Last Month of Peace August 1939 = RAF Casualties

[jonheyworth]

SMITH L.P. attached to RAF Cardington was killed by a train between Woking and Worplesdon , beu g found badly mutilated and judged to have been trespassing

[paulmcmillan]

Jon thanks Smith was Sun 20 August 1939



.. side of the Mayford arch late on Sunday night. On Monday night the body was identified as that of Leading Aircraftsman Leslie Prothero Smith, a single man. aged 24. whose parents reside at 57. Whippen Dellroad. Watford. Smith was attached to Cardington ...
Published: Wednesday 23 August 1939
Newspaper: Surrey Advertiser

Date of Death Sunday 20th August 1939

[paulmcmillan]

AIRCRAFTMAN’S FATAL INJURIES

... AIRCRAFTMAN’S FATAL INJURIES Struck By Tri-Car WHILE WALKING AT HUCKNALL John Hart, aged 23, an aircraftman stationed at Hncknall, died early to-day as the result of a road accident at Watnallroad, Hucknall, at 10.20 last night. He was walking from Watnall ...
Published: Wednesday 30 August 1939
Newspaper: Nottingham Evening Post
County: Nottinghamshire, England
Type: Article | Words: 107 | Page: 1 | Tags: none

Date of Accident Tuesday 29th August 1939

Date of Death Wednesday 30 August 1939

[paulmcmillan]

Jon re Payne thanks


Payne Friday 18 August 1939

AIRMAN DIVES TO DEATH AT WESTON 20ft. Into Shallow Water: Crowd see Tragedy

... of holiday-makers, airman dived to his death into the Se from the Weston-super-Mare ’omenade last night. He was Mr. William Charles Payne (33), aircraftman, of No. 3 Wing, R.A.F. Report of patients Bristol City Fever Hospitals SO u ell—l2Bo N173 1514 N197 ...
Published: Saturday 19 August 1939
Newspaper: Bristol Evening Post
County: Bristol, England
Type: Article | Words: 257 | Page: 11 | Tags: none

[paulmcmillan]

High Halstow, passed peacefully away after a short illness;, aged 61 years. PALMER.—On August 24th, 1939, Pilot Officer John Norman Palmer. R.A.F., of 2, Ash Tree-road, Chatham, died as result of a car accident; aged 22 years. SPENCER.—On August 31st, 1939 ...
Published: Friday 01 September 1939
Newspaper: Chatham News
County: Kent, England
Type: Article | Words: 357 | Page: 7 | Tags: none

[paulmcmillan]

Date needs confirmation

STRAIN TOO MUCH ' FOR R.A.F. MAN A suggestion was made at an Orpington. Kent. inquest yesterday that William George Mann 134), a Flight-Sergt. with years' service in the Royal Air Force, was overworked. with the result that he got into a ...
Published: Thursday 31 August 1939
Newspaper: Daily News (London)
County: London, England
Type: | Words: 297 | Page: 7 | Tags: none
SON FINDS FATHER DEAD TRAGEDY OF BIGGIN HILL FLIGHT SERGEANT

... TRAGEDY OF BIGGIN HILL FLIGHT SERGEANT How a son found his father dead was related an inquest held on Flight Sergt. William George Mann, aged 34. at Orpington Council Offices on Wednesday Mr. W. A. Thompson. The dead man had been found his little son, ...


Date of Death Tuesday 29th August 1939 = Confirmed by Inquest

[paulmcmillan]

I think this is Clive and Lee/Leech


30.8.39 Audax K7505, 4 FTS, Abu Sueir

Dived into ground off turn in circuit, Rutbah, Iraq

Plt Off Clive James (24) killed

LAC Harry Lee (20) killed

[Resmoroh]

Paul (et al)

In 1939 Officers were not, routinely, displayed in print as having Service Numbers. Service Numbers were for the ORs!! When WW2 started even Officers had to be identified by Number as well as Name. As a result, many Officers who had been Commissioned prior to WW2 can be found in the LG together with the numbers they had had (but not displayed). A selection is below:-
LG
40445 x
40446 WAKEFORD Peter Frank Travers
40447 WARNE James Douglas
40448 WATSON Anthony Richard
40449 WEBSTER Charles Arthur
40450 WHITTAKER Richard Clare
40451 WILLIAMS Leonard
40452 WOODS-SCAWEN Patrick Philip
40453 WYATT George Michael
40454 YERBURY John Lee
40455 CORNISH Norman Sidney
40456 x
40457 x
40458 ANDERSON Donald Stanley
40459 DICK William Richardson
40460 BRUNDLE Donald Louis Anthony
40461 x
40462 x

I suggest that J L Yerbury’s Service might (rpt, might) be 40454? Those names on a list preceding 40454 are in alphabetical order. Those after 40454 not so, which somewhat destroys my argument.
However, I propose 40454 as his putative Number until such time as it can proved/disproved?
HTH
Peter Davies

[paulmcmillan]

All I found out yesterday that their are
Ledgers somewhere in RAF records that list all Officer Service numbers and allocation since 1919

[paulmcmillan]

Wellington L4257 of 149 Sqn lost 29 August 1939
Trying to ID the full crew for this which dived into sea 5m SE of Happisburgh Light Vessel ion this date with the loss of whole crew

I have (from Chorley and other sources)

Pilot P/O John Lee Yerbury
2nd Pilot Sgt O T V Pitt
Navigator 580794 Acting Sgt Gladney Lumb
540262 AC1 J S Lewis
539701 AC1 Robert William Little
542631 AC1 David Islwyn George

LEWIS John Sydney
PITT Olaf Thomas Victor