World War II Honoree
Killed in World War II
William Albert Gillen
Hometown
Rumford, Rhode Island
Honored By
A Grateful American
AMERICAN CITIZEN WHO PARTICIPATED IN THE BRITISH COMMONWEALTH AIR TRAINING PLAN, HELD THE RANK OF FLIGHT SERGEANT AND SERVED AS AN AIR GUNNER IN THE ROYAL CANADIAN AIR FORCE. KILLED IN ACTION WITH HIS ENTIRE CREW AT THE AGE OF 23 WHILE ATTACHED TO NO. 57 SQUADRON, ROYAL AIR FORCE (BOMBER COMMAND) WHEN HIS AVRO LANCASTER MK. 1 (ED319) WAS ATTACKED BY A LUFTWAFFE NIGHT FIGHTER AND CRASHED AT HAARZUILENS, UTRECHT, THE NETHERLANDS DURING A BOMBING RAID TO ESSEN, GERMANY ON JANUARY 9, 1943. BURIED AT AMERSFOORT GENERAL CEMETERY, AMERSFOORT, UTRECHT, THE NETHERLANDS. COMMEMORATED AT THE RHODE ISLAND WWII MEMORIAL, PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND.