Fry, W B (William Benjamin)
Flight Sergeant William Fry was the son of William Benjamin and Bessie Johnston Fry, of the U.S.A.; husband of Mildred Harris Fry; he had two sisters and a brother.
William made his way to Canada from Texas and while staying in the YMCA in Windsor, Ontario, he volunteered for service during March 1941 and was accepted. His home address was given as 119 Bonham Street, San Benito, Texas. As an American citizen he did not have to make an oath to the King.
At the end of training, William was selected to be a pilot on the 8th of August 1941.[1] He was then promoted to Sergeant during December before being moved to England to continue this training. He eventually joined 504 Squadron during June 1942 and flew Spitfires[2].
Unfortunately, a few months later during a training flight on the 26th of September 1941, something went seriously wrong, and William crashed his Spitfire approximately 1 mile southwest of Dungiven in County Londonderry. He sustained multiple serious injuries and was almost certainly killed instantly.
A few days later he was accorded a full military funeral through the town of Limavady to his final resting place in Drumachose Churchyard.
William was awarded in the 1939-45 Star, Atlantic Star, War Medal, and the Canadian Service Volunteer Medal.
At some stage later, a request was put in for William’s body to be returned to the United States. Unfortunately, this was rejected for reasons unknown.
Date of Death: 26/09/1942 (Age 22)
Service: Flight Sergeant, 504 (RAF) Squadron, Royal Canadian Air Force.
Service Number: R/98031
Burial Location: Grave 8.
[1] Unknown to William, he was deemed unsuitable for a commission to officer rank during his time in basic training but by the end of his pilot training during December 1941 this decision had been reversed. First, he a had to prove himself. Unfortunately, though, this decision was once again reversed once he reached 504 squadron.
[2] The Supermarine Spitfire was a single seater fighter plane that made its first flight during March 1936 and was introduced on the 4th of August 1938. It would become probably the most famous plane of the Second World War.