401008 - Unaccounted airmen - 8-10-1940

[Henk Welting]

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

F/O Cyril C. HICKS - 44141
P/O (Pilot) James B. MACKILL - 85263
LAC Stanley BLAYLOCK - 542846 - 12 BC/924 Balloon Sqn
AC1 Garfield M. PRING - 549818 - 12 BC/924 Balloon Sqn
Sgt (Pilot u/t) Ernest D. STAPLETON - 741973

all killed on active service. Blaylock and Pring may have been killed in an air raid, and it is known that Pring has a joint grave with AC2 F.H. Greening 1260370 of same Balloon unit, however who died 10-10-1940.

Also looking for:
LAC (Pilot u/t) Walter F. RUSK - 966122, who died of wounds or injuries received on active service.

Proposed aircraft losses for this day:

Hart Special - K4368 - 7 FTS - flew into ground Tilton-on-the-Hill, Leics.
Magister I - P4367 - PRU - hit balloon barrage Langley, Bucks. (already as a casualty on this aircraft W/Cdr J.H. Hutchinson-MiD - 16112)
Oxford I - R6326 - 11 FTS - crashed on approach at night Shawbury
Tiger Moth II - T5632 - 22 EFTS - spun into ground 1 mile S of Cambridge
Tutor I - K6103 - 2 FTS - flew into ground Ancaster, Lincs.

Regards and thanks for your help.
Henk.

[thorne83]

Henk, no casualties on Oxford R6326. Pilot was Sgt W J Lewis, later KIA with 467 Squadron 3rd November 1943.

[Dick]

Hi Henk
Hicks,31, is registered at Eton which could put him at the incident at Langley which is close by.
Mackill,26, and Stapleton,20 are both registered at Grantham which I believe is right for Ancaster.Both Pring,22 and Blaylock,26 are registered at Southampton. Rusk,29, is registered at Leicester and could mean the incident at Tilton
Regards
Dick

[Henk Welting]

Thanks Dick and Thorne for your valued response.
Regards,
Henk.

[Henk Welting]

Typo in my first thread............
Serial of the Magister was P6347 instead of P4367.
Regards,
Henk.

[Ross_McNeill]

F1180 confirms Rusk as pilot for Hart Special - K4368

Regards
Ross

[wwrsimon]

Hello

P/O (Pilot) James B. MACKILL - 85263
Sgt (Pilot u/t) Ernest D. STAPLETON - the respective Graves Registration Reports for these two record them as being with with 2 F.T.S.

Regards

Simon

[jonheyworth]

Norman Lawley 526506 , died at 03:50 Hours following an operation on a crushed leg

[jonheyworth]

Stanley Harry Wakelam 959972 , attached to Number 4 AONS, was killed when it was thought his motorcycle was blown off the road into a ditch on a very windy night on the Brinklow Raod, near Ansty around midnight. An RAF Corporal cycling by found him dead from a fractured skull and his pillion passenger seriously injured

[Alex Smart]

Hello,

401008 - Unaccounted Civilian and Airmen - 08-10-1940

From Henk's List -

CIVILIAN
UK
HILL, Joan Ellen - Miss - Met Off.
Of 71 Farmstead Road, Billingham,Catford,Lewisham.
Rests at Holborn Metropolitan Borough Cemetery, London.
Killed in an Air Raid on Chancery Lane, High Holborn, London.

EGYPT
LAWLEY, Norman - Lac - 526506 - RAF - 80 Sqn.
Cairo Memorial Cemetery, Egypt.
Cause of death ?

UK
BLAYLOCK, Stanley - Lac - 542846 - RAF - 924 Balloon Sqn.
Haggate Baptist Chapelyard, Lancashire.
Killed in an Air Raid at Eastleigh.

BROWN, Frederick Harold - Cpl - 211243 - RAF.
Glasgow (Riddrie Park) Cemetery, Glasgow.
Died from Vesical Calculi Pyelonephritis.

KINCHIN, Leonard Thomas - F/O - 78405 - RAFVR.
Silloth (Causewayhead) Cemetery, Holme Low, Cumberland.
Accidentally shot by a sentry.

PRING,Garfield Maurice - AC1c - 549818 - RAFVR - 924 Balloon Sqn.
North Stoneham (St.Nicholas) Churchyard, Hampshire.
Killed in an Air Raid on Eastleigh.

RUDDEN Philip - AC2c - 973370 - RAFVR - 932 Balloon Sqn.
Glasgow (St.Kentigern's) Roman Catholic Cemetery, Glasgow.
Killed in a motor-cycle accident.

WAKELAM, Stanley Harry- Lac - 959972 - RAFVR.
Claverley (All Saints) Churchyard, Lincolnshire.
Motorcycle accident at night.

