401015 - Unaccounted airmen - 15-10-1940

[Henk Welting]

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

LAC Fred ALCOCK - 743201 - killed on active service;
AC1 Eric J. CLATWORTHY - 615303 - 266 Sqn (Wittering, Northamptonshire) - not found Flight archives;
LAC Valentine DAVIDSON - 269024 - 15 BC, 937 Balloon Sqn, South Tyne - killed on active service;
LAC John J. HOLLAND - 840423 - 1 BC, 901 Balloon Sqn, Abbeywood, London - killed on active service;
AC2 John MANSELL - 1281966 - killed on active service, and
LAC Frederick G. WESTLAKE - 157638 - killed on active service.

Proposed aircraft losses for this day:

Blenheim IV - Z5975 - 4 FPP - crashed on landing Sarclet, 6 miles S of Wick, Caithness
Magister I - L8224 - 5 EFTS - crashed on take-off, Stone, Staffordshire
Magister I - P2430 - 16 EFTS - flew into ground Ashbourne.

Regards and thanks for your help.
Henk.

[Henk Welting]

F/Lt (Pilot) Harvey G. McCALLUM - 40309 (RAF from Canada) - 20 EFTS (S.Rhodesia) was killed when the student 'froze' at the controls. F/Lt McCallum lies buried Athlone Cemetery, Bulawayo, Zimbabwe (grave 1).
Looking for aircraft type and serial number.
In same cemetery with same date of death lies buried in grave 2:
Rifleman Costas I. GREGORIOU - X168 - Rhodesia Regiment.
Could he have been the pupil pilot ?

Regards and thanks for your help.
Henk.

[Leendert]

Henk,

Wasn't 20 EFTS in Oshawa, Ontario? Bulawayo had 27 EFTS. Tiger Moth most likely aircraft type at that time.

Regards,

Leendert

[Amrit]

Warner doesn't give any details of crew or casualties for the Blenheim

A

[Dick]

Hi Henk
Alcock,37, Davidson,44, and Westlake, 39 are all registered at Romford,and could cover an incident in E London. Clatworthy,20 is registered at Neath, Glamorgan, S Wales. Holland,34 is registered at Woolwich S E London south of the river Thames where the 1st 3 are North of the river. Mansell,24, is registered at Malling, Kent.
Regards
Dick

[Henk Welting]

Thanks Dick and Amrit for your help.
Henk.

[Bill Walker]

20 EFTS was in Oshawa, but they didn't start flying unitl late June or early July 1941.

[Errol Martyn]

20EFTS may be a typo for 25 or 26 EFTS?

25 arrived Belvedere airport, near Salisbury, Southern Rhodesia from UK in May 40, and 26 at Guinea Fowl, near Gwelo, Southern Rhodesia in Aug 40. (27 formed at Induna, near Bulawayo in Feb 41 - i.e. after the above mentioned accident). A Tiger Moth seems the most likely aircraft type.

Source: RAF Flying Training and Support Units since 1912

Errol

[Henk Welting]

Thanks all for additional info. Perhaps our 'Dakota' info on TM serial ?
Regards,
Henk.

[malcolm_raf]

Henk

I have McCallum being with 20 SFTS at Cranbourne, which was in Southern Rhodesia

Malcolm

[Henk Welting]

Thanks Malcolm. Annotation made.

Henk.

[Tony H]

615303 AC1 Eric James Clatworthy (Age 20) contracted Tuberculosis whilst serving at RAF Wittering and died at home whilst on sick leave. Burial location; Buried in Swansea (Morriston) Cemetery, South Wales.

Trade NK

Tony H

[wwrsimon]

Hello

F/Lt (Pilot) Harvey G. McCALLUM - 40309 - Colin Cummings' Clipped Wings (Volume 1), page 175, has him killed in Oxford R5969 of 21 S.F.T.S., which collided with Harvard N7028.

Regards

Simon

[wwrsimon]

Hello

LAC Fred ALCOCK - 743201 - the Portsmouth Evening News of October 22nd 1940 reported the following:

Funeral of Havant Garage Owner
The funeral of Mr. Fred Alcock, proprietor of the Havant Garage, Park Road South, took place at Warblington yesterday afternoon. He was 36, and leaves a widow and three children.
Mr. Alcock joined the R.A.F. Volunteer Reserve in September, 1938, and was killed by enemy action near London just as he was completing a special course.

