Sergeant William James Marks (1676946) served in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve during the Second World War. Born on 27th July 1923, he was the son of William Marks and Isabel Marks (née Davidson) of Dungannon, Co. Tyrone.
He died on 1st July 1944 aged 20 years old while serving as a Flight Engineer on Avro Lancaster LL958 with RAF 100 Squadron. The crew took off from RAF Grimsby, Lincolnshire at 2224hrs on 30th June 1944. The mission was to bomb railway yards near Vierzon, France. The bomber came down north-east of the Boulogne Forest near the village of La Ferte-St. Cyr, Loir-et-Cher, France.
Remembering the crew of Lancaster LL958
| Last Name | First Name(s) | Rank | Role | Information |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cory | John Keith | Flight Sergeant | RAAF 413761. Killed in Action. | |
| Estell | John Edward | Pilot Officer | RAAF 423087. Killed in Action. | |
| Hollands | James Albert | Flight Sergeant | RAAF 429620. Killed in Action. | |
| Marks | William James | Sergeant | Flight Engineer | RAFVR 1676946. Killed in Action. |
| Miles | Norman Walter | Flight Sergeant | RAAF 423833. Killed in Action. | |
| Ozeroff | William Wayne | Flight Sergeant | Navigator | RCAF R/181436. Killed in Action. |
| Routley | Anthony John | Flight Sergeant | RAAF 419140. Killed in Action. |
William James Marks’ grave is in Plot 3, Grave 5 of La Ferte-St. Cyr Communal Cemetery, Loir-et-Cher, France. His name is on the Dungannon War Memorial, Dungannon, Co. Tyrone, and on a stained glass window at St. Anne’s Church of Ireland, Dungannon, Co. Tyrone. His headstone in France bears the inscription:
Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.