Was William Alan Strathern Evill the youngest pilot and was he the youngest pilot to be KIA in WW2? Whitley Z6564 ZA-Z lost 1941-08-19 It would be nice if we could compile as much information as possible about this crew and mission. Tnx! See: http://lostaircraft.com/database.php?mode=viewentry&e=7724 From: http://www.rafcommands.com/forum/showthread.php?10528-Final-Farewell/page2 "W A S Evill actually lied about his age and trained to be a pilot at 16, in charge of a Whitley Bomber at the age of 17. Obviously supported by his Father at the time.'
Alan Evill, Another pilot who trained with my Father in 2 SFTS at Brize Norton on 56 course. 56.21 CADET W A S Evill (1166733 to 102082, Commissioned as Sergeant on 28th June 1941) PO William Alan Strathern Evill died on 19th August 1941, aged 18, whilst flying Whitley Z6564 ZA-Z with 10 Squadron. The son of Air Chief Marshal Sir Douglas Claude Strathern Evill, G.B.E., K.C.B., D.S.C. A.F.C, and Lady Evill (nee Kleinwort), of Winchester. The aircraft was airbourne at 2223 Hours on 18th August 1941 from Leemimg on a raid on Cologne and was lost with all those on board. This aircraft was one of three 10 Squadron aircraft lost on this raid, all three shot down by flak approaching the target. The aircraft crashed near Rekem (Limburg), 14 Km ESE of Genk, Belgium, killing all the crew. The crew of 5 consisted of P/O William Alan Strathern Evill, Sgt Kenneth Mervyn Tompkins, Sgt Cyril Patrick O’Dell, Sgt Donald Maclachlan Duffy and Sgt Thomas Hill Park. Park was an American from Jersey City, serving in the RCAF. They are all buried in Rekem Communal Cemetery. Evill in Grave/Memorial Reference: Coll. grave 1-3. Evill was born on 23rd December 1922, he joined 2 SFTS at the age of 16 or 17. Sgt K M Tompkins was also only 18 when he died. This was Alan Evill’s second mission as captain, flying his first three missions as second pilot to Sergeant Aubrey Poupard, 55.18. You will find him refereed to on my web site as he did receive a particularly hard time at Brize Norton because of his heritage. He is also refered to in Stephen Johnson's book, A Kriegie’s Log, the lighter side of Prison Life I have yet to prove his age as he has various dates listed as his birth date, time rather than knowledge. There were quite a few 10 Squadron casualties trained at 2 SFTS. Regards, Nick KenFentonsWar.com
