Losses at RAF Wittering 1941

[Tony H]

Following on from my previous postings regarding losses at RAF Wittering during 1939 & 1940, I am now seeking any help/info regarding the circumstances behind the names listed below who died during 1941. As before, some (all?) of the aircrew casualties appear to fall outside the remit of Fighter Command Losses V1 (i.e. non operational losses)

2/3/41 F/L S.H. Bazley 266 Sqn P
4/3/41 F/O P.L. Gordon-Deane 151 Sqn P
4/3/41 Sgt G.E. Worledge 151 Sqn AG
5/3/41 F/O J.A. Strong 25 Sqn AG ?
5/3/41 P/O T.F. Dorward 25 Sqn P

3/4/41 Sgt H.I. Maxwell 25 Sqn P
3/4/41 F/Sgt D.F. Roberts 25 Sqn WOP
20/4/41 F/O B. Hoare 263 Sqn P
29/4/41 Sgt W. Wherwell 266 Sqn P

20/5/41 Sgt C. Jones AG ?

6/6/41 LAC R.F. White-Saunders
14/6/41 Sgt H.F.H. Gigney 25 Sqn P

8/7/41 F/Sgt R.G. Crossman 25 Sqn AG

7/8/41 F/O T.H. Worth 25 Sqn
7/8/41 Sgt F.P. Nekludow 25 Sqn
21/8/41 P/O D.W. Thompson 25 Sqn P
21/8/41 Sgt E.G. Sharp P
27/8/41 F/Sgt E. Bloor 1(F) P
31/8/41 Sgt V.L. Carine 266 Sqn P

6/10/41 Cpl E.H.C. Russell 151 Sqn
10/10/41 LAC R.B. Roffe AG (U/T)
12/10/41 F/0 R.G. Setchell 25 Sqn P
12/10/41 Sgt P.H.C. Windett 25 Sqn
12/10/41 AC2 H.K.B. Stewart 25 Sqn
29/10/41 Sgt R.G.G. Gain 266 Sqn P

12/11/41 Sgt H.A. Godsmark 151 Sqn P
15/11/41 Sgt W. Bainbridge 151 Sqn
15/11/41 Sgt V.G. Jee 151 Sqn
17/11/41 Sgt Sgt J.J. Lammin 151 Sqn

9/12/41 P/O R.E. Holder 25 Sqn P
9/12/41 F/O G.G. Waddington 25 Sqn AG
17/12/41 Sgt W.A. Fradley RAD/OBS

Further requests for assistance regarding individuals lost in the period 1942-1947 will follow in due course. In the meantime I remain extremely grateful for the assistance/support already given

Kind Regards

Tony

[alclark]

Several have come on here before, below is the list I have come up with:

20-5-1941, Jones, http://www.rafcommands.com/forum/sho...rmen-20-5-1941

6-6-1941, White-Saunders, http://www.rafcommands.com/forum/sho...irmen-6-6-1941

21-8-1941, Sharp, http://www.rafcommands.com/forum/sho...rmen-21-8-1941

6-10-1941, Russell, http://www.rafcommands.com/forum/sho...rmen-6-10-1941

10-10-1941, Roffe, http://www.rafcommands.com/forum/sho...men-10-10-1941

17-11-1941, Lammin, http://www.rafcommands.com/forum/sho...men-17-11-1941

9-12-1941, Holder & Waddington, http://www.rafcommands.com/forum/sho...CAF-RAF-25-Sqn

It will help you narrow down future lists to search the forum, go to google and search for site:rafcommands.com followed by the date using d-m-yyyy and if you need to the surname.

[Errol Martyn]

Tony,

From Volume One of my For Your Tomorrow trilogy:

Wed 5 Mar 1941
Fighter Command
Flight from Wittering to Digby, Lincolnshire
25 Squadron, RAF (Wittering, Northamptonshire - 12 Group)
Blenheim IF L6602 - collided with a tree during a low level daylight flight in intermittent fog conditions and crashed into the ground near Cottesmore, Rutland. Both occupants died, the passenger being buried at Stamford, Lincolnshire.
(Signals Officer): 84162 Fg Off John Austin STRONG, RAFVR - Age 31.

