Sgt Maurice Taylor, Flight Engineer, RAF

[bluefish]

Sgt Taylor was killed 13 June 1944 at Arras, France flying with an RCAF crew on a 427 Sqn (RCAF) Halifax.

I am trying to find when & where Sgt Taylor enlisted in the RAF & the names & professions of the people he used as references on his RAF Attestation Papers.

Really appreciate all assistance.

John

[alieneyes]

Hello,

I think you'll find that RAF attestation papers have not survived.

From his service number (1616111) he enlisted at Cardington in the fall of 1941.

His mother's maiden name was Jarvis. He was born Saffron Walden West, Essex in the September 1923 Qtr.

Regards,

Dave

[bluefish]

Dave

Thank you - very much - for this. Really appreciate your help.

About the attestation papers papers. Do you know what happened to RAF attestation papers? Do other parts pf Sgt Taylor's personnel record survive? Was it just Sgt Taylor's that didn't survive? What does "Qtr" stand for?

John

[Resmoroh]

John,
Births, Marriages, and Deaths (BMD) sites often restrict date information to just the Quarter of the yr when the event took place, rather than the precise date. Q1 =Jan/Feb/Mar, Q2 = Apr/May/Jun, Q3 = Jul/Aug/Sep, Q4 = Oct/Nov/Dec. Sep 1923 Qtr will be some date in Jul/Aug/Sep 1923.
Your man’s Service Record (almost certainly) survives. It can be obtained through https://www.gov.uk/get-copy-military-service-records. If you are not Next of Kin it may be heavily redacted. It will cost £30. It will take c. 5 months to arrive. It will be full of RAF jargon, acronyms, etc, etc. There are many on this forum who will be willing to help in ”decoding” it.
Good luck.
HTH
Peter Davies

[jossleclercq]

Hello John "Bluefish",

I've researched the case of this Halifax crew, as it came down in my research area, and I'm in touch with a nephew of Maurice Taylor. He registered on the site to post an answer, but it seems he just can't post on his own.

If you e-mail me (my adress is in my profile), I'll put you in touch with him.

What is your interest in Maurice Taylor ? Are you related to him ?

Joss

[KennethT]

My name is Ken Taylor and Maurice Taylor is a relative of mine. I knew my Uncle Ben and Aunt Lucy but knew nothing about their only child Maurice except he was killed on a bomber mission during the war. Long after they died I tried to trace what happened to Maurice but it was in the very early days of the internet. In 2000 I went to Ecurie to find his grave and uncannily I found it immediately. As someone has already mentioned on this website his grave is by itself and I too thought perhaps other crew members had baled out and survived. It was only later I found that all had perished and the reason he was there by himself was because he was flying with 427 Squadron RCAF and after the war the Canadians moved their 6 crew members to the Canadian War Cemetery in Leubringen and left Maurice behind as he was RAF. I find this rather sad as although he was British and came from Wimbish in Essex, these crews lived and died together and to be left behind away from your comrades seems a bit unfair.


In 2012 a memorial was erected near the crash site with a detailed account of the nights events, it is in French and English and I have copied the translation word for word as it appears below.


“Arras has just been bombarded. The planes have dropped their bombs on the railway tracks. The heavy Halifax MkIII, registration number LW165, coming from the base of Leeming in Yorkshire, and belonging to the RCAF’s 427 squadron is attacked by German Fighters.
As it is flying over Sainte Catherine, it goes towards Ecurie, and there, the flames intensify. A burning wing falls 10 metres from Mr Velu’s house, then the rest of the plane with the crew still on board crashes and explodes in a field situated 200 metres away, next to the water tower.
The burning continues throughout the morning. At 5 a.m. the first villagers gather at the scene of the crash. Later, more people come to see and stand solemnly in front of the burnt bodies of the seven crew members.
Soon afterwards guards were posted around the wreck. In the afternoon, more soldiers arrive to collect the mortal remains, which they put in the coffins. A few Germans help load them on to Robert Dieval’s wagon and takes them to the church following discussions between the mayor, who wishes to give them a decent burial, and the German authorities, who do not.
Finally, the seven bodies enter the church choir. They are escorted by some villagers who wish to accompany the fallen airmen to their final resting place. After a short service by Abbott Pronnier, the villagers and the school children, their arms laden with flowers, follow the funeral procession to the cemetery where a grave has been dug.”


With the help of the brilliant French historian Joss Leclercq I have amassed a whole file on the events of that night and have now paid my £30 and hoping to get a copy of Maurice’s record from the RAF archives. My aunt always told me he died on his first mission but in fact it turned out to be his third.


I wondered if you are a long lost relative or perhaps a local historian doing some research for Wimbish, Village. I hope this information helps with your research.