Military service
Burial/memorial information
Son of Alfred Charles and Alice Jane Adlard, of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
Digital gallery of Pilot Officer William Robert Adlard
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Digital gallery of
Pilot Officer William Robert Adlard
Alfred and Jean Adlard and family, of Winnipeg, (taken in 1939) l- r Glenn, Jack, Bill and Jim. Alf. was born at Dunsby, nr. Bourne, Lincolnshire, England. Jean (Alice Jane Georgina Laing) was from Stonewall, Rockwood, Manitoba. Glenn served in the RCAF from 1943 - 1946 as a LAC air mechanic on Dakotas with 437 squadron RCAF at Crickley nr. Swindon, England. Jack served in the RCN as an AA gunner on HMCS Wetaskiwin. Jim was too young for war service.
Digital gallery of
Pilot Officer William Robert Adlard
Bill Adlard (right) with his buddy Stan Baker (Stan survived the war).
Digital gallery of
Pilot Officer William Robert Adlard
Bill's elder brothers Glenn (RCAF) and Jack (RCN) in wartime garb.
Digital gallery of
Pilot Officer William Robert Adlard
William Robert served as Pilot Officer Jj88714 (Air Gunner), RCAF, with 429 Sqdn (Bison), (Bradford's Own), RCAF, flying Halifax III's, operating from East Moor and Leeming, N. Yorkshire (6 Group).
Halifax III, LV963 AL-V, took off from RAF Leeming at 2247 on 22nd April 1944 for operations over Dusseldorf. Attacked at 21000 ft over Dusseldorf, by a night fighter executing a beam attack, the aircraft was set on fire and abandoned. The five members of the eight man crew who died were buried on 25th April in Dusseldorf Nordfriedhof (North Cemetery) - William was buried in Grave 365. The remaining three survivors: Pilot 1068542 F/O E. L. Harland, USAAF; Nav. R/97899 WO2 Harold H. Findlater, RCAF and W/Op. Air Gnr R/22502 Sgt Ronald Chamberlain, RCAF, were taken PoW. William is now buried in Reichwald Forest War Cemetery, Cleves, Germany, Plot 7, Row A, Grave 13. The other four crew members are buried in the same plot.
Digital gallery of
Pilot Officer William Robert Adlard
Headstones of P/O W. R. Adlard and Sgt J. O. Young in Reichswald Forest Cemetery.
Digital gallery of
Pilot Officer William Robert Adlard
Headstones of Sgt E. A. Goss and WO1 D. S. Brillinger, crew members with W. R. Adlard in Halifax III LV963, AL-V, buried in Reichswald Forest Cemetery.
Digital gallery of
Pilot Officer William Robert Adlard
Headstone of P/O H. W. Doiron, crew member with W. R. Adlard in Halifax III LV963, AL-V, who is buried in Reichswald Forest Cemetery.
Digital gallery of
Pilot Officer William Robert Adlard
A general view of Reichswald Forest Cemetery taken from the left hand (Airforce) end looking towards the southern (Army) end. The poppy posy marks Bill's grave. The structures at the righthand side of the photo are roughly halfway along the cemetery.
Digital gallery of
Pilot Officer William Robert Adlard
A general view of Reichswald Forest Cemetery looking from the right hand (Army) end towards the northern (Airforce) end. The structures near the left hand side are roughly halway along the cemetery - the CWGC's largest in area.
Digital gallery of
Pilot Officer William Robert Adlard
Submitted for the project, Operation Picture Me
Digital gallery of
Pilot Officer William Robert Adlard
Submitted for the project, Operation Picture Me
Digital gallery of
Pilot Officer William Robert Adlard
Pilot Officer William Robert Adlard is also commemorated on the Bomber Command Memorial Wall in Nanton, AB … photo courtesy of Marg Liessens
Digital gallery of
Pilot Officer William Robert Adlard
Pilot Officer William Robert Adlard is also commemorated on the Bomber Command Memorial Wall in Nanton, AB … photo courtesy of Marg Liessens
Digital gallery of
Pilot Officer William Robert Adlard
Father J P Lardie's comments as inscribed on the Bomber Command Memorial Wall in Nanton, AB … photo courtesy of Marg Liessens
Digital gallery of
Pilot Officer William Robert Adlard
Submitted for the project, Operation Picture Me
Digital gallery of
Pilot Officer William Robert Adlard
Submitted for the project, Operation Picture Me
Digital gallery of
Pilot Officer William Robert Adlard
Submitted for the project, Operation Picture Me
Digital gallery of
Pilot Officer William Robert Adlard
Submitted for the project, Operation Picture Me
Digital gallery of
Pilot Officer William Robert Adlard
Submitted for the project, Operation Picture Me
Image gallery
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Alfred and Jean Adlard and family, of Winnipeg, (taken in 1939) l- r Glenn, Jack, Bill and Jim. Alf. was born at Dunsby, nr. Bourne, Lincolnshire, England. Jean (Alice Jane Georgina Laing) was from Stonewall, Rockwood, Manitoba. Glenn served in the RCAF from 1943 - 1946 as a LAC air mechanic on Dakotas with 437 squadron RCAF at Crickley nr. Swindon, England. Jack served in the RCN as an AA gunner on HMCS Wetaskiwin. Jim was too young for war service.
