The Last Post Ceremony commemorating the service of (421246) Flight Sergeant William Morton Christie, No. 298 Squadron, RAF, Second World War.

The Last Post Ceremony is presented in the Commemorative area of the Australian War Memorial each day. The ceremony commemorates more than 102,000 Australians who have given their lives in war and other operations and whose names are recorded on the Roll of Honour. At each ceremony the story behind one of the names on the Roll of Honour is told. Hosted by Craig Berelle, the story for this day was on (421246) Flight Sergeant William Morton Christie, No. 298 Squadron, RAF, Second World War.

421246 Flight Sergeant William Morton Christie, No. 298 Squadron, RAF
Flying Battle: 11 September 1944

Today we remember and pay tribute to Flight Sergeant William Morton Christie.

William Morton Christie was born on 27 December 1921, one of three children born to William and Cecilia Christie. He grew up with his brothers Keith and Harold, and older half-sister Doreen, in the inner west of Sydney, attending Croydon Public School and then Ashfield Junior Technical School.

Known as “Billy” and “Bill” to family and friends, Christie was a keen tennis player who loved going to the movies and listening to music.

At the time his enlistment, he was engaged to Poppy Charleston, lived in Burwood, and worked as a motor body trimmer, or detailer, with Peters, Bryden, Peters Limited in Redfern.

Christie enlisted in the Royal Australian Air Force in January 1942 and began his training at Bradfield Park, north of Sydney. He was one of two Christie brothers to serve for Australia in the Second World War. His younger brother Keith also served in the Royal Australian Air Force.

In July 1942 Christie sailed to Canada to participate in the Empire Air Training Scheme, a program in which airmen from across the British Empire were pooled together for training, and then sent to units that required their services. Christie trained as a wireless operator and air gunner in Calgary and Halifax in Canada, and in September 1943 sailed for England.
He was promoted several times throughout his service, eventually reaching the rank of flight sergeant.

On 28 March 1944, Christie joined No. 298 Squadron, Royal Air Force, which was based at Tarrant Rushton in Dorset. The squadron’s main role was to drop special operations agents by parachute into Nazi-occupied Europe. They flew Handley Page Halifax heavy bombers to do this work. On the night of 5 June 1944, they towed Horsa gliders as part of the D-Day landing operations that liberated Western Europe from Nazi occupation.

On the night of 10 September 1944, Christie took part in a No. 298 Squadron mission to drop supplies to special operations agents near Dijon, in eastern France.

On this mission, Christie served as wireless operator and air gunner aboard Halifax LL273, call sign “Y for Yoke”. The aircraft took off from Tarrant Rushton shortly after 10 pm on 10 September. Just after midnight, the aircraft was flying through mountainous country over occupied France when it descended too low. It struck the ground near the tiny village of Lavault, broke into several pieces, and burst into flames.

Two crew members survived the crash, but the four others – Flight Sergeant Sonny Solomon, Flight Sergeant Alan Laverick, Pilot Officer Owen Smith, and Flight Sergeant William Christie – were killed.

The fallen airmen were buried with full honours in the churchyard cemetery in near Epinac, and the townspeople of the nearby Epinac, Aubigny-la-Ronce and Molinot erected a memorial at the crash site, which is commemorated every year.

Christie was 22 years old.

Among his possessions that were returned to his family in Australia were his wallet, found at the crash site, and a boomerang keepsake calling for him to have a “safe return”.

His grieving family left this epitaph on his grave: “Always remembered by those you loved”.

His name is listed on the Roll of Honour on my left, among almost 40,000 Australians who died while serving in the Second World War.

This is but one of the many stories of service and sacrifice told here at the Australian War Memorial. We now remember Flight Sergeant William Morton Christie, who gave his life for us, for our freedoms, and in the hope of a better world.

David Sutton
Historian, Military History Section