Flight Lieutenant Wilfred Murray Theobald
Royal Air Force, 7 Bomber Squadron. Short Stirling Mk.1 R9286 116418
Killed in Action
Date of Birth: June quarter of 1911
Place of Birth: Shaldon, Devon
Date of Death: 12th of June 1943, age 32
Buried: Commemorated on Runnymede Memorial, Panel 121
Awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Crew Europe Star, Defence Medal 1939-1945, and the War Medal 1939-1945
Wilfred Theobald was the youngest of a family of 2 brothers and 5 sisters. Before WW2 he farmed in Koemga in South Africa. His father was a tea, rubber and sisal farmer in Borneo and Sumatra before WW2.
In the 1911 census, Wilfred was living at Brookvale, Shaldon, Devon with mother, Agnese E.W. Theobold, 1874, born Ceylon and resident of Sumatra, and 3 sisters, Etteelle M Theobald, 1903, born Sumatra, Mary E Theobald, 1904, born Sumatra, and Elizabeth L Theobald, 1908. Also, nephew, Colin Campbell, 1904, born West Centralia, Braxton County, West Virginia, United States, and niece, Violet A T Fletcher, 1887, born Calcutta, India. They also had a children's nurse, a parlour maid, a cook, and a trained nurse.
RAF
On the 11th of June 1943, Short Stirling Mk.1 R9286 took off at 23.38 from RAF Oakington on an operation to Munster with onboard Wilfred Theobald as navigator.
Short S.29 Stirling © IWM CH 16996
On the return, the aircraft encountered technical problems 20 miles off the Norfolk coast. Search and rescue operations swung into action within half an hour but no trace of the aircraft or crew was ever found. Flight Lieutenant Theobald is commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial, Panel 121.
Short S.29 Stirling © IWM CH 11683
Flight Lieutenant Wilfred Murray Theobald, Royal Air Force, 7 Bomber Squadron. Short Stirling Mk.1 R9286 116418
With thanks to David Theobald and TRACESOFWAR
