William Brill (RAAF officer)
William Lloyd Brill was a senior officer and bomber pilot in the Royal Australian Air Force. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross in May 1942 for attacking a target after his plane was badly damaged by anti-aircraft fire. Brill served two terms as RAAF Director of Personnel Services, in 1956–59 and 1960–63. He died of a heart attack in October 1964, at the age of 80.
About William Brill (RAAF officer) in brief
William Lloyd Brill was a senior officer and bomber pilot in the Royal Australian Air Force. Born in the Riverina district of New South Wales, he was a farmer and a member of the Militia before joining the RAAF in 1940. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross in May 1942 for attacking a target after his plane was badly damaged by anti-aircraft fire. Brill served two terms as RAAF Director of Personnel Services, in 1956–59 and 1960–63, by which time he had been promoted to group captain. His final posting was at the Department of Air in Canberra. He died of a heart attack in October 1964. He is survived by his wife, two children and a stepson. The couple had a son and a daughter, both of whom were born in the 1950s and 1960s. The family lived in Ganmain, a suburb of Ganmain in NSW, and Bill was a keen Australian rules footballer, playing for Ganmain, Grong Grong, and Matong. He also worked as a wheat farmer and farmer’s son in Yanco Agricultural High, near Ganmain. He served in the Militia and was promoted to corporal in May 1939. In July 1941 he was commissioned as a pilot officer, and sailed to Britain to take part in the air war over Europe. He first saw combat with No.460 Squadron RAAF, flying Vickers Wellington medium bombers. In January 1942, the unit moved from Molesworth to RAF Breighton, Yorkshire.
On 5 April 1942, he undertook his first sortie against a deep-defended city in enemy territory, Cologne, France. He later recorded his first kindie before the raid: How can I ever be in a funk? Will I let the boys down? Who am I to hold the lives of five other men in my hands? On the night of 2930 May 1942, Brill was one of 27 aircraft detailed to bomb the suburb of Gennevilliers, Paris. The rest of the crews were required to have good visibility of the target area before bombing, to ensure accuracy and reduce civilian casualties. After the war, he remained in the Air Force after the war and led No. 10 Squadron in 1949–50. He went on to command air bases at Rathmines, Canberra and Townsville during the 50s and 60s. He passed away in Canberra, Australia, in October 1965, at the age of 80. He leaves behind a wife and two children. He had a daughter and a son. He has a son, David, who was born in Sydney in the 1970s. His grandson, David Brill, is a professional rugby player and a former Australian Rules footballer who played for Ganmain and Grong-Grong. His great-grandson, David Brill, is also a rugby player who played in the Australian Football League and the Australian Institute of Sport. He won the Australian Open gold medal in the 1990s for his contribution to Australian rules football.
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