401007 - Unaccounted airmen - 7-10-1940

[Henk Welting]

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

W/O Edmund G. HUNT - GM - 359883 - died of wounds or injuries received on active service

Proposed aircraft loss for this day:
Tiger Moth II - N5478 - 9 EFTS - crashed on take-off Ansty,

and FOUR airmen who all "died" on active service and were of 9 Sqn (Honington, Suffolk):

Sgt (Pilot) John D. CROSS - 742933
LAC Kenneth PAINTER - 645628
AC2 George E. POUND - 1055450
LAC Kenneth G. WHEELER - 621799.

Regards and thanks for your help.
Henk.

[Bart FM Droog]

Hello Henk,

Regarding the 9 Squadron men - the IX Squadron Association has a website with forum - perhaps a good place to post your question: http://www.association.9sqn.co.uk/

Regards,

Bart

[Henk Welting]

Thanks Bart for link.
Groeten,
Henk.

[John Larder]

Probably intruders. AC1 Snell (535929) killed 28/10/40 'We had quite a few intruder attacks.........There were so many of these attacks they moved us and the NCOs to stately home to sleep, Ampton Hall' Sam Hall quoted pp33 Bombers First & Last - Gordon Thorburn.

[Dick]

Hi Henk
Cross,25, Painter,21, Pound,25, and Wheeler,23 are all registered at Bury St Edmunds which I believe is the right office for Honnington which is a few miles N of Bury St E. Hunt,34 is registered at Bromley in Kent close to SE London.
Regards
Dick

[John Larder]

W/O Edmund Hunt G.M. killed while attempting to defuse a bomb fitted with one of the first anti-interference devices (Biggin on the Bump - Bob Ogley) There is also a photo of him as a F/Sgt. with a collectionof defused bombs.

[Henk Welting]

Thanks Dick and John for this excellent info.
Regards,
Henk.

[Martyn A Critchlow]

WW2 Talk records:

On the night of 7th Oct 1940 Sgt J.D. Cross (742933), LAC K. Painter (645628), and LAC K.G. Wheeler (621799) died when a Wellington from 149 Squadron was returning from operations in a damaged state. The aircraft struck the chance light, crashed and caught fire. The three airmen who died were on duty working on the flare path. Chorley does have a record of this incident. He has Wellington 1C of 99Sqn, Ser No. L7896 LN-G, taking off from Mildenhall at 1831 with P/O Topham on board. Chorley states that the aircraft was borrowed by 149 Sqn and was on Op Berlin. Badly shot about by night fighters over the North Sea, the crew were obliged to make an emergency landing at Honington airfield, Suffolk. Shortly after touchdown the bomber caught fire and was burnt out, though no injuries are reported.

Strange they are not recorded as KOAS.

Martyn

[Alex Smart]

Hello,

401007 - Unaccounted Airmen - 07-10-1940

From Henk's List -

UK
CROSS, John Davies - Sgt - 742933 - RAFVR.
Pontardawe(All Saints) Churchyard, Glamorganshire.
PAINTER, Kenneth-Lac - 645628 - RAF.
Honington (All Saints) Churchyard, Suffolk.
POUND, George Edward - AC2c - 1055450 - RAFVR.
Far Forest (Holy Trinity) Churchyard, Rock, Worcestershire.
WHEELER, Kenneth George - Lac - 621799 - RAF.
Cambridge City Cemetery, Cambridgeshire.
These four airmen were crew of Wellington I - L7896 - 9 Sqn.

HUNT, Edmund George - W/O - 359883 - RAF - GM.
Chatham (Palmerston Road) Cemetery, Kent.
Killed while attempting to defuse a bomb.

From CWGC -

GERMANY
GREEN, Herbert Frederick - Sgt - 742028 - RAFVR.
HOLLIDAY, George - Sgt - 936348 - RAFVR.
O'REGAN, Francis Patrick - Sgt - 747713 - RAFVR.
STEPHENS, Reginald - Sgt - 749413 - RAFVR.
TAYLOR, Rex Oliver Oxley - Sqn/Ldr - 22092 - RAFVR.
WHELPTON, Harry - Sgt - 751267 - RAFVR.
These six airmen rest at Berlin 1939-1945 War Cemetery, Berlin.
They were crew of Wellington Ic - P9287 - 38 Sqn.

