Air Training Corps casualties WW2
Further to the death of F/Lt FL Jones 78 Sqn ATC, while working on my note there, some other points of possible ATC interest arose.
Firstly, searching the current CWGC casualty db on
Regiment "Air Training Corps"
finds only the Cadet casualties (fairly naturally, on further thought), not any of their RAFVR (T) Officers.
The Cadet results themselves give cause for quiet contemplation.
The CWGC record shows that 55 cadets died while serving in the ATC in WW2.
All non-combatant volunteer cadets in a non-operational youth training scheme.
Of the 55 cadets, age at death was given for 48. They ranged from 14 years to 19 years.
The youngest lad, Cadet Peter Bond of Chapel-en-le-Frith, was fourteen when he died with two of his 1180 Squadron ATC mates (Cadet DJ Fox and Cadet 1st Cl EL Hall) on 8 Sep 1943.
They lie in a collective grave at Chapel-en-le-Frith (St Thomas A'Becket Churchyard). There seems to be no other past or current trace of 1180 Squadron ATC.
Cadets in war-time did have the chance of flying in RAF aircraft for (non-operational) air experience and in this case, Malcolm Barrass' fine Air Of Authority www.rafweb.org site members area casualty listing* fills in some details. The three lads were killed
"whilst flying in Lancaster III, JB153 PM-D of No 103 Sqn, which dived into the ground near Wymeswold during an air test."
The six crew (4 RAFVR and 2 RAAF) also died in the crash and are recorded of course by the CWGC, in the RAF Web/Air of Authority rolls and elsewhere.
As for adult ATC officers of the RAFVR (Training Branch), like F/Lt FL Jones 61672, there seems to me no simple way to identify them collectively from the CWGC, as past and present CWGC db entry (on the evidence of Jones) looks likely to record them baldly as eg "78 Squadron", their ATC status only apparent from the Graves Registration images. No combination of Regiment/Service/Secondary Regt /Sqn no seems able to find any of the ATC RAFVR (Training Branch) officers. In the Air Of Authority roll entries, a page Find on "ATC" can make things clearer, eg there are 2 such, incl Jones, in late March 1942 alone - both of natural causes. There it might be possible, with some labour, to extract an ATC RAFVR (Training Branch) casualty roll. Malcolm's rolls are presented in short spans of dates, making for a good many pages: altogether a commendable compilation.
Here, in the collective http://www.rafcommands.com/database/wardead/ summary (thanks to Jagan) Jones eg appears once again as "78 Sqn", while the inclusion of links to all Forum posts shows the ATC connection.
No apparent way of searching either ATC Cadets (no hits on known names) or the ATC RAFVR(T) Officers in the db.
However, the posts links also did unearth, via the 103 Sqn incident, an earlier 2012 thread on Youngest BC losses which included this from John Larder on overall ATC losses:
"I have 63 ATC deaths 1942-1947. 61 on CWGC. 2 killed on Hampden AT113 of 408 Sq aged 16, 3 on Lancaster JB153 of 103 Sq. ages 14 & 17(2), both losses on an air test. Only one loss due to enemy acction when a lorry was shot up by a Me110"
http://www.rafcommands.com/forum/sho...casualty/page2
Anyway, a sombre thread in the great fabric of war-time life: a small recognition of the service of ATC Cadets and their RAFVR (T) Officers in war-time.
Whether it might be possible to draw together a complete Roll of ATC Cadet and Officer WW2 deaths cannot say, surely deserved.
*Footnote:
Air of Authority Sources note for 1940-1949 casualties
"The information in these pages has been gleaned from a variety of sources including the Commonwealth War Graves registers, Bomber Command Losses (Chorley), Fighter Command Losses (Franks), Coastal Command Losses (McNeil), 'They Shall Grow Not Old' (Allison), 'For Your Tomorrow' (Martyn), RAAF listings on the AWM (Storr), 'Price of Peace', 'Final Landings' and 'Though Without Anger' (Cummings), the series on the 2nd Tactical Air Force (Shores and Thomas) and the Air-Britain series on RAF aircraft serial numbers. In the course of my research from these sources, a number of errors were found and have been amended in these listings. I have also referred to Unsung Heroes of the RAF - The Far East POWs (Stubbs) and Footprints on the Sands of Time (Clutton-Brock) to identify many of those who died in captivity. I am also indebted to members of the RAF Commands Forum, especially the lat Henk Welting for their assistance. These listings do not show those injured or aircraft lost without casualties and are not a replacement for the excellent publications and sources mentioned above. I am also indebted to Peter Moran for providing details of casualties linked to Blackpool."
ATC casualties WW2
Reply With Quote
Bookmarks