Remembering World War II

William Daniel de Molitor R/88357 Flight Sergeant 419 Squadron, Royal Canadian Air Force February 8, 1922 Jordan Falls, Shelburne Co., Nova Scotia April 29, 1941 Halifax, Nova Scotia Jordan Falls, Shelburne Co., Nova Scotia 19 5 feet, 10 inches Fair Blue Light Brown Labourer Church of England Single Deborah Maud de Molitor (Mother) Jordan Falls, Shelburne Co., Nova Scotia August 10, 1943 21 Durnbach War Cemetery, Germany 2.J.5. Commemorated on Page 152 of the Second World War Book of Remembrance. Displayed in the Memorial Chamber of the Peace Tower in Ottawa on March 30 William Daniel de Molitor was the son of Frederick Sebastian de Molitor and Deborah Maud (Purney) de Molitor, of Jordan Falls, Shelburne Co., Nova Scotia, Canada. One of twelve children, William had six brothers and five sisters. He attended the Jordan Falls public school between 1928 and 1937 completing grade 9. His interests included skating, camping, hunting, and swimming. William trained in Canada and was awarded his Air Gunner’s Badge on September 9, 1942. He was assessed as “an alert young lad, good demeanour, sincere and confident”. He embarked Canada on October 10, 1942 and was assigned to 419 Squadron, Royal Canadian Air Force in June 1943. On the night of August 9, 1943, he was an air gunner on Halifax JD.257 that failed to return from air operation. In 1948 it was determined that the aircraft crashed near Mutterstadt, Germany. The bodies of airmen were buried in Ludwigshafen, Germany, and the pilot, Flying Officer Ludlow and Air Gunner William de Molitor were identified and reburied in the Durnbach War Cemetery, Germany. On August 14, 1943, the Wing Commander of 419 Squadron wrote to the family: “Your son had been with our Squadron for approximately two months, and during that time had completed eight operations against the enemy, including six trips to the heavily defended Ruhr Valley, one trip tp Cologne, and one of the recent devastating raids on Hamburg. On his off duty hours, weather permitting, Sergeant de Molitor spent a good deal of his time swimming. He was a particularly well liked lad in the Squadron, very popular with all his fellow airmen and with that cheery nature, which is such a help to us all, he is one which we and the ASir Force as a whole can ill afford to lose.” The seven members of the crew of aircraft Halifax JD.257 F/S W.D. de Molitor F/O C.A. Wright F/O M.T. Ludlow F/S A.S. MacLaren F/S D.R. See F/S C.R. Smyth Sgt. W.L. Scott

William Daniel de Molitor

Source: Canadian Virtual War Memorial findagrave