440808 - Unaccounted Airmen - 8-8-1944

[Alex Smart]

Hello,

440808 - Unaccounted Airmen - 8-8-1944

From Henk's List -

EGYPT
KITE, Edwin Arthur - LAC - 1353821 - RAFVR - Tel El Kebir War Cemetery, Egypt.

ITALY
CLARKE, Ivan Trevor - Sgt(Nav) - 1868063 - RAFVR - Florence War Cemetery, Italy.
WEEKS, Cyril - LAC - 1617267 - RAFVR - Naples War Cemetery, Italy.

UK
FULTON, Robert - LAC - 1525871 - RAFVR - Manchester Crematorium, Lancashire.
GAYMER, Denis - Sgt(Pilot) - 1270403 - RAFVR - Hither Green Cemetery, London.
TIPTON, Geoffrey Edward - Sgt - 1162969 - RAFVR - Wolvercote Cemetery, Oxfordshire.
WHITEHOUSE, Noel Vincent Blundell - Sqdn/Ldr (Pilot) - 45610 - RAF - Evington (St. Denys) Churchyard, Leicestershire.


From CWGC & Geoff's sites -
ATC
BLACK, Leslie Scott - Cadet Flight Sergeant - 4069 - ATC - Manchester (Gorton), Lancashire

SRI LANKA
MILES, Edward John - AC1c - 1418544 - RAFVR - Colombo (Liveramentu) Cemetery, Sri Lanka.

UK
CHERRY, Charles Sydney - F/L (Pilot) - 62264 - RAFVR - Banbury Cemetery, Oxfordshire.

Alex

[COL BRUGGY]

Hello,

ITALY - CLARKE.

8-8-1944
No.51 R&SU
Boston III W8353 (Initially converted to Turbinlite, later Bomber).

Crashed 1715, shortly after take-off, 3m N of Cecina LG, Italy. Aircraft on delivery flight to 51 R&SU.

AUS409196 P/O (Pilot) Reginald Arthur CLARK RAAF - Seriously injured
1868063 Sgt (Nav.) Ivan Trevor CLARKE RAFVR - Died of injuries.

This information supersedes previous entry on this incident:

http://www.rafcommands.com/forum/sho...ston-III-W8353

Col.

[alclark]

Cherry & Black were onboard Avro Anson EG325 of No.3 School of General Reconnaissance which crashed on Beinn-y-Phott on the Isle of Man. Sgt R.E. Webber, RAF & F/Sgt E.F.H. Bent, RCAF, both survived.

[malcolm_raf]

Hi

EGYPT
KITE, Edwin Arthur - LAC - Balloon & Oxygen Centre ME.

ITALY
WEEKS, Cyril - LAC - 351 MU.

SRI LANKA
MILES, Edward John - AC1 - RAF Ratmalana.

UK

FULTON, Robert - LAC - registered in Leeds.
GAYMER, Denis - Sgt(Pilot) - RAF South Cerney, registered in Wenlock (RAF Hospital, Cosford?).
TIPTON, Geoffrey Edward - Sgt - registered in Trowbridge.
WHITEHOUSE, Noel Vincent Blundell - Sqdn/Ldr (Pilot) - possibly killed whilst flying in Oxford II, R6389 of No 17 SFTS, which dived into the ground near Pytchley in Northamptonshire after an engine nacelle fairing broke loose in flight.

Malcolm

[thorne83]

Gaymer was a pilot u/t at 3 (P)AFU, South Cerney and was injured in an aircraft crash. He died after being transferred to RAF Hospital, Cosford.
I'd be interested if anyone can ID the aircraft he was flying in? His instructor, who was also killed, was F/O W T Shannon, RCAF.

Cheers, Tom

[Litcham_Lad]

[QUOTE=I'd be interested if anyone can ID the aircraft he was flying in? His instructor, who was also killed, was F/O W T Shannon, RCAF.

Cheers, Tom[/QUOTE]

From ABS

3PAFU lost Oxford MP419 on 08-Aug-44

dg

[thorne83]

Cheers dg!

[wwrsimon]

Hello

UK
FULTON, Robert - LAC - 1525871 - the National Probate Calendar records that he died at the Ministry of Pensions Hospital, Leeds.

Regards

Simon

[Russell]

Hi

I just posted a message repeated below on the 9th August 1944 date, which is the date in Bomber Losses Vol 2, but then noticed it is listed on the 8th August 44 date thread and on checking the casualty telegram it says the loss of W8353 was on 8th August, so I assume the book is in error and this is the correct date. The question still stands, any new info on what happened?

I am highly interested in the loss of Sgt I.T Clarke and his pilot Plt Off R A. Clark in Boston W8353. As far as I can trace this is what happened
A routine event happened when a crew from 4 Aircraft Dispatch Unit took off in a 114 Sqn Boston to ferry it to No.51 R&SU to be repaired but it crashed. The initial casualty report on the pilot -who was Australian and thus the report is in the Australian National Archives - stated the reasons for the crash were unknown and that it was an accident. This classification was later changed to the cause of the crash being categorized as “Flying Battle”, which generally means the aircraft was on an operational sortie, which it was not, or it was caused by enemy action. David Gundby and Pelham Temple’s book “Bomber Losses in the Middle East and Mediterranean Vol 2” states the cause was an encounter with enemy aircraft. If so the only likely candidates were NAGr 11 on a Tactical Recce mission. The German Command SW Daily report only mention a freelance fighter sweep and two a/c shot down by Flak.

Has anything surfaced in the last six years on what happened???? Hopefully we can then have the most current info in Mediterranean Air War Vol 5, which is nearing completion, but interesting questions like this keep popping up.

Regards

Russell

[COL BRUGGY]

Russ,

The following from "The Times" seems to confirm the "Flying Battle" appellation:

THE ROLL OF HONOUR

ROYAL AIR FORCE.

DIED OF WOUNDS OR INJURIES RECEIVED IN ACTION.

Clarke, Sgt. I. T.: Cusack, Plt. Off. C.: Davies, Flg. Off. C. W.

ROYAL AUSTRALIAN AIR FORCE.

WOUNDED OR INJURED IN ACTION.

Clark, Plt. Off. R. A.: Duggin, Plt. Off. G. J.

See:
The Times. Thursday, December 14, 1944, p.7. (Issue 50016)

Would still like to hear from David Gunby his justification for the claim that Clark's aircraft, "encountered enemy aircraft". (BLME2/150).

Col.