400909 - Unaccounted airmen - 9-9-1940

[Henk Welting]

What caused the death of and what were the places of death registration for:

P/O Stephen BODY - 82968 - cremated Birkenhead (Landican) Crem., Cheshire (UK6046A), and
P/O (Pilot) William G. REES - 84926 - buried Ogmore & Garw (Pontycymmer) Cem., Glamorganshire (UK9147).
Can't find both names in Flight archives.

Proposed aircraft loss for this day:
Harvard I - P5885 - 15 FTS - crashed on take-off near Brockworth, Gloucestershire.

Regards and thanks for your help.
Henk.

[Dick]

Hi Henk
Both Body,25 and Rees,22 are registered at Holywell just over the border in Flintshire closish to Sealand and Hawarden if they were in an accident away from the airfield. They may well have been in the same a/c but the entries place them a long way from Gloucestershire.
Regards
Dick

[davew]

Henk

Body and Rees were killed in the crash of Master N7967 at Northop, Mold

regards

DaveW

[Dick]

Hi Henk
Holywell is the likely Office to register a death in the Mold area
Regards
Dick

[Henk Welting]

Thanks Dav & Dick.
Simple question from a Dutchman: What was de "Mold area" ?
Master N7967 is not on the Aeromilitaria List "Crashes in the UK". Air Britain mentions for this serial: 7 OTU - SOC 21.9.40 at 34 MU.

Regards,
Henk.

[Dick]

Hi Henk
The Mold area simply means the countryside around Mold, which is a small town in Flintshire N Wales. The sort of reasonably open country where a training a/c could go and play and keep clear of the circiut of it's home airfield.
Regards
Dick

[Henk Welting]

Thanks Dick. Day by day learning more and more about the UK geography, thanks to my hobby and your (yours) terrific help.

Henk.

[Ross_McNeill]

F1180 gives 2 fatalities for Harvard I - P5885 - 15 FTS - crashed on take-off near Brockworth, Gloucestershire.

Pilot listed as Sgt E A Hares.

Paul, can you please check to see if Henk's files had Hares assigned to a different loss.

Regards
Ross

[Alex Smart]

Hello,

400909 - Unaccounted Airmen - 09-09-1940

From Henk's List -

UK
DAVIES, David Norman - Lac - 935669 - RAFVR.
Bagnall (St.Chad ) Churchyard, Staffordshire.
Died as a result of a motorcycle accident.

From CWGC -

FRANCE
EASTON, James Harley - Sgt - 755173 - RAFVR.
HALKETT, Charles De Vic ( New Zealander) - P/O - 43704 - RAF.
JACOBS, Alec Victor - Sgt - 755443 - RAFVR.
These three airmen rest at Wambercourt Churchyard, Pas-de-Calais, France.
They were crew of Blenheim IV - T1831 - 107 Sqn.

NORWAY
KIMBER, Henry Charles - PO(A) - HMS Sparrowhawk - RN - MiD.
Trondheim (Stavne) Cemetery, Norway.
Skua - L2889 - 801 Sqn - FAA,RN.

UK
CLAYTON, Alfred George - PO(A) - FX.76535 - HMS Sparrowhawk - RN - MiD.
Lee-On-Solent Memorial, Hampshire.
Skua - L2889 - 801 Sqn - FAA,RN.

CARPENTER, Jack Conway - S/Lt(A) - HMS Daedalus - RN.
Lee-On-Solent Memorial, Hampshire.
Hurricane I - P3201 - 46 Sqn RAF.
(CWGC has 8th although the documents clearly show the 9th. FCL vol 1(revised) also has the 8th as does FAA Aircraft 1939/45 on page 485 ).

FORRESTER, George Mathwin - P/O - 81369 - RAFVR.
Odiham Cemetery, Hampshire.
Hurricane I - L2059 - 605 Sqn.

HARES, Edward Albert - Sgt - 754410 - RAFVR.
Charlton Kings Cemetery, Gloucestershire.
LANE, William Gilbert - Sgt - 754097 - RAFVR.
Down Hatherley (St.Mary and Corpus Christi) Churchyard, Gloucestershire.
These two airmen were crew of Harvard I - P5885 - 15 SFTS.

BODY, Stephen - P/O - 82968 - RAF.
Birkenhead (Landican) Crematorium, Cheshire.
REES,William George - P/O - 84926 - RAF.
Pontycymmer (Gelliron) Cemetery, Glamorganshire.
These two airmen were crew of Master I - N7967 - 7 OTU.

AIR 81/3216
Pilot Officer S Body, Pilot Officer W G Rees: killed; aircraft accident, Halkyn, Master N7867, 7 Operational Training Unit, 9 September 1940
Detail: N7867 is incorrect

BOULTON, John Eric F/O - 40362 - RAF - CMC.
Wallington (Bandon Hill) Cemetery, Surrey.
Hurricane I - V7412 - 310(Czech) Sqn.

DRAKE, George James - P/O - 42398 - RAF.
Brookwood Military Cemetery, Surrey.
Hurricane I - P2728 - 607 Sqn.
(CWGC has both 602 and 607 Sqn's).

LENAHAN,John Desmond - P/O - 41302 - RAF.
Cranbrook Cemetery, Kent.
Hurricane I - P3574 - 607 Sqn.

PARNALL, Stuart Boyd - P/O - 90844 - RAF (AAF).
Golders Green Crematorium, Middlesex .
Hurricane I - P3117 - 607 Sqn.