From CWGC -

FRANCE
MALLON, John Charles (New Zealander) - P/O - 42719 - RAF. ( CWGC has 11th but documents show the 8th, see - https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/2279411/john-charles-mallon/ ).
SHACKLEFORD, Arthur Thomas - Sgt - 613282 - RAF.
WHETTON, Wilfred Philip - Sgt - 562350 - RAF - DFM.
These three airmen rest at Guines Communal Cemetery, Pas-de-Calais, France.
They were crew of Blenheim IV - T2036 - 53 Sqn.

TURKEY
McKEEVER, Stephen - Wng/Cdr - 07229 - RAF - DFC.
Haidar Pasha Cemetery, Turkey (inc Gallipoli).
Lysander accident.

UK
BOWTELL, Richard Thomas - Sgt - 805458 - RAF (AAF).
Gloucester Old Cemetery, Gloucestershire.

JEFFERYS, Albert Frederick - P/O - 81649 - RAF.
KEELING, Ralph Alexander Walter (Canadian) - Sgt - 638360 - RAF.
These two airmen rest at Gloucester Old Cemetery, Gloucestershire.

SHEILS, Joseph Desmond - Sgt - 741808 - RAFVR.
Mill Hill (St.Paul) Churchyard, Middlesex.

The above four airmen were crew of Hampden I - P1271 - 16 OTU.

ANCLIFFE, Gordon Ellis - Sgt - 940153 - RAFVR.
Sheffield (City Road) Cemetery, Yorkshire.
GAULDIE, Clarence Carnegie Milne - P/O - 84029 - RAFVR.
Arbroath Western Cemetery, Angus.
SHARP, Patrick Duart - F/O - 72284 - RAFVR.
St.Just-in-Roseland (St.Just) Churchyard, Cornwall.
These three airmen were crew of Blenheim I - L6783 - 13 OTU.

BRETT, Walter James - Sgt - 971032 - RAFVR.
Liverpool (Anfield) Cemetery, Lancashire.
CHAMBERS, Sydney - Sgt - 759176 - RAFVR.
Newcastle-Upon-Tyne (All Saints) Cemetery, Northumberland.
COUTTS - WOOD, Stewart Farquharson - F/Lt - 37794 - RAF - DFC.
Nottingham Crematorium, Nottinghamshire.
WORDSWORTH, Dennis Wilfred - Sgt - 754549 - RAFVR.
Sheffield (Crookes) Cemetery, Yorkshire.
These four airmen were crew of Blenheim IV - L4883 - 13 OTU.

HICKS, Cyril Clifford - F/O - 44141 - RAF.
Kington Cemetery, Herefordshire.
HUTCHINSON, John Harvey - Wng/Cdr - 16112 - RAF - MiD.
Pembrey (St.Illtyd) Churchyard, Carmarthenshire.
These two airmen were crew of Magister I - P6347 - RAF Pembrey.

MACKILL, James Benham - P/O - 85263 - RAFVR.
Eaglesham Cemetery, Renfrewshire.
STAPLETON, Ernest David - Sgt - 741973 - RAFVR.
Cranwell (St.Andrew) Churchyard, Lincolnshire.
These two airmen were crew of Tutor - K6103 - 2 FTS.

BROWN, Desmond Crighton - P/O - 86365 - RAFVR.
Southend-on-Sea (Sutton Road) Cemetery, Essex.
Hurricane I - L2083 - 6 OTU.

FARROW, John Robinson- Sgt - 745091 - RAFVR.
Northwood Cemetery, Middlesex.
Hurricane I - V6820 - 229 Sqn.

FRANTISEK, Jozef - Plutonowy - P/793451 - PAF DFM and Bar.
Northwood Cemetery, Middlesex.
Hurricane I - R4175 - 303 Sqn.

GOODALL, Harold Ingham - P/O - 79159 - RAFVR.
Poole( Parkstone) Cemetery, Dorset.
YOUNG, Robert Bett Mirk - Sgt - 40197 - RNZAF.
Northwood Cemetery, Middlesex.
These two airmen were crew of Defiant I - N1627 - 264 Sqn.

AKROYD, Harold John - P/O - 86360 - RAF.
Warmwell (Holy Trinity) Churchyard, Dorset.
Spitfire Ia - N3039 - 152 Sqn.

BUCKLAND, Frank William - P/O - 84959 - RAF.
Brighton (Woodvale ) Borough Crematorium, Sussex.
Spitfire II - P7329 - 74 Sqn.a

CORBETT, George Henry ( Canadian) - P/O - 81366 - RAFVR.
Upchurch (St.Mary) Churchyard Extension, Kent.
Spitfire Ia - R6779 - 66 Sqn.

HASTINGS, Douglas - P/O - 42406 - RAF.
Tynemouth (Preston) Cemetery, Northumberland.
Spitfire IIa - P7373 - 74 Sqn.

