440320 - Unaccounted Airwoman & Airmen - 20-3-1944

[Alex Smart]

Hello,

440320 - Unaccounted Airwoman & Airmen - 20-3-1944

From Henk's list -

WAAF
QUINN, Mary - ACW1 - 2119515 - WAAF - Glasgow (St. Kentigern's ) R C, Glasgow.

UK
MAGGS, Ellerton Richard - LAC - 1157393 - RAFVR - Shepton Mallet, Somerset.
O'BRIEN, Jeremiah - Sgt(WoP/A/G) - 1801508 -- RAF - Alperton, Middlesex.
WARING, William Albert - AC1c - 1510355 - RAFVR b- Chester (Blacon), Cheshire.


From CWGC & Geoff's sites -

Princess Mary's RAF Nursing service
SPENSLEY, Elizabeth - Matron - 5014 - R R C - Nottingham, Nottinghamshire.

INDIA
STANTON, James Charles - W/O - 508824 - RAF - Kirkee, India.

SINGAPORE
LARMAN, Francis - Sqdn/Ldr - 75484 - RAFVR - Singapore Memorial, Singapore.

SRI LANKA
MERCER, Stanley - LAC - 1090159 - RAFVR - Colombo (Liveramentu), Sri Lanka.

UK
BRETTELL, Kenneth John - Sgt (Pilot) - 552030 - RAF - Barry (Merthyr Dyfan), Glamorganshire.
BROCKHOUSE, Norman - F/O - 147678 - RAFVR - Runnymede Memorial, Surrey. [ Beaufighter IIf - R2452 - 54 OTU ].
RONALDSON, James - Cpl - 1574240 - RAFVR - Burntisland, Fifeshire.
SNELLING, Kenneth Montague - Sgt(Pilot) - 1388379 - RAFVR - Islington, Middlesex. [ Anson I - EG686 - SPTU ].

Alex

[malcolm_raf]

Hi

INDIA
STANTON, James Charles - W/O - serving with 305 MU.

SINGAPORE
LARMAN, Francis - Sqn Ldr - serving with Special Forces HQ.

SRI LANKA
MERCER, Stanley - LAC - listed in GRO as serving at Bombay.

UK
QUINN, Mary - ACW1 - not Eng/Wales?.
MAGGS, Ellerton Richard - LAC - serving at Filton, registered in Wenlock (RAF Hospital, Cosford).
O'BRIEN, Jeremiah - Sgt(WoP/A/G) - registered in Oxford.
WARING, William Albert - AC1 - not Eng/Wales?.
SPENSLEY, Elizabeth - Matron - registered in Swindon (possibly serving at RAF Hospital Wroughton.
BRETTELL, Kenneth John - Sgt (Pilot) - probably Anson I - EG686 - SPTU.
RONALDSON, James - Cpl - not Eng/Wales?
SNELLING, Kenneth Montague - Sgt(Pilot) - probably Anson I - EG686 - SPTU. - Also Sgt W A Younger

Malcolm

[alclark]

This was in the No.2 TEU ORB:
March 20th 1944, “No2119515 ACW Quinn (Cook) died at Larbert Hospital. The funeral which was held in Glasgow on the 23rd March, was attended by WAAF personnel from this Unit.”

Snelling was onboard EG686 along with Sgt Younger and Sgt Butler.

[wwrsimon]

Hello

INDIA
STANTON, James Charles - W/O - 508824 - the Middlesex Chronicle of April 1st 1944 reported the following:

W.O. J. C. STANTON, R.A.F., KILLED ON ACTIVE SERVICE

Mrs. W. Stanton, of 26, Midsummer Avenue, Hounslow, last week received the sad news that her third son, Warrant Officer James Charles Stanton, R.A.F., has died in a Bombay Hospital. Aged 35, he leaves a wide and two young children in Newcastle.

Educated at Hounslow Roman Catholic School, James Stanton was for many years an Altar boy at the Roman Catholic Church of SS Michael and Martin. He left Messrs. Napiers, of Acton, to join the Royal Air Force in 1928, and saw service in Egypt and Africa prior to going to France with the Expeditionary Force, and was one of the last to leave Dunkirk in the evacuation. He went to India two years ago. His father, Mr. William Stanton, who died in March, 1942, was a veteran of the South Africa War; his eldest brother, Mr. William Stanton, is a member of the Hounslow Branch of the Old Contemptibles’ Association, and another brother, Mr. Reginald Stanton, serving in the Royal Air Force.


Regards

Simon

[KRBathgate]

The book "The Charterhall Story" (Thompson, 1989) refers to the 54 OTU crash on 20 March 1944 as follows (page 51):

"Beaufighter R2452 was out on night exercise from Charterhall on the twentieth when it suddenly crashed into the sea off St. Abb's Head. No reason for the crash was ascertained, and after an extensive search, the pilot, Pilot Officer Mulholland, was posted missing, presumed drowned."

The book does not mention a second crew member, although in some other cases the book also omits information about aircrew other than the pilot so it does not necessarily conflict with the information here about F/O BROCKHOUSE (147678) having been lost on R2452. On the other hand the database here records P/O MULHOLLAND (416525) as having been lost on Anson R3452 (also of 54 OTU) on the same day, both men being commemorated at Runnymede. There is evidently confusion somewhere, and the similar aircraft serial numbers is presumably the root of it. Was P/O Mulholland really on the Anson, or were both men on the Beaufighter? If there was a fatality aboard the Anson on that date I would question whether the unit it belonged to was 54 OTU, because its loss from the same unit as R2452 on the same day would seem doubly coincidental and R3452 is not listed amongst the handful of Ansons with 54 OTU.

[Jagan]

R3452 is a typo. Air Britain confirms that R3452 went to SAAF.

It should have been linked to Henk's entry with R2452.. Will correct that today

[COL BRUGGY]

Hello,

Mon 20 Mar 1944.

ALLIED EXPEDITIONARY AIR FORCE

Ground Controlled Interception (GCI) practice.
54 Operational Training Unit, RAF (Charterhall, Berwickshire - 9 Group)
Beaufighter IIF R2452 - took off at 0210 and disappeared over the sea off St Abb's Head (at map ref QP 5608) at 0400. The two crew died, the pilot being commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial,
Pilot: NZ416525 Plt Off William Maxwell MULLHOLLAND, RNZAF - Age 22. 844hrs (23 on Beaufighter)

See:
For Your Tomorrow - A Record of New Zealanders who have died while serving with the RNZAF and Allied Air Services since 1915 - Volume Two: Fates 1943-1998
Martyn,Errol W.
Christchurch:Volplane Press,1999.
p.202 (see also: FYT3/360 - Biographies & Appendices).

Col.

[KRBathgate]

Many thanks Jagan and Col Bruggy for those answers.

I've not worked out how to use the 'thanks' feature yet.