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Bill Adlard (right) with his buddy Stan Baker (Stan survived the war).
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Bill's elder brothers Glenn (RCAF) and Jack (RCN) in wartime garb.
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William Robert served as Pilot Officer Jj88714 (Air Gunner), RCAF, with 429 Sqdn (Bison), (Bradford's Own), RCAF, flying Halifax III's, operating from East Moor and Leeming, N. Yorkshire (6 Group). Halifax III, LV963 AL-V, took off from RAF Leeming at 2247 on 22nd April 1944 for operations over Dusseldorf. Attacked at 21000 ft over Dusseldorf, by a night fighter executing a beam attack, the aircraft was set on fire and abandoned. The five members of the eight man crew who died were buried on 25th April in Dusseldorf Nordfriedhof (North Cemetery) - William was buried in Grave 365. The remaining three survivors: Pilot 1068542 F/O E. L. Harland, USAAF; Nav. R/97899 WO2 Harold H. Findlater, RCAF and W/Op. Air Gnr R/22502 Sgt Ronald Chamberlain, RCAF, were taken PoW. William is now buried in Reichwald Forest War Cemetery, Cleves, Germany, Plot 7, Row A, Grave 13. The other four crew members are buried in the same plot.
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Headstones of P/O W. R. Adlard and Sgt J. O. Young in Reichswald Forest Cemetery.
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Headstones of Sgt E. A. Goss and WO1 D. S. Brillinger, crew members with W. R. Adlard in Halifax III LV963, AL-V, buried in Reichswald Forest Cemetery.
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Headstone of P/O H. W. Doiron, crew member with W. R. Adlard in Halifax III LV963, AL-V, who is buried in Reichswald Forest Cemetery.
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A general view of Reichswald Forest Cemetery taken from the left hand (Airforce) end looking towards the southern (Army) end. The poppy posy marks Bill's grave. The structures at the righthand side of the photo are roughly halfway along the cemetery.
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A general view of Reichswald Forest Cemetery looking from the right hand (Army) end towards the northern (Airforce) end. The structures near the left hand side are roughly halway along the cemetery - the CWGC's largest in area.
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Submitted for the project, Operation Picture Me
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Submitted for the project, Operation Picture Me
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Pilot Officer William Robert Adlard is also commemorated on the Bomber Command Memorial Wall in Nanton, AB … photo courtesy of Marg Liessens
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Pilot Officer William Robert Adlard is also commemorated on the Bomber Command Memorial Wall in Nanton, AB … photo courtesy of Marg Liessens
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Father J P Lardie's comments as inscribed on the Bomber Command Memorial Wall in Nanton, AB … photo courtesy of Marg Liessens
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Submitted for the project, Operation Picture Me
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Submitted for the project, Operation Picture Me
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Submitted for the project, Operation Picture Me
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Submitted for the project, Operation Picture Me
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Submitted for the project, Operation Picture Me
In the Books of Remembrance
Commemorated on:
Page 234 of the Second World War Book of Remembrance.
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REICHSWALD FOREST WAR CEMETERY Germany
The REICHSWALD FOREST WAR CEMETERY is located 5 km south west of Kleve. From Kleve the cemetery is located, using the Hoffmannallee from the Town Centre, which becomes the Materbornerallee. This road enters Reichswald Forest and becomes the Grunewaldstrasse. Follow direction Gennep, entering Reichswald Forest the cemetery is situated 500 metres on the left.
Alternatively from the motorway 57, take exit Kleve/Goch, which leads onto the 9 N road in the direction towards Kleve. After 3 km turn left on to the 504 direction Kranenburg. Reichswald cemetery is clearly signposted on the 504 at cross roads Grunewald. REICHSWALD FOREST WAR CEMETERY is situated on the Grunewald Strasse direction Kleve on the right, 3 km from cross roads Grunewald.
For more information, visit Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
The Poppy Design is a trademark of The Royal Canadian Legion (Dominion Command) and is used with permission. Click here to learn more about the poppy.
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