420504 - Unaccounted airwomen and airmen - 4-5-1942

[Henk Welting]

What were the places of death registration for:

A - Not found in Flight archives:
P/O (Pilot) Richard A. BRYDEN - 119712 (from Trinidad), and
ACW2 Jean HARDING - 2093503.

B - Killed on active service:
LAC Eric A. LANGLEY - 1055142;
AC1 Christopher R. ROBINSON - 1345204;
P/O John J. (Flight: J.T.) WESTWOOD - 120167, and
Sgt Charles A. WHITTLE - 759360.

C - Died (?) on active service (difficult to read on scanned copy):
ACW2 Evelyn STRETTON - 439937.

D - Proposed aircraft losses:
Hurricane I - P3881 - 59 OTU - crashed in forced landing near Silloth.
Hurricane I - V7466 - 55 OTU - crashed in forced landing Cocklicks, Cummertrees, Dumfries.
Lysander II - V9516 - 8 AACU - flew into high ground at night near Old Sarum.
Tutor - K4831 - 2 FIS - crashed in forced landing near Brackla.
Oxford I - AT739 - 15 (P)AFU - flew into ground Bigby Top, Barnetby, Lincolnshire (already as a casualty on this a/c: Sgt [Pilot] A.B. GOFF - RCAF R/97509 [from USA]).

Regards and thanks for your help.
Henk.

[Ross_McNeill]

Hi Henk

L7035
LAC E A Langley
Crashed near to shore. Sgt Finney who was wearing an inflated life jacket was rescued by Sgt H Shepherd, 1114117 who swam out from the shore. Sgt Shepherd had observed the crash from the air, landed his own aircraft and boarded the station fire tender to the scene of the accident. The air gunner drowned when the compressed air inflation failed and he failed to orally inflate his mae west after extracating himself from his turret. It was thought that a valve spring fracture was responsible for the forced landing.

Seaplane Tender No.364 was the duty air sea rescue boat at Invergordon and it was ordered to proceed to crash at Chanonry Point and was slipped 18:23 to 20:20 hrs. No.6 a/s rescue unit.

LAC Langley rests in Alford Cemetery, Lincolnshire.

Westwood & Whittle on V9516

Regards
Ross

[dennis_burke]

Women's Auxiliary Air Force
KILLED ON ACTIVE SERVICE.—A/CW.2 E.Stretton. this is a direct copy and paste of the text, highlght with your mouse.

No luck with the other two.

[Amrit]

BRYDEN - Hurricane V7466.

From: http://www.caribbeanaircrew-ww2.com/?p=111

A

P.S. the site is doing sterling work on Caribbean Aircrews, and I have been fortunate enough to be able to help them from time to time. If anyone else wishes to add to any of the information that they have I am sure they would welcome it

[Dick]

Hi Henk
Jean Harding,18, registered in Sunderland, then in Durham
Robinson,20, and Evelyn Stretton, 51, registered at Eastbourne, Sussex
Westwood(John J on the register) 21 and Whittle,29, registered at Salisbury, Wiltshire and this confirms Ross' info on the Lysander at Old Sarum.
Regards
Dick

[Henk Welting]

Thanks friends; this puts things straight and stimulates to continue with the job on airwomen/airmen sofar unaccounted for.
Best regards,
Henk.

[wwrsimon]

Hello

ACW2 Jean HARDING - 2093503 - the Sunderland Echo of May 5th 1942 reported the following:

MILLFIELD TRAGEDY
Jean Harding, an 18 year old WAAF, was found dead at her home, 14 Matamba Terrace, Sunderland, yesterday. She had been on seven days’ sick leave from her unit and was due to return today.
Her parents were out working yesterday, and discovery of Jean was made by her five year old brother.

Regards

Simon