430420 - Unaccounted airmen - 20-4-1943

**Henk Welting** · 27th April 2010, 14:20

What were the places of death registration for:

A - Died on active service:
AC2 Albert H. BIRCH - 1245406 - age 37;
LAC James FLEMING - 1764015, and
AC2 (Airgunner) John HAMME - 1891709.

B - Killed on active service:
AC1 Henry A. BURSTON - 1089757 - age 32.

C - Proposed aircraft losses:
Oxford I - EB804 - RAFC - crashed in forced landing Loveden Hill, Gelston, Caythorpe, Lincolnshire.
Oxford I - HN177 - 287 Sqn - flew into ground at night Croydon (already as a casualty on this a/c: W/O² [Pilot] W.D. BATES - RCAF R/88389).

Regards and thanks for your help.
Henk.

**Dick** · 27th April 2010, 17:29

Hi Henk
Birch,37, registered at Northumberland North 1st District
Fleming,22, registered at Bathavon, Somerset
Hamme,32, registered at Buckrose, E Yorkshire
Burston,32, registered at Staines,Middlesex
Regards
Dick

**Henk Welting** · 28th April 2010, 12:21

Thanks Dick for info on this and other registration dates.
Regards,
Henk.

**Resmoroh** · 28th April 2010, 12:40

Henk (et al),
Hamme's death is slightly odd! His Svc No indicates he can't have Enlisted earlier than 1 Jan 43 (Euston, London). Assuming he did Enlist on 1 Jan 43 then 15 weeks (to his death) is a very short time for him to be an Air Gunner (even if only u/t!). He probably didn't get Called Up on 1 Jan 43, so issue of kit, Basic Training, posting to a Gunners Course, etc, etc, would be difficult to fit into that short time. Either that, or were they putting them through the Air Gunners 'sausage machine' in double quick time?!!!!
Does anyone know the circumstances?
Rgds
Peter Davies

**Martyn A Critchlow** · 19th January 2015, 12:13

LAC James FLEMING - 1764015 - accidental death, he died in hospital from a blood clot on his lungs after surgery, which followed a road accident while he was riding in the back of a lorry on 4th April.
(Bath Weekly Chronicle, 1 May 1943)

Martyn

**djbarnes** · 19th April 2016, 15:34

Originally Posted by Resmoroh

Henk (et al),
Hamme's death is slightly odd! His Svc No indicates he can't have Enlisted earlier than 1 Jan 43 (Euston, London). Assuming he did Enlist on 1 Jan 43 then 15 weeks (to his death) is a very short time for him to be an Air Gunner (even if only u/t!). He probably didn't get Called Up on 1 Jan 43, so issue of kit, Basic Training, posting to a Gunners Course, etc, etc, would be difficult to fit into that short time. Either that, or were they putting them through the Air Gunners 'sausage machine' in double quick time?!!!!
Does anyone know the circumstances?
Rgds
Peter Davies

Better late than never for a reply !
1891709 AM2 John Hamme
I have solved this one - he was actually at No.14 Initial Training Wing at the time of his death, so he had probably chosen to apply for aircrew and would have been classes as 'Aircrafthand under training - Air Gunner'

Cheers

David