Lance Corporal William Fettes

William Fettes was the son of Robert Smith and Jannat Lamb (Morison) Fettes, of Huntly, Aberdeenshire. He was the youngest of nine children and it is known that two of his brothers also served. Joseph Wiseman Fettes in the Royal Armoured Corps, was a PoW in Germany. Richard White Fettes was a regular in the Gordon Highlanders and was a far east PoW. Both survived. William initially worked for a distillery and enlisted in the Royal Corps of Signals prior to the outbreak of war and volunteered for Airborne Forces.

Lance Corporal Fettes successfully completed parachute training at RAF Ringway and was posted to 6th Airborne Divisional Signals, Royal Corps of Signals and took part in Operation Varsity (Rhine Crossing).

L/Cpl Fettes was killed in action on 24 March 1945, aged 23, and was given a field burial at Hamminkeln, Germany and was re-interred to Reichswald Forest War Cemetery on 26 March 1947. William is also commemorated on the Huntly Parish War Memorial.

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