SCLANDERS, Kirkpatrick McClure - P/O - 37301 - RAFVR.
Whyteleafe (St.Luke) Churchyard, Surrey.
Hurricane I - P3087 - 242 Sqn.

BROWN, Jack Leonard - Sgt - 968371 - RAFVR.
Colchester Cemetery, Essex.
PAYNE, Donald Mayston - Sgt - 902467 - RAFVR.
Quorn Baptist Churchyard, Leicestershire.
These two airmen were crew of Wellington Ic - P9245 - 149 Sqn.

ANDREWS, Lionel Vincent- Sqn/Ldr - 26196 - RAF.
BULL, Nugent Joseph ( Australian) - Sgt - 904181 - RAFVR.
SEARLES, Walter George - P/O - 79000 - RAFVR.
These three airmen were crew of Wellington Ic - P9245 - 149 Sqn.

JARMAN, These Geoffrey Scott - Sgt - 937239 - RAFVR.
PAPRICK, William Ian Struan - Sgt - 740369 - RAFVR.
PEGLER, Victor William - Sgt - 612685 - RAF.
Three airmen were crew of Blenheim IV - R3612 - 40 Sqn.

CHARNOCK, Leonard - Sgt - 512011 - RAF.
CAZALET, Alexander Brise Travers - F/O - 72328 - RAFVR.
THOMPSON, Edward Francis - Sgt -755298 - RAFVR.
These three airmen were crew of Blenheim IV - T1851 - 107 Sqn.

GREEN, Rendle - Sgt - 965313 - RAFVR.
HODSON, Dennis Derrick Raymond - Sgt - 566166 - RAF.
PALMER, Edward Bartle - Sgt - 743071 - RAFVR.
These three airmen were crew of Blenheim IV - T1894 - 105 Sqn.

COOPER, Walter Arthur - P/O - 80556 - RAFVR.
DRINKWATER, Fred - Sgt - 541979 - RAF.
These two airmen were crew of Battle - L5010 - 103 Sqn.

McALISTER, William Gordon - Sgt - 749508 - RAFVR.
Whitley V - P5021 - 51 Sqn.

The fifteen airmen listed above are all commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial, Surrey.

BECKER, Peter - GAF.
BIERLING, Georg Alfred - GAF.
BORN, Karl Kurt - GAF.
DEIBLER, Ernst - GAF.
DOERING, Willi - GAF.
KRAMP, Otto - GAF.
KURELLA, Friedrich Wilhelm - GAF.
OSTERMUENCHNER, Eduard - GAF.
PETERMANN, Friedrich - GAF.
PFAFFELHUBER, Alois - GAF.
SAWALLISCH, Willi - GAF.
WEIHER, Christian - GAF.
WENDORFF, Ernst - GAF.
WENNINGER, Wilhelm - GAF
ZIMMERMANN, Werner - GAF.
These fifteen German Airmen all rest at Cannock Chase German Military Cemetery, Staffordshire.
Cause of death ?

Alex

[COL BRUGGY]

Hello,

UK.

BULL, Nugent Joseph, Sgt - 904181 - RAFVR.

904181 Sgt Nugent Joseph BULL RAFVR, from Newtown, New South Wales, was an Australian serving in the RAF. Bull had served with Franco's Nationalist ground forces during the Spanish Civil War.

Col.

[Andy Marden]

Alex,

BODY, Stephen - P/O - 82968 - RAF.
Birkenhead (Landican) Crematorium, Cheshire.
REES,William George - P/O - 84926 - RAF.
Pontycymmer (Gelliron) Cemetery, Glamorganshire.
These two airmen were crew of Master I - N7867 - 7 OTU.
>> Error in AIR81/3216. Serial was N7967

CARPENTER, Jack Conway - S/Lt(A) - HMS Daedalus - RN.
Lee-On-Solent Memorial, Hampshire.
Hurricane I - P3201 - 46 Sqn RAF.
(CWGC has 8th although the documents clearly show the 9th. FCL vol 1(revised) also has the 8th as does FAA Aircraft 1939/45 on page 485 ).
>> The 46 Sqn ORB and Summary of Events clearly show that this loss was on 8th September 1940. Refer to "BoB - Then and Now" for further clarification.

Andy

[Alex Smart]

Hello Andy,
AIR 81/3216
Pilot Officer S Body, Pilot Officer W G Rees: killed; aircraft accident, Halkyn, Master N7867, 7 Operational Training Unit, 9 September 1940.
So N7967 is the correct serial number then ?

And date for P/O's Body and Rees, strange howe the paperwork has the 9th, so apart from the ORB showing the 8th . The CWGC gives the 9th .

[Andy Marden]

Alex,
Yes, N7967 is correct. N7867 survived to be SOC in June 1943.
Regarding the loss of Carpenter, "BoB Then and Now" says:
"This officer is officially listed 'missing on September 9, 1940. However, No. 46 Squadron records show that they took off from Stapleford at 11.30 a.m on Septemnber 8, 1940, and engaged an enemy formation over the Isle of Sheppey. Sub-Lieutenant Carpenter appears to have gone down at about 12.30 pm and his naval record shows that he was reported 'missing' in a signal from No.46 Squadron timed 8.20 pm on September 8, 1940. A further signal from Rear Admiral Naval Air Stations timed 7.14 pm on September 9 notified that the officer had been 'killed in crash'. Unfortunately neither of these signals can now be traced in Admiralty records and we can only assume that as the officer's death was notified on September 9, 1940, this date has been recorded for naval administrative purposes"
Andy