430818 - Unaccounted airmen - 18-8-1943

[Henk Welting]

What were the places of death registration of:

A - Died on active service:
Sgt (Airgunner) Edwin J.C. STILES - 1391941.

B - Not found in Flight Magazine:
Sgt (Flt. Eng.) Archibald T.W. CAMPBELL - 994017 - 90 Sqn (Wratting Common, Cambs.);
Sgt (Pilot) William DISLEY - 659053, and
F/O (Pilot) James R. WILSON - 150057 (there is a "P/O" J.R. WILSON in CC.#296, Flight 21-10-1943 p.461, as KOAS).

C - Proposed aircraft losses:
Hurricane I - V7674 - 55 OTU - dived into ground 1 mile N of Annan.
Master I - T8505 - 17 (P)AFU - crashed in forced landing Calveley.
Horsa I Glider - DP293 - HGCU - crashed in forced landing Stenlake, Oxfordshire.
Master II - AZ694 - 5 (P)AFU - crashed on landing Tatenhill.
Hurricane IV - KW918 - 137 Sqn - undershot landing at Manston.

D - Also looking for possible cause of death of:
P/O (Pilot) Clarence G. KIRCHIN - RCAF C/6701 - his name commemorated on Panel 2, Column 4 of the Ottawa Air Force Memorial. (Unit given as 1st Repatriation Depot).

Regards and thanks for your help.
Henk.

[Resmoroh]

Henk,
Re DP293.
The HGCU was a Brize Norton at this time. The only 'Stenlake' I can find in UK is in Plymouth! If DP293 crashed in Oxfordshire (which seems likely as it's near BZN) then the location would probably have been 'Standlake'.
HTH
Peter

[malcolm_raf]

Hi Henk

Sgt (Airgunner) Edwin J.C. STILES - Thorne, West Yorkshire
Sgt (Flt. Eng.) Archibald T.W. CAMPBELL - 994017 - 90 Sqn - Cambridge
Sgt (Pilot) William DISLEY - not Eng/Wales, possibly Beaufighter VI, JL658 of 2 TTU
F/O (Pilot) James R. WILSON - not Eng/Wales possibly Hurricane I - V7674 - 55 OTU

Malcolm

[phill jones]

Henk , Hurricane V7674, 55 OTU , 18/8/43 I CAN CONFIRM PILOT AS P/O WILSON JR 150057 KILLED , A/C TOTAL WRECK
BW PHILL JONES

[Henk Welting]

Thanks friends for your excellent and much appreciated help.
Henk.

[dennis_burke]

Disley name shows up in 1943 in Brechin District of Angus, Scotland

[wwrsimon]

Hello

Sgt (Airgunner) Edwin J.C. STILES - 1391941 - the 'Croydon Roll of Honour' on ancestry.co.uk has the following:

STILES, EDWIN JAMES C., Sgt. Rear Gr. R.A.F.V.R.
b. Tooting, 6 Dec., 1922. res. 57, Tylcroft Rd. Educ. St. Andrew's Streatham. K. in training at Lindholm, Doncaster, 18 Aug, 1943. Bur. Streatham Vale Cem.

The Graves Registration Report Form lists his unit as 1656 C.U.

Sgt (Flt. Eng.) Archibald T.W. CAMPBELL - the Aberdeen Press & Journal of August 21st 1943 reported the following:

Airman's Fall from Window
Said to have made about twenty operational flights, Archibald Wilson Campbell (25), a sergeant engineer in the R.A.F., Fisher's Row, Campbeltown, Argyllshire, met his death through falling 24 ft. from a window in a Cambridge leave hostel.
A sergeant who occupied a bed in the same room as Campbell said he heard and saw nothing wrong during the night, and when he was roused by the caretaker the next morning he thought at first it was a joke.
The Coroner, expressing the view that Campbell must have overbalanced while standing at the window, recorded a verdict of accidental death.

Sgt (Pilot) William DISLEY - 659053 - the Graves Registration Report Form lists his unit as 2 F.I.S. The Statutory Deaths Register on the Scotland's People website records that he died at 8.00 a.m. at Stracathro Hospital due to war operations (aeroplane accident).

P/O (Pilot) Clarence G. KIRCHIN - RCAF C/6701 - his R.C.A.F. records include the R.C.A.F. Casualty Notification, which includes the following:

Previously reported "missing" 18 Aug 1943 at sea whilst enroute to Canada on board the hospital ship "Atlantis." Was being repatriated on medical grounds - owing to his mental state.

Regards

Simon

[Rich Allenby]

1656 HCU orb states that Stiles died of injuries as a result of being run over by the tail wheel of Lancaster W4883 at Lindholme.

regards Rich

[jonheyworth]

Herbert Jackson 1698457 and

Walter George Green 545398

Both armourers attached to Number 330 Wing were both killed in an accidental bomb explosion at Kairouan West

[jonheyworth]

George Edward Ronald Hornsey 1256894 , was dangerously injured in a flying accident when Mosquito III HJ 895 crashed at Dyce at 15:19 hours on 17 August . Admitted to RN hospital, Kingseat, Newmacher, near Aberdeen, he was operated upon for multiple fractures and had a leg amputated, but died shortly afterwards

[jonheyworth]

Raymond Alan Sandiford 1716841 , attached to Number 13 Wing , was admitted dangerously ill to Number 92 Indian General hospital at Comilla on 12 August where he died of malignant tertian malaria

[jonheyworth]

Robert Drake 947291 , was admitted to SSQ at RAF Sharjah on 9 August , transferred seriously ill to Number 61 British General hospital on 11 August , he died of a combination of heat exhaustion and malaria

[jonheyworth]

Jack Maurice Lewis 41035 | suffered from severe mental illness whilst in captivity. First diagnosed with a duodenal ulcer in April 1943, he recovered well but was found in his room on July 14 in a state of severe
confusion and anxiety. He complained of hearing voices and felt unworthy and a failure. By 18 July his condition was worsening and British medical officers asked for him to be sent to a specialist facility.

Until 17 August he was treated with sedatives and kept occupied but he then left the hospital and crossed the warning rail and walked up to the barbed wire. The guards did not fire at him and allowed him the time to walk himself back towards the hospital. He was sedated and German orderlies kept watch on him. The German MO was sent for and agreed that Lewis should be removed straight away to a German hospital at Brunslau for his own safety. The German MO arranged for a responsible orderly and guard to escort Lewis who were instructed not to take excessive action in the event of any disturbance or even an attempt to escape as he was clearly unwell and not responsible for his actions.

At Siegersdorf station it was necessary to change trains and the medical orderly went into the booking hall to make arrangements. A hospital train entered the station at speed and Lewis suddenly leapt off the platform into the path of the train, the German guard jumped after him onto the track and tried unsuccessfully to pull Lewis clear and was himself only saved at the last second by a railwayman who pulled the guard clear at the last possible moment.

The camp was contacted and the German MO escorted
The British MO to collect the body and investigate.
It is clear from reading the
report how much the incident affected all involved and how much all had attempted to do the right thing in such a sad situation

RIP F/L Lewis

[jonheyworth]

Harry Lascelles Carr 62373 | Attached to RAF Uxbridge, died in a clinic in Marylebone, of diabetes