Date of birth:

August 24th, 1916 (Ottawa/Ontario, Canada)

Date of death:

September 29th, 1941 (Blijham, The Netherlands)

Buried on:

Commonwealth War Graves Protestant Churchyard Blijham
Row: 18. Grave: 5.

Service number:

J/1941

Nationality:

Canadian

William was born on August 24 1916 in Ottawa, the son of Henry Albert Colfe and Estella Mary Colfe nee Mulhall of Ottawa. They were married on October 28 1914 in Ottawa. His brother was Henry Bernard Colfe and his sister was Margaret Beryl Colfe.

He was clerk in civil service and member of the Roman Catholic Church. His sports were softball, skating and bowling and his hobby was architecture.
He served from April 1 1930 with the Non-Permanent Active Militia of Canada. He enlisted on September 10 1940 then the RCAF in Ottawa and he went on July 21 1941 thereafter from Canada overseas to the UK.

William was killed in action on Monday September 29 1941 age 25 just a month after his 25th birthday due to a crash near Blijham after before or after an attack on Hamburg in Germany. The other fallen RAF Volunteer Reserve crew members were Sgt Arthur R. Hulls age 26 in grave 18-1, Sgt Thomas W. Bull age 19 in grave 18-1 and Sgt Thomas D. Griffiths age 19 in grave 18-3. The other fallen RAAF crew member was Sgt James H. Goodey age 23 in grave 18-2 The other RAF crew member P/O N.R. Shuttleworth survived the crash and he became then a prisoner of war.

On his headstone: GREATER LOVE HATH NO MAN THAN THIS, THAN TO LAY DOWN HIS LIFE FOR HIS FRIENDS

He served with the 115 (R.A.F.) Sqdn Royal Canadian Air Force.

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• - Edwin van der Wolf
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