430328 - Unaccounted airmen - 28-3-1943

[Henk Welting]

What were the places of death registration for:

A - Killed on active service:
P/O (Pilot) Greaham W. BERRY - 137455;
Sgt (WOp/Ag) Philip R. COMLEY - 1233733;
F/O (Pilot) John H. FENTON - 119784;
Sgt (Pilot) Alexander N. HUNTER - 1022817;
Sgt (WOp/Ag) Wilfred MONKHOUSE - 1381996;
Sgt (Pilot) Albert MOORE - 1087531;
Sgt (WOp/Ag) Harry PIKE - 1036504;
Sgt (Pilot) Dan N. SMALLIE - 778818 (from S.Rhodesia);
Sgt (Pilot) Frank B. SMITH - 1383332, and
Sgt (Nav) Humphrey W. WALPOLE - 1425750 (may have been 1 TTU, Wellington LB223).

B - Not found in Flight Global:
Sgt Charles H. DEACON - 345832 - age 40.

C - Died on active service:
AC2 Andrew GRANT - 1565740;
F/Sgt Robert PLATT - 2464 - age 50, and
Sgt (Obs) Cyril W.H. RAWLINGS - 1391939.

D - Proposed aircraft losses:
Blenheim I - L1234 - 42 OTU - crashed on overshoot Darley Moor.
Master III - W8936 - 61 OTU - crashed on take-offRednal.
Spitfire I - K9850 - 53 OTU - collided with Spitfire K9862 and crashed, Flemingtone Court Farm, Glamorgan.
Spitfire I - K9862 - 53 OTU - collided with Spitfire K9850 and crashed, Pant yn Awal Farm, Beggar's Pound, St.Athan, Glamorgan.
Blenheim V - BA201 - 132 OTU - flew into high ground at night, near Haddington, East Lothian.
Wellington VIII - LB223 - 1 TTU - crashed on overshoot at night Drumbeg, near Turnberry, Ayrshire.

Regards and thanks for your help.
Henk.

[alclark]

Rawlings was a casualty of L1454 the previous day.

L1234 was recorded as non-fatal, 2 crew slightly injured.

There were 7 fatalities from LB223, but other than the pilot the ORB didn't record names.

March 28th 1943, “Wellington aircraft L.B.223, pilot Sgt Hunter crashed between Turnberry and Girvan at night, on coming into land with flaps and undercarriage down. Received Red Signal. Machine had partly completed circuit with flaps and undercarriage still down, when it stalled and crashed. Pilot & 6 others killed.”

Smallie and Walpole were on the crew, they are both buried at the local cemetery for Turnberry.

[Dick]

Hi Henk
Warner records Moore as the only casualty on BA021
Regards
Dick

[Dick]

Hi Henk
Berry,25, and Fenton,20, registered at Bridgend, Glamorgan. This could put them on the colliding Spitfires,the area certainly covers St Athan but the other site is not mentioned
Deacon,40, registered at Chatham, Kent
Grant,19, registered at Christchurch, Hampshire(2nd Qtr 1943)
Platt, 50, registered at Wenlock, Shropshire.Likely a death at Cosford Hospital
Comley, Hunter,Monkhouse and Smith did not come up in England and Wales
Regards
Dick

[COL BRUGGY]

Henk,

Re: Blenheim I L1234.

28-3-1943
No.42 OTU
Blenheim I L1234

Engine lost power on attempted overshoot, crash-landed on Darley Moor. Destroyed by fire.

33335 S/L Vivian REES RAF - Injured
AUS413813 P/O Eric Cotton WRIGHT RAAF - Injured.

Col.

[Theletterwriter]

Henk

The listed seven below were all found at Drumbeg and registered at Kirkoswald, County of Ayr, Scotland.

Sgt (Pilot) Alexander Norman HUNTER - 1022817 : aged 30
Sgt (WOp/Ag) Philip Reginald COMLEY - 1233733 : aged 21
Sgt (WOp/Ag) Wilfred MONKHOUSE - 1381996 : aged 32
Sgt (WOp/Ag) Harry PIKE - 1036504 : aged 23
Sgt (Pilot) Dan Norman SMALLIE - 778818 : aged 31
Sgt (Pilot) Frank B. SMITH - 1383332 : aged 20
Sgt (Nav) Humphrey William WALPOLE - 1425750 : aged 29

Sgt (Pilot) Albert MOORE - 1087531 ; aged 25 was found at Barney Mains Farm by Haddington East Lothian : registered at Haddington, County of East Lothian, Scotland.

No evidence of Sgt (Obs) Cyril W.H. RAWLINGS - 1391939 in the Scottish Records

Best wishes

Douglas

[Henk Welting]

Thanks friends for all your responses. This was a good harvest for March 28th/43; will amend my files.
Best regards,
Henk.

[wwrsimon]

Hello

P/O (Pilot) Greaham W. BERRY - 137455 and
F/O (Pilot) John H. FENTON - 119784 - their respective Grave Registration Report Forms confirm their unit as 53 O.T.U.

AC2 Andrew GRANT - 1565740 - the Aberdeen Weekly Journal of April 8th 1943 carried the following announcement:

GRANT - suddenly (the result of road accident in England), on 28th March 1943, A.C (2) Andrew Grant, R.A.F., aged 19 years, 7 months.

Regards

Simon

[COL BRUGGY]

Hello,

Chris Hobson, in his Failed To Return, Part 2, A-B, places 137455 P/O (Pilot) Graham William BERRY RAFVR, on 53 OTU Spitfire I K9862, which indicates that, 119784 F/O (Pilot) John Hammond FENTON RAFVR was aboard 53 OTU Spitfire I K9850.

Col.