William Stuckey was born in 1914. He was the son of William Edwin and Alice Mary Stuckey and the husband of Peggy Stuckey, of Mildenhall, Suffolk.

Not much is known about P/O Stuckey. He was promoted to Pilot Officer on 25 November 1942.

P/O Stuckey was a navigator with 75 (New Zealand) Squadron, operating out of Newmarket, Cambridgeshire.
75 Squadron was flying Stirling III bombers from November 1942.

75 Squadron

75 Squadron participated in a mission to Mulheim on 22nd to 23rd June, 1943. On that night, P/O Stuckey was navigator on Stirling III EH889 AA-Z. His crew consisted of:

F/L Thomas F. McCrorie - Pilot
Sgt Eric Grainger - Flight Engineer
P/O W. Stuckey - Navigator
Sgt James L. Richards - Bomb Aimer
W.O.2 Robert E. Tod DFM - Wireless Operator
W.O.2 Richard D. Tod - Air Gunner
Sgt R. A. Kennedy - Air Gunner

Robert and Richard Tod were twin brothers from Manitoba, Canada.

Stirling AA-Z took off at 23:48 hours from Newmarket. It was shot down by a night-fighter, flown by Oblt. Heinz Vinke,  of IV/NJG1 and fell at 00:26 hours into the IJsselmeer.

Bodies of five of the crew were recovered. F/L T. F. McCrorie  Lies in Hemelumer-Oldeferd [Molkwerum] Protestant Churchyard. The Tod twins lie buried side by side at Medemblik General Cemetery, Sgt Kennedy is buried at Middenmeer general Cemetery. Sgt Eric Grainger and Sgt James L. Richards are still missing and are commemorated at the Runnymede Memorial.

P/O William Stuckey is buried at Makkum Protestant Churchyard, Row O. Grave 31.

After the war, Peggy, William's wife, re-married to Williams older brother Edward.

(Picture by Wim Bastiaanse)

Makkum, The Netherlands

See also:
Sgt Eric Grainger
F/L Thomas McCrorie
Sgt James Richards
W.O.2 Robert Tod
W.O.2 Richard Tod
Sgt R. A. Kennedy

Sources:
Mr. Malcolm Fergussons
Mr. Peter Stuckey
 

Acknowledgements:
RAF Squadron crest © Crown Copyright is reproduced with the permission of the Controller of Her Majesty’s Stationery Office

Directions to Makkum Protestant Churchyard

Posted 6 April 2006

If you have any suggestions, comments or additional information, please contact me.

This website is dedicated to the men and women who died and/or are buried in The Netherlands during World War II.

 

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