The National Probate Calendar records that he died at 169 Ballards Road, Dagenham, which seems to be a residential property on Google street view.

LAC Valentine DAVIDSON - 269024 - a family tree on ancestry.co.uk states that he died in an air raid at Barking College.

LAC Frederick G. WESTLAKE - 157638 - the Western Morning News ofOctober 21st 1940 reported the following:

Plymothian Killed in Raid
Well know in Plymouth as a taxi driver, L.A.C. Frederick George Wetlake has been killed on active service. He was attached to the Balloon Barrage, and three weeks ago he went to the London area. He was killed in an air raid.

Regards

Simon

[jonheyworth]

Frederick George Westlake 157638 , attached to Number 13 Balloon Centre, was killed in an air raid at the Ford Works in Dagenham

[Alex Smart]

Hello,

401015 - Unaccounted Airmen - 15-10-1940

From Henk's List -

SOUTH AFRICA
MORONEY, Reginald Gerard- Sgt [P(U/T)] - 777645 - RAFVR.
Johannesburg (Brixton) Cemetery, Gauteng, South Africa.
Oxford - R5969 - 20 SFTS

UK
ALCOCK, Fred - Lac - 743201 - RAFVR.
Warblington Cemetery, Hampshire.
Probably killed in an Air Raid. Died in Dagenham, Essex.

CLATWORTHY, Eric Jones - AC1c - 615303 - RAF - 266 Sqn.
Swansea (Morriston) Cemetery, Glamorganshire.
Died of Tuberculosis while serving at RAF Wittering.

DAVIDSON, Valentine - Lac - 269024 - RAF - 937 Balloon Sqn.
Earsdon Cemetery, Northumberland.
Killed in an Air Raid.

HOLLAND, John James - Lac - 840423 - RAF (AAF) - 901 Balloon Sqn.
Greenwich Cemetery, London.
Killed in an Air Raid.

MANSELL, John - AC2c - 1281966 - RAFVR.
Sittingbourne Cemetery, Kent.
Killed in an Air Raid on Wrotham Heath.

STEWART-DAWSON, Norman Gordon - F/O - 73933 - RAF - VC(WW1),DSO,DSC.
Golders Green Crematorium, Middlesex.
Death caused by a car accident in London.

TILBURN, Guy Depledge - Lac - 759209 - RAFVR.
Croydon (Mitcham Road) Crematorium, Surrey.
Died while on sick leave following a major operation.

WESTLAKE, Frederick George - Lac - 157638 - RAF - Attached to a Balloon Unit.
Plymouth (Weston Mill) Cemetery, Devon.
Killed in an Air Raid on the London area.

ZIMBABWE
McCALLUM, Harvey Gordon (Canadian) - F/O - 40309 - RAF.
Bulawayo (Athlone ) Cemetery, Zimbabwe.
Oxford - R5969 - 20 SFTS

From CWGC -

EGYPT
DRUCE, David Mervyn Boughey - P/O - 72022 - RAF.
MULDOWNEY, John Felix - Sgt - 537426 - RAF. These two airmen rest at Halfaya Sollum War Cemetery, Egypt.
They were crew of Lysander - L4714 - 208 Sqn.

GERMANY
ANDREWS, Edgar James - Sgt - 745535 - RAFVR.
DAVIES, Arthur Howell - P/O - 42203 - RAF.
These two airmen were crew of Hampden I - X2993 - 50 Sqn.

AUSTIN, Guy Paul Wentworth (South African) - P/O - 77130 - RAFVR.
BARTLETT, John Edward - P/O - 78994 - RAFVR.
HAY, Colin - Sgt - 965765 - RAFVR.
HINKS, John Olding - Sqn/Ldr - 36014 - RAF.
NIELD, Eric - Sgt - 968346 - RAFVR.
SKIDMORE, Albert Edgar - Sgt - 742236 - RAFVR.
These six airmen were crew of Wellington Ic - T2464 - 9Sqn.