WARD, Rufus Arthur - Sgt - 740913 - RAFVR.
Croydon (Mitcham Road) Cemetery, Surrey.
Spitfire Ia - N3043 - 66 Sqn.

RUSK, Walter Frederick - Lac - 966122 - RAFVR.
Peterborough (Eastfield) Cemetery, Northamptonshire.
Audax - K4368 - 7SFTS.

ENS, Ernst - GAF.
West Thorney (St.Nicholas) Churchyard, Sussex.
Cause of death ?

BUETTNER, Johann - GAF.
DOETTLINGER, Gottfried - GAF.
KUEHNE, Siegbert - GAF.
SEMPER, Gerhard - GAF.
These four German Airmen rest at Cannock Chase German Military Cemetery, Staffordshire.
Cause of death ?

ZIMBABWE
VIRGO, Cecil Edwin Eric - Sgt - 741614 - RAFVR.
WALKER, George Wyndham - Sgt - 741405 - RAFVR.
These two airmen rest at Harare (Pioneer) Cemetery, Zimbabwe.
These two airmen were crew of Harvard I - P5972 - 20 SFTS.

Alex

[malcolm_raf]

Hi

Lawley - He died following an operation on a crushed leg.

Malcolm

[Andy Marden]

TURKEY
McKEEVER, Stephen - Wng/Cdr - 07229 - RAF - DFC.
Haidar Pasha Cemetery, Turkey (inc Gallipoli).
Lysander accident.


This is an interesting one. This will no doubt have been a Turkish Air Force machine, as Wg Cdr McKeever was on secondment to the Turkish Government:
https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/34455/page/7189/data.pdf

[Andy Marden]

ENS, Ernst - GAF.
West Thorney (St.Nicholas) Churchyard, Sussex.
Cause of death ?
>> shot down in He111P-2 1715/G1+MS of 8./KG55 during attack on Thorney Island

BUETTNER, Johann - GAF.
DOETTLINGER, Gottfried - GAF.
KUEHNE, Siegbert - GAF.
SEMPER, Gerhard - GAF.
These four German Airmen rest at Cannock Chase German Military Cemetery, Staffordshire.
Cause of death ?
>> shot down over Sussex in Ju88A-1 6115/9K+DM of 4./KG51

[Lyffe]

Joan Hill, born 25 Dec 1921, joined the Met Office as a Clerical Assistant on leaving school in 1938, and worked at Victory House, Kingsway, the Met Office administrative HQ. The working day started at 8.30 am and it is believed she normally left home in Bellingham at around 7.30 am to reach work on time. On this occasion evidence suggests train journeys into central London had been disrupted by overnight raids, so trains were running late and it was about 8.30 when she reached Holborn Viaduct station where she caught a bus to complete the journey to Kingsway.

At the same time, 8.30, Bf-109Es from St Omer were crossing the Kent coast near Dungeness and turning towards London. British defences were slow to identify the threat and the only squadron scrambled to intercept failed to make contact. Air-raid warnings were not sounded until five minutes before the first bombs fell at 8.50 am. Two fell close to the junction of High Holborn and Chancery Lane, and Joan was one of several fatalities. She was only about 500 yards as the crow flies from Victory House.

Police, informed her colleagues, already concerned by her non-appearance, of her death later that morning - she had been identified by her Met Office pass.

She rests with her father (d 2 Jan 1931) and her mother in Hither Green Cemetery, Lewisham.

Brian

[Lyffe]

Alex,

Re your entry for Joan Ellen Hill

1. Her address in #1 is incorrect, she lived in Bellingham, not Billingham.

2. The entry advises she is buried in the Holborn Metropolitan Borough Cemetery, London. This is inconsistent with my previous post (#5) which notes she is buried in the Hither Green Cemetery, Lewisham which is about 1.5 miles from her home. My daughter has visited her grave.

I appreciate Henk's information is taken from the CWGC, but I do not believe there is such a place; I think the term Holborn Metropolitan Borough on the CWGC website refers to casualties who died within the Holborn Metropolitan Borough, not where they are buried.

Brian

[Alex Smart]

This is an interesting one. This will no doubt have been a Turkish Air Force machine, as Wg Cdr McKeever was on secondment to the Turkish Government:
https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/34455/page/7189/data.pdf

This could well have been Turkish Lysander numbered "3108", recorded in Scramble's Special ad "Turkish Military Aircraft since 1912" as crashed ,Yesilkoy, Hava Akademesi Kesif Taburu/1./2.BI. 1940.

It is also noted that a Lysander had crashed killing its English pilot during a test flight.

However it also notes that an earlier crash occurred on 24th July,1940 but no other details.

The first 36 Turkish Lysander's were Mk.II's numbered '3101" to "3136".

Alex

[Alex Smart]

Thank you Brian,
I appreciate your response.
I was unsure as to why Henk had recorded her as the only possible link was that it seems that she worked at a Met Office?
Alex