Wartime Heritage
ASSOCIATION
Remembering World War II
William Frederick Windsor
Royal Canadian Air Force
William Frederick Windsor
Pilot Officer
J/88512 / R260119
431 Squadron, Royal Canadian Air Force
October 13, 1925
Toronto, Ontario
May 1943
Ontario
Toronto, Ontario
17
Single
Installation Department, Northern Electric
United Church
July 29, 1944
18
Hanover War Cemetery, Germany
Section 10, Row E, Grave 12
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William Frederick Windsor was the son of Frederick George Windsor (b. 1903) and Edith May (Wills) Windsor (b. 1904), of Toronto,
Ontario, and the brother of George Windsor and Joan Windsor.
William’s father enlisted to serve during WWII in June 1940 with the 48th Highlanders but was subsequently discharged as a result of
injuries received in an accident. His brother George served in the Canadian Army during WWII, stationed in Orillia, Ontario.
William attended Roden Public School and Danforth Technical and played lacrosse at Roden A.C. Prior to his RCAF enlistment, he was
employed with the Northern Electric Company in the installation department. After enlisting in May of 1943, William graduated from
the No 9 Bombing and Gunnery School in Mont-Joli, Quebec and earned his wings in November 1943. News articles indicated he
transferred overseas in December of 1943 or sometime early in 1944.
His mother reported that William joined air operations over Normandy on D-Day, and that “on that day he made his first air op
[operation].”
Pilot Officer Windsor was stationed at RAF Croft in Yorkshire, England in July of 1944. He had completed 15 sorties before he was
reported missing on July 29, 1944.
William, served as Air Gunner on Handley Page Halifax III No. MZ859 (SE-A), which
took off from RAF Croft at 10:32 pm on July 28, 1944, on a mission to Hamburg,
Germany. One account reports that the aircraft was hit by flak and crashed at
Deichhausen, 5 kms north of Delmenhorst, Germany. Another, reports that MZ859
was shot down by an enemy night fighter while homeward bound.