The eight airmen named above all rest at Berlin 1939-1945 War Cemetery, Berlin, Germany.

NETHERLANDS
PARKER, Kenneth Bruce - Sgt - 742267 - RAFVR.
Terschelling ( West-Terschelling) General Cemetery, Friesland, Netherlands.
Spitfire Ia - R6838 - 92 Sqn.

UK
BLACK, George Roderick Hartwell - Sqn/Ldr - 37373 - RAF.
Barkby Cemetery, Leicestershire.
Whitley V - T4206 - 77 Sqn.

DICKINSON, Robert James - P/O - 79372 - RAFVR.
NEVILLE, Leslie Peter - Sgt - 901776 - RAFVR.
These two airmen rest at Leeming (St.John the Baptist) Churchyard, Yorkshire.
They were crew of Whitley V - T4143 - 10 Sqn.

FENEMORE, Stanley Allen(Northern Ireland) - Sgt - 745110 - RAFVR.
Liverpool (Allerton) Cemetery, Lancashire.
Hurricane I - V6722 - 501 Sqn.

GUNNING, Peter Stackhouse - P/O - 43474 - RAF.
North Weald Bassett (St.Andrew) Churchyard, Essex.
Hurricane I - N2480 - 46 Sqn.

LLOYD, Philip David - Sgt - 745794 - RAFVR.
High Beach(Holy Innocents) Churchyard, Essex.
Spitfire Ia - X4178 - 41 Sqn.

MUIRHEAD, Ian James - F/Lt - 43362 - RAF - DFC.
Holme Cultram ( St.Mary) Churchyard, Cumberland.
Hurricane I - N2546 - 605 Sqn.

WILLIAMS, Eric Edward - F/Sgt - 562960 - RAF.
Hurricane I - V6550 - 46 Sqn.

KENT, William - Sgt - 518350 - RAF.
DE KEYSER, John Lionel (SouthAfrican) - P/O - 79166 - RAF.
STEEL, James - Sgt - 644325 - RAF.
TEDEN, Derek Edmund - P/O - 90486 - RAF (AAF).
These four airmen were crew of Hudson I - T9303 - 206 Sqn.

The five airmen named above are all commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial, Surrey.

Alex

[malcolm_raf]

Hi

ALCOCK, Fred - LAC - He was serving at No 15 Balloon Centre when he was killed at 169 Ballards Road in Dagenham, Essex in an air raid whilst he was attending a course.

DAVIDSON, Valentine - LAC - He was serving with No 937 Sqn and was killed in an air raid on London, whilst attending a course.

HOLLAND, John James - LAC - He was serving with No 901 Sqn and was killed when a bomb exploded near a hut on Site 1/20 at Woolwich Arsenal.

STEWART-DAWSON, Norman Gordon - F/O - 73933 - RAF - VC(WW1),DSO,DSC. - He isn't listed as a VC on CWGC?

WESTLAKE, Frederick George - LAC - He was serving with No 13 Balloon Centre and was killed in an air raid, probably in Dagenham, whilst he was attending a course.

Malcolm

[Lyffe]

Stewart-Dawson is not included in the list of men awarded the VC in WW1 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_First_World_War_Victoria_Cross_recipients
or https://www.thegazette.co.uk/all-notices/content/101382)

Brian

[Alex Smart]

Hello Brian and Malcolm,
I got the VC details from this earlier forum post.
http://www.rafcommands.com/forum/showthread.php?28089-The-Unaccounted-Project-RAF-and-WAAF-casualties-from-enemy-action-on-the-home-front/page2&highlight=STEWART-DAWSON&p=167445#post167445

But I now think that the "VC" Victoria Cross is in fact incorrect and is an abbreviation for the Russian Awards that he received in the first world War,

COMMANDER OF THE ORDER OF ST. VLADIMIR WITH SWORDS AND BOW, COMMANDER OF THE ORDER OF ST. STANISLAS WITH SWORDS.
Alex

[jonheyworth]

Fred Alcock 743201 , attached to Number 15 Balloon centre was killed in an air raid at 169 Ballard Road, Dagenham .

[jonheyworth]

Guy Depledge Tilburn 759209 | attached to Number 51 Group Pool | died of secondary deposits from a seminoma