Pilot Officer Anthony William Lawrence
In 2013, the remains of Pilot Officer Anthony William Lawrence were recovered from a remote forest near Port Renfrew, British Columbia. He and 3 other crewmen in the Avro Anson Mk 1 L7056 went missing on a routine navigation exercise on October 30, 1942, during the Second World War.
- Born 1 May 1921 in Croydon, England
- Died 30 October 1942 at the age of 21
- Died a member of the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
- Remains discovered 23 October 2013 in Port Renfrew, British Columbia
- Buried at Victoria (Royal Oak) Burial Park, Section D, Plot 30, Coll. Grave 12-13
Anthony William Lawrence was born on 1 May 1921 in Croydon, England. He was educated at Selhurst Grammar School for Boys in Croydon.
Upon leaving school Anthony worked as a bank clerk at The National Bank of New Zealand in Hindhead, Surrey. He engaged in cycling, rugby, and cricket, and exercised his musical talents by playing the saxophone.
Lawrence was immediately recommended for instruction as a pilot when he enlisted on 20 February 1941.
On 20 August 1942, he was appointed to a temporary commission in the Royal Air Force. His first posting as an officer was Patricia Bay Canada. The Avro Anson Mk 1 L7056 and its four-man crew, went missing during a routine navigation exercise on 30 October 1942. On the day of the crash, Pilot Officer Lawrence had been acting as a second navigator with Pilot Officer Charles Fox.
Anthony's former manager at the bank wrote to his father on hearing of his presumed death:
“Tony was the most popular person on our staff, always cheerful and brightened everyone's life.”
Pilot Officer Lawrence was buried in November 2014 at Royal Oak Burial Park in Victoria, British Columbia, alongside Sergeant William Baird, Pilot Officer Charles George Fox and Sergeant Robert Ernest Luckock.
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