UK
HARRIS, Richard Waugh - P/O - 42988 - RAF.
HARVEY, Marcus Rudolph - Sgt - 936278 - RAFVR.
These two airmen rest at Newton-on-Ouse, (All Saints) Churchyard, Yorkshire.
They were crew of Lysander III - R9056 - 4 Sqn.

BARRY, Nathaniel John Merriman (SouthAfrican) - F/O - 72514 - RAFVR .
Finghall (St.Andrew) Churchyard, Yorkshire.
Hurricane I - V6800 - 501 Sqn.

BEEDHAM, Joseph Jeffery Ian - P/O - 84943 - RAFVR.
Glenavy Roman Catholic Churchyard, County Antrum, UK.
Hurricane I - N2707 - 245 Sqn.

BRIDGE, James Frederick - F/O - 77783 - RAFVR.
Bedford Cemetery, Bedfordshire.
KISSNER, Jack Henry - Lac - 938026 - RAFVR.
Cranfield (SS.Peter and Paul) Churchyard, Bedfordshire.
These two airmen were crew of Oxford II - N4729 - 14 SFTS.

BROADHURST, John William - P/O - 41898 - RAF.
Hornchurch Cemetery, Essex.
Spitfire Ia - P9469 - 222 Sqn.

DIFFORD, Ivor Benison (South African) - F/O - 39865 - RAF .
Tangmere (St.Andrew) Churchyard, Sussex.
Hurricane I - P2770 - 609 Sqn.

ENGLISH, Charles Edward - P/O - 77791 - RAF.
Newcastle-Upon-Tyne (St.Andrews and Jesmond)Cemetery, Northumberland.
Hurricane I - P3677 - 607 Sqn.

FEARY, Allan Norman - Sgt - 742301 - RAFVR.
Warmwell (Holy Trinity) Churchyard, Dorset.
Spitfire Ia - N3238 - 609 Sqn.

MATTHEWS, Henry Key Fielding - F/O - 40551 - RAF.
Beckenham Crematorium and Cemetery, Kent.
Whitley V - K9087 - 603 Sqn.

OLDHAM, Dennis Henry - Lac - 1152047 - RAFVR.
Harrow Cemetery, Middlesex.
Master I - N7876 - 5 SFTS.

WHALL, Basil Ewart Patrick - Sgt - 740484 - RAFVR.
Amersham Consecrated Cemetery, Buckinghamshire.
Spitfire Ia - X4160 - 602 Sqn.

HOSKIN, Michael Covernton - Lt - HMS Daedalus - RN.
ROSE - RICHARDS, Thomas Essery - Lt(A) - HMS Daedalus - RN.
These two Naval Airmen are Commemorated on the Lee-on-Solent Memorial, Hampshire.
They were crew of Walrus - Serial number unknown - 765 Sqn FAA, RN.
Henk has Y0133.
Could the Walrus have been X1046, ex L2309 which was SS 11th October, 40 ?

BACHMANN, Josef - GAF.
HERZOG, Karl - GAF.
LEGE, Paul - GAF.
SCHILLING, Herbert - GAF.
These four German Airmen rest at Cannock Chase German Military Cemetery, Staffordshire.
Cause of death ?

REPIK, Josef - GAF.
SIDOW, Kurt - GAF.
These two German Airmen rest at Brookwood Military Cemetery, Surrey.
Cause of death ?

Alex

[Andy Marden]

HOSKIN, Michael Covernton - Lt - HMS Daedalus - RN.
ROSE - RICHARDS, Thomas Essery - Lt(A) - HMS Daedalus - RN.
These two Naval Airmen are Commemorated on the Lee-on-Solent Memorial, Hampshire.
They were crew of Walrus - Serial number unknown - 765 Sqn FAA, RN.
Henk has Y0133.
Could the Walrus have been X1046, ex L2309 which was SS 11th October, 40 ?


I think that the SS in that context refers to Storage Section. There is also a later date of 15.3.44 in the FAA Serials book, so I don't think that X1046 is the aircraft we're looking for sadly.

