William Lewis “Billy” Sherman was born in Illinois on April 19, 1921. His parents were Lewis William Sherman (18 Oct 1895 – Dec 1981) and Lorraine E. (Housman) Sherman (26 Jan 1903 – 8 Dec 1998). His hometown was Yates City, Knox County, Illinois. His family moved to Abingdon, Illinois in the early 1940s. He completed four years of high school, and worked as a farm hand. He was married when he enlisted in the U.S. Army at Peoria, Illinois on September 9, 1942.

He completed Army Air Forces aerial gunnery training, and was assigned as a gunner on the heavy bomber crew of Lt David L. Ozbolt in the 839th Bomb Squadron of the 487th Bomb Group. The Ozbolt crew completed B-24 combat crew training with the 487th Bomb Group at Alamogordo Army Air Base, New Mexico, and deployed with the Group to England in March 1944. The Ozbolt crew flew B-24H 42-52588 overseas via the southern Atlantic ferry route—a journey of about 10,000 miles—and arrived in England by mid-April 1944. The 487th Bomb Group was based at Army Air Forceshat was taken at Lavenham.

On July 20, 1944, the Ozbolt crew flew B-24H 42-51197 on a practice bombing mission at the Ducks Hall bombing range near Lavenham. S/Sgt Sherman and four of his crew mates were killed when their aircraft collided with another 487th Bomb Group aircraft, B-17 43-37840, that was also on a training flight. The B-24 spun in and crashed near Cavendish, England.

The pilot of the B-17, Lt Stults, his left wing on fire, attempted to reach Lavenham Airfield but crashed in a wheat field near the base Officers Club. Five men aboard the B-17 perished.

S/Sgt Sherman was buried initially at Cambridge American Cemetery in plot J-6-23. His remains were returned to the United States and reinterred at Abingdon Cemetery in Abingdon, Knox County, Illinois in 1949.

B-24H 42-51197 crew:
• Ozbolt, David L – 1/Lt – Pilot – KIA
• Carter, Delmar J – 2/Lt – Copilot – Safe
• King, Donald C – 1/Lt – Navigator – KIA
• Lassandro, James L – 1/Lt – Bombardier – Safe
• Everett, Lloyd E – S/Sgt – Engineer – Safe (killed in action on August 25, 1944)
• Savoy, John B – T/Sgt – Radio Operator – Safe
• Baker, Robert S – S/Sgt – Gunner – KIA
• Sherman, William L – S/Sgt – Gunner – KIA
• Milliken, William – Sgt – Passenger – KIA

Source of information: Paul M. Webber, www.findagrave.com