420426 - Unaccounted airwoman and airmen - 26-4-1942

[Henk Welting]

What were the places of death registration for:

A - Killed on active service:
F/Sgt Frank A. BROWN - 1280368;
P/O (Pilot) David R. FARNHAM - 108571;
Sgt (Reagunner) John W. WATSON - 546758 - 9 Sqn (Honington, Suffolk); killed on board of a Wellington on a raid to Rostock; a/c crashlanded in Uk but could be repaired; also looking for the a/c serial number, and
F/O William D. WHATLEY - 44199.

B - Died on active service:
ACW2 Doris S. WINTER - 2005985.

C - Listed in Flight archives but text unreadable:
AC2 Ronald SHEPHERD - 1486889 - 234 Sqn (Ibsley, Hampshire).

D - Not found in Flight archives:
AC1 Ronald D. HOWELLS - 1381390.

E - Proposed aircraft loss:
Hector I - K9765 - 1 GTS - crashed on landing Kidlington.

Regards and thanks for your help.
Henk.

[Dick]

Hi Henk
Brown,31, registered at Bath, Somerset
Watson,23, registered at Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk suggesting the a/c made it back to base as Honington is within the Bury St E reporting area
Doris S Winter,28, registered at Sleaford, Lincolnshire
Shepherd,21,(spelled Shepperd on the register) registered at Christchurch, Hampshire, the right area for Ibsley although the Sqn is in Jefford's RAF Squadrons as moving to Portreath, Cornwall the day after his death
Howells,22,registered at Ruthin, Denbighshire, N Wales
Farnham didn't come up, neither did Whatley, but he is buried at Silloth, Cumberland, and could have died in an accident across the Scottish border which is very close
Regards
Dick

[COL BRUGGY]

Hello Henk,

Re: Sgt (Reargunner) John W. WATSON - 546758 - 9 Sqn.

A.
Excellent results were achieved in another fire raising trip on Rostock on the 25th April (1942); this trip took eight hours to complete. Plt. Off. A.F.Taylor had a similar unpleasant experience to Sgt. Davidson; his aircraft was attacked by a fighter which killed the rear gunner, wounded the pilot and badly damaged the aircraft . Plt. Off. Taylor managed to reach base and crash land. He was also awarded the DFC.

B.
Wellington III (July 1941 to August 1942)

X3451 WS- 5/1/42 2 ops. Damaged 25/4/42.

See:
9 Squadron.
Mason,Tim (Comp.).
London:Beaumont Pub.,1965
A. p.55
B. p.107.

The Citation for the DFC of 116524 F/O Angus Frederick TAYLOR, can be read here:-
(London) Gazette Issue 35569 published on the 19th May, 1942 p.2 of 4.

Taylor, a South African, was killed on 7-3-44, serving in the Middle East on Beaufighters.

Col.

[dennis_burke]

DIED ON ACTIVE SERVICE.—A/C.2 R Shepherd; image is bad but text scanned correctly.
No luck with Howells

[Henk Welting]

Thanks friends for this excellent info; especially Col for the story on WATSON and his pilot TAYLOR.
Best regards,
Henk.

[Rich Allenby]

Henk, AC2 Shepherd is buried in York Cemetery, dispite the snow I found his grave yesterday, its not a CWGC style one. The wording may be of interest, it states "killed" rather than died, to me suggesting his loss was not a result of illness but other than that doesn't rule out a road accident etc.

I will look his death up in the York paper when the library holding the microfilms re-opens in the Spring after a re-furb.

No need to re-post in return to this.

regards Rich

[Theletterwriter]

Henk

P/O David Reed Farnham 108571 : aged 21 : Cummertrees, Dumfriesshire, Scotland. His death certificate indicated that his body was found on the banks of the Solway Firth at Midtown? on 26 May 1942.

F/O William Denman Whatley 44199 : aged 20 : Buittle, Kirkcudbright, Scotland. His death certificate indicated that his body was found at Almorness on 31 May 1942. Last seen alive 26 April 1942.

Both locations are adjacent to the Solway Firth.

Douglas

[Henk Welting]

Hello all,
Thanks to the info from Douglas looking for the loss of an aircraft over the Solway Firth 26-4-1942 causing the death of FARNHAM and WHATLEY.
Regards and thanks,
Henk.

[Ross_McNeill]

Hi Henk,

F1180

Confirms Whatley and Farnham on Hudson P5147 lost on low flying dual instruction.

Regards
Ross

[Henk Welting]

Ross,
Is it possible there was a mixup of the Forms 1180 with Hudson AM760 ? I've P5147 missing on a diversion flight for Bremen. Came down in Holland. SUMMERS and TOMLINSON killed; HODGKINSON and CAVE both PoW.
Please advise.
Regards,
Henk.