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.