400501 - Unaccounted Airmen - 01-05-1940

**Alex Smart** · 25th December 2020, 16:43

Hello,

400501 - Unaccounted Airmen - 01-05-1940

From Henk's List -

UK
POUNDER, William - Lac - 987670 - RAFVR.
Middlesbrough ( Linthorpe ) Cemetery, Yorkshire …
DOAS, Cause ?

From CWGC -

UK
AITCHISON, Hugh Graham - S/Lt(A) - HMS Sparrowhawk - RNVR.
Wolvercote Cemetery, Oxfordshire.
[ D H Hornet Moth - P6787 - Hatson comma Flt ].

Alex

**wwrsimon** · 25th December 2020, 16:58

Hello Alex

Firstly, Merry Christmas!

Secondly:

UK
POUNDER, William - Lac - 987670 - the [Middlesbrough] North Eastern Gazette of May 3rd 1940 reported the following:

DIED WEEK AFTER JOINING R.A.F.
Just a week after joining the Royal Air Force, the death has occurred of Aircraftman William Pounder, of 8, Heywood Street, Middlesbrough. The official intimation to his wife states that he died from heart failure.
Aircraftman Pounder, who was 32 years of age, was well known locally, having been at one time engaged in the insurance business. Latterly he had been employed by the Stockton Co-operative Society.
Some five years ago he married Miss Mabel Littlefair, of Avon Street, Middlesbrough, who is left with two children.
She had just received her first letter from him saying that he as getting on well when, within the hour, she received a telegram from his commanding officer giving the news of his death.

Regards

Simon

**cozzy711** · 25th December 2020, 17:03

Middlesborough Daily Gazette reports William Pounder died of Heart Failure a week after joining up.

Chris

**Richard Cawsey** · 26th December 2020, 13:54

There appear to be several more casualties on this date, including:

Hampden L4119, 61 Sqn, Hemswell:
Fg Off Charles William Glover (Canadian)
Plt Off Jack Ernest Anthony Friend
Sgt Charles Frost (20) killed
AC1 John Bell Greenall (22) killed

Wellington P9276, 99 Sqn, Newmarket:
Fg Off Herbert Gage Muller
Flt Sgt John William Lewis Goldie Brent
Plt Off Gerard Arthur Hugh Poole
Sgt Peter Chris Cunningham
AC1 Donald Lilley
AC1 Michael John O'Sullivan

Wellington IC R3154, 115 Sqn, Marham:
Fg Off Edward Joseph Taylor Clarke
Plt Off John Marshman

Whitley V N1500, 102 Sqn, Driffield:
Fg Off Kenneth Neil Gray DFC (New Zealander)
Sgt Frederick John Bass
Sgt John Hamilton Hopper
AC1 Harold Buttery
AC1 Alfred William Henry Hart

Henley L3303, 8 BGS, Evanton:
Sqn Ldr Wilfred John Francis Bull
Plt Off David Wood

Unidentified:
Fenrik Johan Daniel Stub Ravn (Norwegian)

Also on 30 Apr / I May:
Crews of Wellington P9213, Whitley N1465 (total 11 men).

**Alex Smart** · 27th December 2020, 00:10

Hello Richard, I don't know what happened to the others that I had listed, should be IIRC some 36 names.
Thank you for bringing them to the thread.
Here are those additional names -

BASS - 580902 - East Finchley Cemetery & St. Marlybone Crematorium, Middlesex.
BUTTERY - 650521 - Dyce Old Churchyard, Aberdeenshire.
GRAY - ( New Zealand ) - 40342 - Dyce Old Churchyard, Aberdeenshire.
HART - 632176 - Cockett ( St. Peter) Churchyard, Glamorganshire.
HOPPER - 518878 - Doncaster ( Rose Hill) Cemetery, Yorkshire.
Crew of Whitley V - N1500 - 102 Sq.

CLARKE - 39375 - Stamford Cemetery, Lincolnshire.
MARSHMAN - 77039 - Marham ( Holy Trinity ) Churchyard, Norfolk.
Crew of Wellington Ic - R3154 - 115 Sqn

BELL - 565626
HAYTER - 41289
KELLY - 522560
WELSH - 617385
Crew of Hudson I - N7278 - 269 Sqn
All Commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial, Surrey.

BOWEN, James Thomas - Sgt - 515101
BRADFORD, Ridley Lewkenor - Sqn/Ldr - 33019
BURNETT, Eric William - Lac- 613517
KNOWLES, Basil Elles Sharp - Sgt - 580790
TYLER, Philip Andrew - Lac - 541348
MORRISON, James Douglas - P/O - 41096
Crew of Wellington Is - P9213 - 37 Sqn.
All Commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial, Surrey.

