Can anyone ID a 749 Sqn Accident at Piarco Aerodrome Trinidad 2nd Sept 1942 ?

[paulmcmillan]

Can anyone ID a 749 Sqn Accident at Piarco Aerodrome Trinidad 2nd Sept 1942 ?

At least 5 casualties




FAA, 749 Sqn, Goshawk, air crash

FOSTER, Nigel A, Ty/Sub Lieutenant (A), RNVR, killed

WATSON, William H, Ty/Sub Lieutenant (A), RNVR, killed



Goshawk

HARRIS, Richard, Air Mechanic (E) 1c, FAA/SFX 1284, killed

TAYLOR-HUGHES, Thomas J, Leading Air Fitter (A), FAA/FX 76114, killed

WILLIAMS, David, Act/Leading Mechanic (E), FAA/FX 77446, killed


I have seen this

"One never to be forgotten crash involved a Grumman Goose flown by an American pilot and a Fleet Air Arm Albacore. Both aircraft ended up on the approach at the same time
and different interpretations of the frantic red flares from the tower , led to the two machines colliding . They remained locked together and slammed into the threshold in a fiery inferno, where rescue teams could hear the screams of the seven aviators , but could do nothing to save them"

Maybe not related

An American George Harkness was killed in Trinidad in 1942 in an air accident - again maybe not related

Thanks Paul

[wwrsimon]

Paul

From Sturtivant's FAA Aircraft 1939-1945:

Grumman Goose FP492
TOC 749 Sqn Piarco (W2R? [his question mark]) 16.6.42; engine trouble after TO, spun in near a/f from 500 ft. BO, Cat Z 2.9.42 (S/L NA Foster, S/L WH Watson, AM(E)1 R Harris, LAF TJ Taylor & LAM(E)2 D Williams all killed)

I think "TJ Taylor" must be Taylor-Hughes?

Regards

Simon

[paulmcmillan]

Simon thanks yes Taylor is Taylor-Hughes who was ex RAF Halton - some FAA airman have both RAF and RN service numbers but only until Entry 35 _ then any Halton FAA have just RN service number - we not recording any of these in our DB - a number of Entry 35 were lost on Glorius

[wwrsimon]

Paul

There was another accident at Piarco which must be the one referred to. Once again, from Sturtivant's FAA Aircraft 1939-1945:

Blackburn Shark II K8455
758 Sqn Eastleigh 10.39; 755 Sqn Worthy Down 10.41; 750 Sqn Piarco, landing from Pescara exercise, collided with Goose FP478, Cat Z 24.2.42 (Lt EC Dalton, LA JP Bourke & LA M Crawshaw all killed)

Goose FP748 [sorry FP478 - see next post]
TOC 749 Sqn Piarco 12.3.42 (sic); recently delivered, collided with Shark K8455 of 750 Sqn while landing after Pescara exercise, Cat Z 24.2.42 (Machinist GL Hooper* USN, Lt GW Sowden-Schrier, S/L CJ Scott-Moncrieff & AM(E)1 T Marshall all killed)

Regards

Simon

*EDIT Granville Lipscomb Hooper?

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/...ipscomb-hooper

[Andy Marden]

Simon,
FP478 is the Goose serial.
Andy

[wwrsimon]

Yes, thanks Andy. I knew as I typed it that it was wrong…!

Simon

[paulmcmillan]

Simon thanks yes Taylor is Taylor-Hughes who was ex RAF Halton - some FAA airman have both RAF and RN service numbers but only until Entry 35 _ then any Halton FAA have just RN service number - we not recording any of these in our DB - a number of Entry 35 were lost on Glorious

OK - I have narrowed this RN/RAF Halton bit down a bit

Norman Albert Beck as example - He was killed Serving aboard HMS Glorious - sunk by Gneisenau & Scharnhorst on withdrawal from Norway.

He has an RAF and RN Service number

RAF 570659
RN Naval Air Fitter (FAA/FX 75656)

He (based on RAF Service Number) was in Intake #34 (569688 - 570749) August 1936





Now I find an interesting 2 articles on him in British Newspaper Archives for July and August 1936

One says

Deric Rowell 200 out of 2223 Competitive Candidates
Norman Beck - 36th out of 46 Service Candidates

Other says
Master Norman Albert Beck, of Stud Farm Estate, Polegate (Eastbourne Junior Technical School) has successfully passed the Air Ministry’s examination for aircraft apprentices.


Based on the above I surmise that Beck was a Royal Navy Candidate (aka Service Candidate) for Aircraft Apprentice BUT trained At Halton as part of 34th Entry = There were Naval entrance of Entry 35, 36, 39 and 41 as well - but only those up to Entry 37 got both service numbers -


The Royal Air Force Competitive Examination for the entry of Aircraft Apprentices was held on 26th May, 1936 - there were 2223 candidates and 1335 passed - They were ranked 1 to 1335

The overall winner in the 26th May, 1936 exam was Anthony A. Austin from Portsmouth = who came first also came 1st in the Portsmouth Dockyard apprentices, and also top for artificer apprentices (Royal Navy). - He decided to become Shipwright Apprentice

and interestingly of the other boys in his year at school (the school (ESPLANADE HOUSE SCHOOL, SOUTHSEA ) had 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th place on the RAF list) - only around 5 of boys of the 32 who passed actually elected to join RAF) - Nor did Deric Rowell (Deric McMillan Rowell) see above join RAF Halton Scheme

So we had 2223 Candidates, 1335 passes (and 1082 number between 569688 - 570749) - it is interesting that the "top" boys all decided to give the RAF a pass - it was not until we had

C. B. Brinkley-Reid (71), - Charles Benjamin Brinkley-Reid 569740 Royal Air Force (34th Allocation) did someone at ESPLANADE HOUSE SCHOOL join the RAF and he was the 15th most successful boy of the 32