400901 - Unaccounted airmen - 1-9-1940

**Henk Welting** · 12th March 2008, 13:18

What caused the death of following airmen ? Some of them may have been killed in air raids as the Luftwaffe this day attacked among other places the aerodromes Biggin Hill, Kenley, Gravesend, Hornchurch and North Weald.

A - Not listed Flight archives:
Sgt (Pilot) Malcolm McLEAN - 742427, buried Glasgow (Eastwood) Cem. (UK7492).

B - Killed on active service:
LAC Sidney ANDREWARTHA - 571091
P/O John O. BATE - 76067, buried New Southgate Cem. (UK3344)
Cadet (Pilot u/t) George W. RYALL - 901751 (probably 2 FTS and involved in an aircraft accident - Akerman Street RLG ??)

C - Died of wounds or injuries received on active service:
AC1 William H. DICKINSON - 1354453
LAC John FLANAGAN - 630917 - 51 Sqn (Dishforth, Yorkshire)
AC1 James WORTHINGTON - 803601 - 603 Sqn (Hornchurch, Essex).

Proposed aircraft losses for this day:

Harvard I - N7194 - 15 FTS - dived into ground Clanfield, Oxfordshire
Oxford I - N4561 - 2 FTS - accident at Akeman Street RLG, Crowley, Oxfordshire
Oxford I - N6286 - 2 FTS - possibly involved in an unrecorded fatal accident at Akerman Street RLG.

Checking the name of P/O BATE in Flight archives I read on same page where his name was mentioned (Page 438 - 21-11-1940) a story on Sgt (Flying Instructor) SLY awarded the AFM:

"Was carrying out formation flying practice in a twin engined training aircraft with a pupil in another aircraft of the same type. On reaching 900 ft his passenger noticed that the pupil's aircraft was approaching from practically dead astern and was just about to cause a collision. Sgt Sly immediately banked his aircraft to the left, but was unable to prevent the other aircraft coming into collision with his starboard wing and severing it from just byond the engine. By using full left aileron and full starboard engine (his right aileron having dropped off complete with the torn-off wing) Sgt Sly succeeded in regaining control of his aircraft. He flew straight ahead for two miles to find a field to land in. Meanwhile the starboard wing continued to break up. But at last the Sergeant got his damaged aircraft down and landed with the undercarriage retracted".
(Said Flight magazine has a picture of the crashed Oxford).

Regards and thanks for your help.
Henk.

**Dick** · 12th March 2008, 14:52

Hi Henk
McLean,24 and Ryall,24 are both registered at Witney which is the Office for both Akeman St and Clanfield. Akeman St is near a village named Crawley, NW of WITNEY so you may have a misprint.Worthington,21 registered at Romford(?Hornchurch). Bate,22 is registered at Eton near Windsor and the present Heathrow.Andrewartha,20 is Registered at Elham which covers S Kent and would include Hawkinge and Lympne. Flanagan,20. is registered at Knaresborough in W Yorkshire which might be appropriate for Dishforth
Regards
Dick

**Henk Welting** · 12th March 2008, 16:07

Thanks Dick. Do hope DaveW has more on the Oxford crashes and perhaps the Harvard as well.
Regards,
Henk.

Doug Cuthbertson · 12th March 2008, 16:43

Henk,
The pilot of Harvard N7194 was Sgt Edmund Alexander TEVIOTDALE, 748400, RAFVR. He was the sole occupant and is buried in Morningside Cemetery, Edinburgh. Crashed while low flying.
Doug.

**Henk Welting** · 12th March 2008, 16:59

Thanks Doug. Harvard crashed near Clanfield. Had Teviotdale on file however with wrong a/c serial ! Possibly a typo and corrected.

Regards,
Henk.

**John Larder** · 12th March 2008, 21:50

"During the lunchtime raid three 603 ground crewmen were killed, (LAC Baldie, LAC J.E. Dickson and AC1 j. Worthington) when a bomb fell right in front of their lorry asit dashed round the perimeter track, blowing it on to its side" - The Greatest Squadron of them all- Ross, Blanche, Simpson.

**davew** · 13th March 2008, 09:28

Henk

Not able to help at all, I had the 2 FTS Oxfords as 'unknown location' but I suspect a collision in the Witney area.

The registration district of Elham includes Hawkinge and Lympne.

regards

DaveW

**Henk Welting** · 13th March 2008, 10:53

Thanks Dave and John for additional info.
Regards,
Henk.

Doug Cuthbertson · 13th March 2008, 14:04

Originally Posted by davew

Henk

Not able to help at all, I had the 2 FTS Oxfords as 'unknown location' but I suspect a collision in the Witney area.

DaveW

Dave,
There are no incidents recorded in 2 SFTS ORB on this date. These Oxfords may have been damaged in an air raid on 16th August and SOC on 1/9/40. That raid destroyed 46 Oxfords.
McLean and Ryall could have been killed off base in a road accident, but the ORB does record similar events, so perhaps it was missed out. Who knows?
Regards,
Doug.