. Whilst training in HMS Worcester he went missing for eight days because he had attempted to join volunteers fighting in the Russo-Finnish War.

 

In 1940 he joined HMS Nelson as a midshipman, but a year later, now a sub-Lieutenant RNR, he volunteered for flying training in the Naval Air Arm. He then flew Hurricanes with 779 Squadron based at Gibraltar. On 11 August 1942 he had just landed on the aircraft carrier HMS Eagle when she was hit by three torpedoes fired by U-73 and she sank in only eight minutes, south of Majorca. Fortunately about 90% of her crew, including Lt. Williams, were saved.

 

He then joined 807 Squadron and saw front-line service aboard the aircraft carriers Furious, Indomitable, and Hunter in home waters and the Mediterranean,  taking part in operations against the Bismarck, at Salerno, and at the invasion of the South of France. During the latter he had to make a forced landing in enemy territory but evaded capture, joined up with the Maquis, and fought with them during their advance through Cannes and Nice. By November Williams had been promoted to Lieutenant RN.

 

After the war had ended he had a short spell as a test pilot at Henstridge, near Yeovil, then, following a rest period, he passed through the School of Naval Air Warfare, being granted an extended commission in the Royal Navy Air branch.

 

His last appointment was as a flying instructor at the Naval Operational Training Unit, Eglinton, Northern Ireland. It was here, on 2 March 1946, at the age of 23, that he met his untimely and ironic end (considering everything that he had experienced in the preceding years).  He was in collision with an aircraft flown by his friend sub-Lieutenant Hannam RNVR. Both pilots were killed. They were buried in St. Clanice churchyard, Fauchanvale, Northern Ireland.

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J W W Williams born 18 January 1923. School years 1934-37.