[Andy Marden]

MATTHEWS, Henry Key Fielding - F/O - 40551 - RAF.
Beckenham Crematorium and Cemetery, Kent.
Whitley V - K9087 - 603 Sqn.


This was a Spitfire, the serial should read K9807 (error in AIR81/3674).
However, there is debate surrounding the losses of K9807, K9963, N3109 as per your thread at:
http://www.rafcommands.com/forum/showthread.php?26365-Which-Spitfire-and-which-Pilot
I'm not sure that this has been conclusively resolved yet.

[Andy Marden]

ENGLISH, Charles Edward - P/O - 77791 - RAF.
Newcastle-Upon-Tyne (St.Andrews and Jesmond)Cemetery, Northumberland.
Hurricane I - P3677 - 607 Sqn.


This was a 605 Sqn loss: http://www.rafcommands.com/database/serials/details.php?uniq=P3677

[Andy Marden]

DIFFORD, Ivor Benison (South African) - F/O - 39865 - RAF .
Tangmere (St.Andrew) Churchyard, Sussex.
Hurricane I - P2770 - 609 Sqn.


This is another loss in the "not entirely straightforward" category.
Firstly, I don't think P2770 ever served with 609 Sqn.
It seems from the discussion here: http://www.rafcommands.com/forum/showthread.php?20316-Sgt-J-Lansdell-crash-17-9-40-which-Hurricane-(moved)&p=118956#post118956
that the two aircraft involved in the mid-air collision in which Difford lost his life were L1728 and P3860.

[Andy Marden]

CROSS, John Davies - Sgt - 742933 - RAFVR.
Pontardawe(All Saints) Churchyard, Glamorganshire.
PAINTER, Kenneth-Lac - 645628 - RAF.
Honington (All Saints) Churchyard, Suffolk.
POUND, George Edward - AC2c - 1055450 - RAFVR.
Far Forest (Holy Trinity) Churchyard, Rock, Worcestershire.
WHEELER, Kenneth George - Lac - 621799 - RAF.
Cambridge City Cemetery, Cambridgeshire.
These four airmen were crew of Wellington I - L7896 - 9 Sqn.


No, they weren't crew. This 99 Sqn aircraft (flown by a 149 Sqn crew) crashed on landing at Honington, killing some 9 Sqn airmen working on the flarepath:
http://www.rafcommands.com/forum/showthread.php?1543-401007-Unaccounted-airmen-7-10-1940

[Andy Marden]

The Germans:

BACHMANN, Josef - GAF. >> pilot of Bf110C-4 3564/3U+JT of 8./ZG26, shot down and force-landed Corfe Castle. Gunner was made POW.
HERZOG, Karl - GAF. >> crew of Bf110C-7 3418/3U+JP of 6./ZG26, shot down over Somerset
LEGE, Paul - GAF. >> pilot of Bf109E-7 3881 of 5./JG27, shot down over Sussex
SCHILLING, Herbert - GAF. >> crew of Bf110C-7 3418/3U+JP of 6./ZG26, shot down over Somerset
These four German Airmen rest at Cannock Chase German Military Cemetery, Staffordshire.

REPIK, Josef - GAF.
SIDOW, Kurt - GAF.
These two German Airmen rest at Brookwood Military Cemetery, Surrey.
>> crew of Bf110C-4 3283/3U+_T (3U+BT or 3U+DT?) of 8./ZG26, shot down over Dorset.

[davew]

Alex

Hurricane P2770 should read L1728 of 607S ABS and BoBT&N. P2770 was not lost until 7/ November 1940.

Hurricane P3677 was of 605S ditto

DaveW

[Andy Marden]

Dave,
Something is still not right here.
According to the 145 Sqn ORB, the machine in which F/O Weir was lost on 7 Nov 40 was P2720, as here: http://www.rafcommands.com/database/serials/details.php?uniq=P2720
I'll continue in a separate thread.
Andy

[Alex Smart]

Thank you both, Andy and Dave for highlighting the details of those airmen and aircraft serials and offering the correct information.
Much appreciated
Alex