DITMAS, Patrick Harold Devereux - Cpl - 550777
HEAYES, Cecil Robert - F/Sgt - 562741
PEEL, Harvey Alderson - Sgt - 527531
ROBERTSON, David - AC1c - 633753
TOMLINSON, Leonard Frank - Sgt - 580338
Crew of Whitley V - N1465 - 58 Sqn
All Commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial, Surrey.

FRIEND - 40818 - Stradishall ( St. Margaret ) Churchyard, Suffolk.
FROST - 580650 - Birkenhead ( Flaybrick Hill ) Cemetery, Cheshire.
GLOVER ( Canadian ) - 39659 - Harpswell ( St. Chad ) Churchyard, Lincolnshire.
GREENALL - 547006 - Darlington North Cemetery, Durham.
Crew of Hampden I - L4119 - 61 Sqn

BULL - 32042 - Aberdeen ( Allenvale ) Cemetery, Aberdeenshire.
WOOD - 73016 - Perth ( Jeanfield and Wellshill ) Cemetery, Perthshire.
Crew of Henley - L3303 - 8 BGS.

BRENT - 355953 - Plumstead Cemetery, London.
CUNNINGHAM - 580784 - Edlesborough ( St. Mary ) Churchyard, Buckinghamshire.
LILLEY - 631565 - Alverthorpe ( St. Paul ) Churchyard, Yorkshire
MULLER - 39558 - Richmond Cemetery, Surrey
O'SULLIVAN( Republic of Ireland ) - 621221 - West Row Baptist Chapelyard, Suffolk.
POOLE - 76015 - Southend-on-sea ( Sutton Road ) Cemetery, Essex.
Crew of Wellington Ic - P9276 - 99 Sqn

RAVN - ( Norwegian ) - service number ?
Crew of MF 11 - RNNAS.
At rest in Lerwick New Cemetery, Shetland.

Rank and first names you have already provided in post No: 4.

Alex

**Andy Marden** · 27th December 2020, 13:26

Although not strictly relevant, I am struggling with the MF.11 crewman lost.
I thought two MF.11 made it to Scotland:
328 - shot down by "friendly" fire 2 May 40
342 - flown to UK Apr 40
Can anyone provide more details of the death of RAVN?

**Alex Smart** · 27th December 2020, 16:05

Hello Andy,
This may not be the case as it is recorded that the crew were not injured.
But when the Walrus a/c returned to the UK they were accompanied by a single MF.11.
Local RAF Gladiator a/c misunderstood the situation and attacked the MF.11 causing damage.
Perhaps it was then that this Norwegian Naval airman was injured and later died as a result of the injuries ?

From Wikipedia
Escape to the UK On 17 April ltns Kjos and Diesen met with RNoN Commander Gottwaldt and decided that the four aircraft had to be evacuated as fuel reserves were down to only five to six hours flying time. The British pilots' wish to return to their own units also played in on the decision. The hope and plan was for the Norwegian pilots to return as soon as possible with better aircraft and supplies. At 0330hrs the next day the Arado Ar 196 flew off first with a crew of three, making the journey to Shetland without problems and landing safely at around 0630. As the air group had only two sets of maps F.342 had to fly in formation with the two Walrus' planes. When the planes approached Orkney F.342 had straggled behind the British aircraft and was intercepted by three Gloster Gladiators from Scapa Flow. The Gladiator crews misread the situation, believing that the Norwegian biplane was chasing the two Walrus' flying boats, and began to attack the M.F 11. Luckily for the Norwegians lieutenant Diesen managed to immediately land on the water. Although their aircraft was hit by forty to fifty machine gun rounds the crew survived without injury.

OR perhaps 328 incident was on the 1st May not the 2nd ? And that was when he was killed ?

**davew** · 27th December 2020, 16:56

Alex

Another fly in this particular ointment is that the date on Ravn's gravestone is 31st May, which may be the date on which his body was recovered, or when he doi.

DaveW

**Andy Marden** · 27th December 2020, 18:06

Thanks for the replies.
After some more digging, it seems that 1 May 40 (not 2 May) was indeed the correct date of the loss of MF.11 328.
Fenrik (Sub Lt) Johan Daniel Stub Ravn was one of the crew members. As Dave mentioned, the date on his gravestone is 31 May 1940
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/...niel_stub-ravn
which I agree may well relate to the date of recovery of his body.