12-7-1945 Hudson FK455 EACF Kenya crash

[Marks]

'The Price of Peace - A catalogue of RAF aircraft Losses between VE Day and End of 1945
Colin Cummings

12-7-1945 FK455 Hudson VI East Africa Communications Squadron

Crashed on take off Eastleigh, Kenya
Cummings lists 11 dead
Aircrew 4 + 1 Army

Anyone know anything of the other casualties ?

TIA

Mark

[COL BRUGGY]

Hello,

Tentative proposal for crew/passengers aboard AHQ EACF Hudson VI FK455, that crashed after take-off at Eastleigh, on 12 July, 1945.

Crew:
NZ416475 P/O (Pilot) Brian Squire FOWLER RNZAF +
1234569 W/O (Nav.) Robert Harry RYDER RAFVR +
1333912 W/O (Radio Op.) Edwin John ASLETT RAFVR +
1613692 Corp (?) William Richard JONES RAFVR +

Passengers:
(Army)
336659 Major Horace Reginald CARSBERG Royal Corps of Signals +
85409 Major John Andrew FARRELL Royal Army Medical Corps +
(Civilians)
Mr R H CUTTER - Tanganyika Education Department +
Mr A M JOHNSTON - Construction Superintendent of East Africa Power & Lighting Company +
Mr S R MARLOWE - Financial Secretary, Tanganyika +
Mr E P TROUGHTON - Accountant General, Tanganyika +
Mr H F WRIGHT - First Assistant to the Chief Secretary of the Governer's Conference +
(Civilian passenger list derived from, The Times, Friday, July 13, 1945, p.4)

Comments/Corrections/Additions welcomed.

Col.

[wwrsimon]

Hello

I can confirm Johnston, Troughton and Wright from ancestry.co.uk and the newspaper archive on FMP:

Alastair Macfarlane JOHNSTON:

From the Dundee Courier of 14 July 1945:
JOHNSTON - At Nairobi, on July 12, 1945 (the result of an air accident), Alastair M'Farlane Johnston, aged 37, husband of Mary P.Smith, Burton-on-Trent, and beloved elder son of the late Alexander Johnston and of Mrs. Johnston, Craigrowan, Forfar.

Edward Perceval TROUGHTON [ex-175158 R.A.F.] - family tree on Ancestry has 'died in an air plane crash'.

Harold Francis WRIGHT:

The Andrews Newspaper Index on ancestry.co.uk has:
WRIGHT - on July 12, 1945, killed in an air accident in Kenya, HAROLD FRANCIS WRIGHT, Colonial Service, dearly loved yoiungest son of the late Rev. H. C. Wright, Haileybury College, and of Mrs. Wright, and husband of Myrtle (nee Bough).

Regards

Simon

EDIT - With regards to Mr. R. H. Cutter, the Andrews Newspaper Index on ancestry.co.uk has:

CUTLER - on July 12, 1945, killed in air crash at Nairobi, ROBERT HENRY CUTLER, M.A., beloved husband of Ruth Cutler, and son of Mr. and Mrs. H. A. Cutler, of Groomsport, Co. Down.

And

Sydney Raymond MARLOWE:

The Northampton Mercury of July 29th 1945 reported the following:

KILLED IN KENYA AIR CRASH
Mr. Sydney Raymond Marlowe, who was among the 11 people killed in the third of three major air crashes which occurred in Kenya within 48 hours, was a Northampton man. He was Financial Secretary for Tanganyika, and prior to taking up that position had been for 20 years in West Africa. For his services he was awarded the C.M.G. last year.
Mr. Marlowe was 47, and was educated at Northampton Grammar School (Town and Country). He was appointed to the Foreign Service nearly 30 years ago, and had served in several countries.

[Marks]

Thanks

Great information !

I am looking into these deaths as potential Civilian War Deaths as they died in an RAF aircraft

Thanks again

Mark

[Don Clark]

Errol Martyn's For Your Tomorrow Vol Two

"Thu 12 July 1945
Mediterranean Allied Air Forces
Communication flight
AHQ East Africa Communication Flight, RAF (Eastleigh, Kenya - Middle East Command)
Hudson VI FK455 - took off at 0701, climbed away in a gentle turn to starboard with undercarriage down as the turn continued. At about 300 feet dropped the starboard wing, dived into the ground and burst into flames. All three crew and eight passengers died, the latter consisting of a member of the RAF, another of the Army or Navy and six civilians. All were buried on the 13th at Nairobi. Investigators found that the pilot had taken off with his rudder trimming tabs in an almost fully port position.
Pilot: NZ416475 Pit Off Brian Squire FOWLER, RNZAF - Age 23. 1144hrs (20 solo on Hudson) 43 ops.
Fowler's ops included 16 undertaken with 424 Sqn, RCAF, and 25 with 104 Sqn, RAF."

"All three crew" suggests Cpl William Richard Jones 1613692 RAFVR was the RAF passenger referred to.
Errol might perhaps have a little more on the passengers...

[Errol Martyn]

I can't prove that Jones was a passenger but I can't see any reason for him to be on board as crew, given his rank and why would a Hudson on a communication flight require as many as four when not, as seem likely, flying through enemy occupied territory. Unfortunately there is no list of names held on Fowler's RNZAF service record.

Cheers,
Errol

[wwrsimon]

Hello

William Richard JONES - his death was announced in the Boston Guardian of July 25th 1945:

ON ACTIVE SERVICE
Lincoln - July 12, in Kenya, Corporal William Richard Jones, R.A.F.. S.I.B., of Lewis Street.

S.I.B. - Special Investigation Branch?

Regards

Simon