400922 - Unaccounted airmen - 22-9-1940

[Henk Welting]

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

LAC (Pilot u/t) William W. MUIR - 936559 - killed on active service, and

W/Cdr Oswald B. SWAIN - 17038 - killed on active service, his name commemorated on Panel 3 of the Golders Green Crematorium.

Mrs Irene Edit Clarissa Jane SWAIN, age 36, wife of W/Cdr Swain died in same accident (source: CWGC). She lies buried Hendon Municipal Borough, Middlesex.
Same date and same cemetery lies buried Richard SWAIN, age 6 (not mentioned by CWGC but who may have died in same accident).

Proposed aircraft losses:

Hart T - K5883 - 9 FTS - flew into ground South Wroxall, Wiltshire
Magister I - L8218 - 16 EFTS - overshoot on landing Derby
Oxford I - R6339 - 2 FTS - dived into ground Akeman Street

Regards and thanks for your help.
Henk.

[Dick]

Hi Henk
Muir,24, is registered at Trowbridge, Wiltshire and could be connected to K5883. The Swains are all registered at Hendon, this could be an air raid on the airfield hitting nearby civilian accommodation or Married Quarters or a vehicle accident or some such incident.Richard Swain is recorded by CWGC as Civilian War Dead and as being killed at 211 Gt North Way which is in Hendon and is the same address as Irene Swain. The Hendon Municipal Borough is not a Cemetery but merely the way that CWGC records Civilian casualties in the area in which they died. It is possible that all 3 Swains were cremated together.
Regards
Dick

[Henk Welting]

Thanks Dick for this very clear answer.
Regards,
Henk.

[Bart FM Droog]

Hello Henk,

Here's a tip for searching the CWGC Database:

If you enter on the <a href='http://www.cwgc.org/debt_of_honour.asp?menuid=14'>Search page</a> a surname - say 'Swain', then adjust the years - in this case twice 1940, and then search: you'll get all the Swains who died in 1940.

But: press then on 'Date of death' - the names appear in chronogical order. If you browse through the search result-pages, you'll have to repeat pressing the 'date of death'.

You can use this also by just entering a letter for the surname. That's how I go through the database to find those who died in the early part of 1940.

Regards,

Bart

[Henk Welting]

Thanks Bart, will follow your advise (wijze raad).
Regards,
Henk.

[Dick]

Hi Henk
Bart's method is how I got Irene Swain who didn't come up using her full initials.
Regards
Dick

[Bart FM Droog]

The easiest way is of course to select 'The Force' for the people you're looking for. Which will be 'Air Force' in most cases. But sometimes it can be handy not to select it. Especially when you're looking for casualties from one day, who might be civilians, airmen, mariners, sailors or soldiers and whose deaths might be connected.

Regards,

Bart

[Ross_McNeill]

F1180 for Hart K5883 confirms Muir as only casualty.

Regards
Ross

[Martyn A Critchlow]

Probate on both Oswald Bertie SWAIN and Mrs Irene Edit Clarissa Jane SWAIN, who have separate entries, read:
who is believed to have been killed through war operation on 23 September and whose dead body was found on 23 September 1940.

Martyn

[jonheyworth]

Vernon Laine Turner 771614 , attached to AHQ India, died in a road accident

[Alex Smart]

Hello,

400922 - Unaccounted Airmen - 22-09-1940

From Henk's List -

SOUTH AFRICA
SMITH, Melville Gaston - Air Apprentice - 95496 - SAAF.
Thaba Tshwane (Old No.1)Military Cemetery, Gauteng, South Africa.
Died from injuries received on the 21st in a motor vehicle accident at Pretoria.

UK
GAMET, Douglas Louis Clifford - Lac - 611068 - RAF.
Wallasey (Rake Lane) Cemetery, Cheshire.
Cause of death ?

SWAINE, Oswald Bertie - Wng/Cdr - 17038 - RAF.
Golders Green Crematorium, Middlesex.
Oswald and his wife both killed through war operations.

From CWGC -

AUSTRALIA
HOLDER, Kenneth George - Lac - 400225 - RAAF - EFTS Narromine.
Fawkner Crematorium, Victoria, Australia.
Died from injuries received following being struck by a motor lorry.

PAKISTAN
LAINE - TURNER, Vernon - AC2c - 771614 - RAFVR.
Karachi War Cemetery, Pakistan.
Killed in a Road accident.

UK
COPLESTONE, Anthony Drake - P/O - 84720 - RAFVR.
Boldre (St.John) Churchyard, Hampshire.
NOVEMBER, John - Sgt - 938877 - RAFVR.
Yardley Wood (Christ Church) Churchyard, Warwickshire.
WILSON, Hubert Henry - Sgt - 745159 - RAFVR.
Bury Cemetery, Huntingdonshire.
These three airmen were crew of Blenheim I- L8610 - 17 OTU.

MUIR, William Waddell - Lac - 936559 - RAFVR.
Faslane Cemetery, Dunbartonshire.
Hart - K5883 - 9SFTS.

BUSBY, Gordon Alfred - S/Lt(A) - HMS Furious - RNVR.
READ, John - Lt(A) - HMS Furious - RN.
WEBBER, Leslie Arthur - LA - FX.76308 - HMS Furious - RN.
These three Naval Airmen are Commemorated on the Lee-on-Solent Memorial, Hampshire.
They were crew of Swordfish I - L2745 - 816 Sqn FAA,RN.

MARAIS, Derek John Theobald - S/Lt(A) - HMS Sparrowhawk - RNVR.
Lady Old Cemetery, Orkney.
GAYNON, George Harry - NA1c - FX.80437 - HMS Ark Royal - RN.
Kirkwall (Stolaf's) Cemetery, Orkney. [ But 23rd ?].
SAUNDERS, Frederick Christopher - S/Lt(A) - HMS Ark Royal - RN - DSC.
Lee-on-Solent Memorial, Hampshire.
These three Naval Airmen were crew of Swordfish I - L7635 821 Sqn FAA, RN.

SCHAEFER, Heinrich - GAF.
Honington (All Saints) Churchyard, Suffolk.
Cause of death ?

Alex

[wwrsimon]

Alex

SCHAEFER, Heinrich - pilot of Do-17Z-3 U5+ shot down on August 26th 1940, and died of his wounds.

See: http://whepstead.onesuffolk.net/our-village/history/whepstead-at-war/ww2-air-crash-in-whepstead/

Regards

Simon

[jonheyworth]

Douglas Louis Clifford Gamet 611068 , attached to Number 1 Signals School , died in RAF Hospital, Rauceby at 04:32 Hours , of meningitis