An amendment in Volume Three notes that the pilot was Dorward.

Errol

[PeterColwill]

Hi Tony,

20.4.41 believe the name should be FO Bernard Howe.

If so he was doing low level aerobatics to impress his old 25 Squadron friends, during which the Whirlwind P6992 HE-C broke up.


15.11.41 Bainbridge and Jee are presumed to have been lost in the North Sea on a night patrol in Defiant AA423 DZ-F

12.11.41 Gosmark......Stalled at 50 feet on approach to Wittering in Defiant AA428. Sgt Cross injured.

4.3.41 Worledge was with FO P L Gordon-Dean in Defiant N1794 on weather test from Wittering when wing covering was lost. Both killed.

regards
Peter

[Tony H]

Peter

Thanks for the info - re the loss of Bainbridge & Jee on 15/11/41, are you able to confirm who was who (i.e. P / AG)? The CWGC site does not offer any clues to their trade / role

Kind Regards

Tony

[Tony H]

Errol

Many thanks all info gladly received

Tony

[alieneyes]

Goodrum's "No Place for Chivalry" has Jee as pilot and Bainbridge as A/G.

Regards,

Dave

[Tony H]

Again with thanks to numerous individuals, the list for 1941 is now much reduced . . .

29/4/41 Sgt W. Wherwell 266 Sqn P

20/5/41 Sgt C. Jones AG ? - Although buried in Wittering churchyard believed to be lost whilst serving elsewhere

6/6/41 LAC R.F. White-Saunders
14/6/41 Sgt H.F.H. Gigney 25 Sqn P

7/8/41 F/O T.H. Worth 25 Sqn
7/8/41 Sgt F.P. Nekludow 25 Sqn
21/8/41 Sgt E.G. Sharp P Although buried in Wittering churchyard, believed to have been serving at Sibson when killed
27/8/41 F/Sgt E. Bloor 1(F) P Although buried in Stamford Cemetery and having direct family in the town, believed to be non Wittering based unit - tho' 1(F) Sqn were based at Wittering earlier
31/8/41 Sgt V.L. Carine 266 Sqn P

6/10/41 Cpl E.H.C. Russell 151 Sqn - Possibly a Coltishall loss
10/10/41 LAC R.B. Roffe AG (U/T) - Although buried in Wittering Churchyard and having relatives in Wittering village - believed to be attached to non Wittering unit
12/10/41 F/0 R.G. Setchell 25 Sqn P
12/10/41 Sgt P.H.C. Windett 25 Sqn

17/11/41 Sgt Sgt J.J. Lammin 151 Sqn - Possibly a Coltishall loss

Tony

[COL BRUGGY]

Hello,

29/4/41 Sgt W Wherwell 266 Sqn P:

Actually, 754010 Sgt (Pilot) Harold WHEWELL RAFVR.

John Foreman, in Air War 1941:The Turning Point Part Two, pp.76 & 78, has this to say on Sgt Whewell:

15th April 1941.

The RAF report tallies precisely with Galland's account, with the sole exception that four Bf109s were reported, not two as was the case. Sergeant Whewell of 266 Squadron was Galland's second victim, crash-landing wounded at Hawkinge in a badly damaged aircraft. He was to die within weeks in a tragic boating accident while recuperating.(p.76).

Casualties 15th April 1941 - Royal Air Force.

266 Squadron - Spitfire P8014

Damaged by Bf109 Sgt Whewell wounded (p.78).

Previously mentioned here:

http://www.rafcommands.com/forum/sho...rmen-29-4-1941

Sgt Whewell's older brother, Sgt (Pilot) Alan WHEWELL, lost on 30 Nov/1 Dec 1941, when No.58 Sqn Whitley V Z6506 raided Hamburg - see: BCL2/166. He had previously survived a ditching in the North Sea on 17/18 April 1941 - BCL2/43.

Col.

[John Larder]

Setchell/Windett killed when Beaufighter X7620 crashed on approach

Worth/Nekludow missing from night patrol in Beaufighter R2157. Probably shot down by another Beaufighter (Hawks Rising - Francis K Mason)