Trafford

Born at Inverness in 1900, the eldest son of Lewis B. & Catherine J.
Williams (nee MacDonald).

1900 Census - 4 King Street, Inverness.   Son - aged:  - born: Inverness.  
Head of household - Lewis C. Williams - Married - aged: 31 - occ: Not Shown
-  born: Kilconquhar, Scotland.  Also - Catherine I. Williams - Wife -
aged: 22 - born: Urquhart, Scotland..

1911 Census - 2 Grove Terrace, Inverness, Scotland.   Son - aged: 11 -
Scholar - born: Inverness.   Head of household - Lewis B Williams - Married
- aged: 41 - occ: Commercial Clerk with General Agricultural Merchants -
born: Kilconquhar, Fifeshire.   Also Catherine J. Williams - Wife - aged:
32 - born: Glen Urquhart, Invernesshire.   Plus 5 younger siblings, all
born at Inverness.

Roderick was a Lieutenant in the Royal Flying Corps (pre-1918) during WW1
and saw service in France.   Record in TNA WO 339/11/117016.

Married Isobel Ann Hood Menzies at Inverness in 1926 and they resided at
"Catherine Cottage" (named after his mother ???), 9 Ardross Place,
Inverness.

He was well known at Inverness and for 17 years (1925-1942 ?) was employed
by A.W. Chapman Ltd, Motor Engineers, 49 Eastgate and Church Street,
Inverness.   Having the experience, he took a special interest in flying
and was an Instructor with the Inverness Gliding Club.  He was also a
member of the Civil Air Guard.   A keen angler, he was a member of the
Inverness Angling Club.

He enlisted into the Air Transport Auxiliary in October 1942.    Listed as
First Officer with CWGC.

Roderick had been flying up to Scotland to see his wife and new baby when
his engine failed and he tried to glide down onto Pickford's Field opposite
Geoffrey Fox's house 71 Park Road, Timperley.   Geoffrey stated in an
article in the Messenger newspaper dated 15th May 2008 that he was a seven
year old living with his parents on Park Road when they heard an
aeroplane's engine cut out.   They had just finished their Sunday lunch,
when this Baracuda's wing tip hit their house and it spun round into the
front of the house demolishing the front wall.  Fortunately both families
at 69 & 71 Park Road were in their back rooms.

AM118 - Flying a Barracuda MkII a/c with a Merlin 32 engine from 14 FPP
(Ferry Pilots Pool - Manchester Ringway).  The report states that Roderick
was circling a friend's house at low level (50 feet), in contradiction of
Standing Order C42.  The a/c stalled whilst he was making a tight left hand
climbing turn and crashed into a house.

Death registered during the March quarter 1945 in the Bucklow R.D. - ref:
8a/342 - aged: 46.

His widowed mother was still alive when he was killed.   Probate was
granted at Llandudno, Wales on the 29th March 1946 to his widow - Isobel
Ann Hood Menzies or Williams.

There were two war-time air crashes at Timperley - this one in 1945, the
other in 1942.  See my booklet "Timperley's War-time Air Crashes".

See also the Sale & Altrincham Messenger 12th November 2009.