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Spitfire Biography

FLTLT William Friend 403328

Squadron/s33 SQN
457 SQN
Rank On Discharge/Death Flight Lieutenant (FLTLT)
NicknameBill
Mustering / SpecialisationPilot
Date of Birth06 Apr 1918
Date of Enlistment06 Jan 1941
Contributing Author/sWritten by Phil Listemann (Author of the History of 457 Squadron)
Updated by Vince Conant
June 2013
The Spitfire Association


Bill was born on the 6/4/1918 in Sydney, NSW and enlisted in the RAAF on the 6/1/1941. He was posted from No 53 Operational Training Unit on January 1942 and after 2 months was sent to No 33 squadron in the Middle East. There he served from June 1942 to October 1943.

He was repatriated to Australia at the end of 1944 and then served another tour from March 1945 to the end of the war.

Bill was discharged from No 457 in 22/11/1945.



Learn more about the squadron/s in which William served.

457 SQN

457 Squadron, Royal Australian Air Force, was formed at Baginton, near Coventry, in England on 16 June 1941 in accordance with Article XV of the Empire Air Training Scheme. Init...

(Read more about 457 SQN)
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