William Frearson WW2

William Frearson, Sergeant, 10742246, Wireless Operator/Air Gunner, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve. Killed in action, 28th August 1943, age 22 years.

Billy was the younger of the two Frearson brothers whose names appear on Field Broughton's memorial. William, like his brother, started school at Newton, but continued his education at Leven Valley School, Backbarrow. George Arthur and William were both members of the church choir and their sister, Dorothy, remembers a self-conscious Billy singing a solo "Bless This House" in a concert at Field Broughton Institute. He was an outgoing young man who travelled for the well known Grange-over-Sands grocery business, T.D. Smith's (now the Spar shop), in summer he worked at Grange station, but the quiet winter months did not provide enough custom to keep him employed there.

William was too young to "join up" when the war began, but when he could, he became a member of the local Home Guard, and joined the RAF as soon as he was old enough .

William's "Observer's and Air Gunner's Flying Log Book" states that he qualified as a Wireless Operator from No 2 Signals School, Yatesbury, Wiltshire on 30th October 1941.

The entries in his log show that he spent the ten days from 4th to 14th of June1942 with 10 Conversion Flight at RAF Leeming, Yorkshire, training as an air gunner, in Handley Page Halifax Mk II four-engined bombers, gaining 31 daylight and 3.45 night-time flying hours. 24th June to 22nd July were spent at Yatesbury, once more with No 2 Signals School, putting in 18.40 hours on De Havilland Dominies and Percival Proctors. Then up to Scotland from 12th August, where he passed the ab initio gunnery course at Evanton, near the Cromarty Firth, with No 8 Air Gunnery School, after flying 8.20 hours in Blackburn Botha aircraft. The results of the Evanton course are pasted into his log book, showing marks of 81.5% with the comment,"Above average. Very keen and capable. Should make an excellent air gunner. Sq.Ldr. J. Compton. 28th August 1942."

The final phase of William's training was at Prestwick, on the Ayrshire coast, from 14th to 27th September 1942, where he learned "Coastal SI Operating" flying 13.20 hours on Bothas of No 3 RDFS (Radio Direction Finding School), its role was to train wireless operators in airborne interception. An excellent pass mark of 73% was gained and his log is annotated "Above average night vision". Billy must have impressed his superiors as, by the end of the following month, after a week (21/10/42 - 27/10/42) of flights where his task was "SE manipulation", he became an "SE Instructor" with B Flight, No 3 RDFS.

In December 1942, 3 RFDS moved south from Prestwick to Hooton Park, near Ellesmere Port, Cheshire. This historic airfield is now owned by Vauxhall, the British branch of General Motors. Initially equipped with Blackburn Bothas, the unit occupied hangars No.1 and No.2 at Hooton. From 1943, the fleet was gradually changed over to Avro Ansons, but some Bothas were still on charge when the School disbanded on 3 August 1944. The original Great War hangars on the site were under threat of redevelopment but a successful campaign was organised to prevent this and, on 9th October 2000, Vauxhall handed them over to the Hooton Park Trust. I have been told by Mike Lewis, one of the campaigners, that there are still signs relating to Bothas on the hangar walls.

Billy's first flight from Hooton was on 11th December 1942, when he took off at 0935 hrs as SE instructor in Botha L6454, piloted by Sergeant Hay. The flight lasted 1.10 hrs and was uneventful. Some log entries show that the missions could not always be completed, usually owing to one of the engines becoming becoming unserviceable (u/s), although one training flight had to be abandoned as the pupil became airsick! A typical month's flying for Sgt Frearson was June 1943 and comprised of 54.10hrs in Bothas and 17.55hrs in Ansons. The log for this period was signed by his Commanding Officer, Squadron Leader A. Crawford.

He went home on leave at the end of the month, writing to his brother on 9th July, from the Sergeants' Mess at Hooton that he'd had an excellent leave, the best he'd ever had, the weather in the Lake District having been absolutely beautiful.

Blackburn Botha L6202, piloted by Sgt. George Heppinstall of Gosforth and crewed by Sgt. D. O. Hargreaves of Burnley, Sgt. W. B. Bettin of Watson, Saskatchewan and Billy Frearson, took off on a routine training flight at 1420hrs on Saturday 28th August 1943. The weather was clear with very little cloud about, except for that which covered the mountains of North Wales. Billy had mentioned the fact to his family that he did not like flying over the Welsh mountains, as cloud and mist could come down very quickly.

The Botha did not return on schedule and, after waiting for news of diversion to another airfield, No.9 Group was informed and a search and rescue operation was launched. Three Avro Ansons and six Bothas took off from Hooton to search the sea and land over which the aircraft was to have flown and Llandwrog Mountain Rescue Service were informed, nothing was found by the end of daylight and the search was called off until the next day. The weather deteriorated and the search continued until the burnt wreckage of L6202 was found, at 1800hrs on Tuesday 31st August, high on the almost inaccessible slopes of Llwytmor Mountain (2,749ft) in Snowdonia. The crew had all perished in the crash. The wreckage was situated in such a difficult position that the rescue team could not carry the four bodies all the way down in the twilight and they had to be left, covered by blankets, in the Anafon valley, until they could be recovered by the Mountain Rescue Service at 0900 the following day.

The C.O. of No 11 Radio School, responding to a letter from Billy's father on 8th September 1943, said that he was unable to give much information about the accident as the other occupants, the pilot and two pupils, were killed. He went on, "The aircraft crashed on a mountain in North Wales, 5 miles E.S.E. of Bethesda and the most probable explanation is that the pilot came down through cloud and flew into the side of the mountain without realising where he was until it was too late."

The Botha's wreckage remains on Llwytmor to the present day, it is not in an area frequented by walkers, but RAF and Air Training Corps Cadets occasionally visit the site and, in 1974, a cadet found the pilot's signet ring which was returned to his family in a brief ceremony at RAF Valley, Anglesey. (See "Hell on High Ground. Vol 2." by David W. Earl for further information)

Llwytmor claimed one other aircraft, strangely this also had North Lancashire connections. On 14th April 1941 a Heinkel 111 of 3/KG28 crashed, killing the flight engineer and injuring the three other crew, it had taken off from Nantes on the River Loire, Western France, on a mission to bomb Barrow-in-Furness, and crashed into the north face of the mountain, some wreckage of this aircraft also remains.

The funeral of William Frearson took place at St Peter's Church, Field Broughton on Sunday 5th September 1943. The service was conducted by the Rev. W.F. Harden, "and a large number of mourners were present. The cortege was met at the church gates by the local Home Guard under Lieut. R. Hodgson, and six RAF sergeants acted as bearers. An RAF party fired three volleys over the grave, and the Home Guard lined the path as the cortege passed into the church." (Barrow News, 11/9/43)

Sergeant William Frearson lies not far from his High Newton home, in St Peter's Churchyard, Field Broughton, Grave 615.

There is a sad postscript to this sad story. Billy's "young lady", Kathleen, died the following year, suffering from that dreadful disease, T.B.