411128 - Unaccounted airmen - 28-11-1941

[Henk Welting]

What were the places of death registration for:

A - Killed on active service (while engaged on non-operational flying duties or on the ground through enemy action):
AC1 Raymond E.G. COCKBURN - 921003;
LAC (Pilot u/t) William HARRIS - 1382840;
LAC (Pilot u/t) Peter A. HOARE - 1313108;
LAC (Obs u/t) Dennis J. LAIDMAN - 1318658, and
LAC (Obs u/t) James WARD - 657968.

B - Died on active service:
AC2 Kenneth G. CROFTS - 1243100, and
Cpl Dennis HUNTINGTON - 576108.

C - Also looking for the unit of:
AC2 Joseph A. MORRIS - 1099270 - commemorated on Panel 58 of the Runnymede Memorial (Flight archives: Missing believed killed on active service [while engaged on non-operational flying duties or on the ground through enemy action]).

D - Proposed aircraft losses for this day:
Blenheim IV - V5963 - 9 AOS - crashed on take-off Penrhos.
Botha I - W5063 - 2 AOS - crashed on take-off ½ mile N of Millom.
Hurricane I - P3145 - 55 OTU - crashed on approach Usworth.
Oxford I - V4024 - 15 FTS - flew into ground Coombe Hill, near Wendover, Buckinghamshire.
Oxford II - W6547 - 15 FTS - flew into high ground ¾ mile E of Chinnor.

Regards and thanks for your help.
Henk.

[Dick]

Hi Henk
Hoare,20, registered at Ploughley, Oxfordshire which would be right for the Oxford at Chinnor
Laidman,21, and Ward 29, are registered at Cockermouth, Cumberland which might place them on Botha W5063. Laidman's registration was in the 1st Qtr of 1942
Crofts,35, registered at Dover, Kent
Huntington,18, registered at York, N Yorkshire
I didn't find Cockburn or Harris
Warner's Blenheim has V5963 with only injuries but he does record one of the injured, LAC R Williams(u/t Obs) as dying later. CWGC has a Roderick T Williams with D-o-D 28/11/41 and there is a death registration for him in Caernarvon, N Wales which would be right for Penhros
Regards
Dick

[Roy Nixon]

Hello Henk.
I have pressed the right button today.
Hurricane I, P3145 crashed on approach at Usworth. Cause of accident due to pilot, Sgt P G Hemmer RCAF R83123 turning on gravity tank to late. Pilot uninjuried.
Roy

[Henk Welting]

Thanks Dick. WILLIAMS is correct for Blenheim V5963; I had him incorrectly listed for 29-11-1941.
Regards,
Henk.

[alclark]

Lairdman was killed in Dominie X7402, No.10 AOS.

Here are the ORB entries.

November 28th 1941, “Accident to Dominie aircraft X7402, crashed on Lake Derwentwater. Sgt Tabor 1051995 (pilot) and LACs 657558 Hards, 658415 Clark, 1318658 Laidman, 1338278 Griffin and 1501436 Morris u/t Air Observers, all killed.”

November 1941, “Crashes.
Dominie X7402 Lake Derwentwater on 28.11.41 Sgt Tabor 1051995 (pilot) and LACs 657558 Hards, 658415 Clark, 1318658 Laidman, 1338278 Griffin and 1501436 Morris, u/t Air Observers, all killed.”

Derwent Water is the lake to the south of Keswick.

The No.2 and No.9 AOS ORBs were short on crash related info in most of this period.

[Henk Welting]

Thanks Roy for info on Hurricane P3145 and Sgt HEMMER.
Regards,
Henk.

[davew]

Air Crashes in the Lake District records the crew of Botha W5053 as
JR Jones 655191
E Clark 112052
EH Jump 135202
Reid 1385614 (no initial given)

regards

DaveW

[alclark]

The info from CWGC for the four crew listed for W5053 is:

Jones, John Ronald, 23, RAF, 655191, Sgt, Pilot.
Clark, Ernest, 33, RAFVR, 1121052, AC2, W/Op.
Jump, Ernest Henry, 20, RAFVR, 1335205, LAC, Obs u/t.
Reid, Stuart, 21, RAFVR, 1385614, LAC, Obs u/t.

[Dick]

Henk
Now Al has given Laidman's a/c his registration at Cockermouth is still right. It leaves Ward to be sorted out unless he was also on the Dominie and unrecorded, as both were u/t Obs
Regards
Dick

[Dick]

Henk
All those on the Dominie are registered at Cockermouth except Ernest Clark who is registered at Millom and I note that DaveW places Clark on the Botha and I also note the 2 Service Nos so we seem to have 2 Clarks
Regards
Dick