401031 - Unaccounted airmen - 31-10-1940

[Henk Welting]

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

LAC (Pilot u/t) Theodore J.R. MARSHAM - 902246 - killed on active service;
AC1 David M. THORLEY - 615817 - not found Flight archives, and
LAC Joseph L. WALKER - 648708 - not found Flight archives.

Proposed aircraft loss for this day:

Anson I - N9649 - 12 FTS - spun into ground Boothby Pagnell, 4 miles SE of Grantham, Lincolnshire.

Regards and thanks for your help.
Henk.

[Dick]

Hi Henk
Marsham,21, and Walker,20, are both registered at Grantham which could put them on board the Anson. Thorley did not come up so might have died in Scotland.
Regards
Dick

[Ken MacLean]

Henk,

LAC J.L. Walker KOAS, Times list 29 Nov 1940.

[Henk Welting]

Thanks Dick and Ken for your much appreciated help.
Regards,
Henk.

[susantydd]

David Moran Thorley 615817 is buried in Swinton Cemetery Greater Manchester. Article in local paper at the time of death only states he was a flight mechanic and killed on active service. Joined the RAF over two years ago.
Address 33 Clifton Drive Swinton. Service took place at All Saints prior to enternment.
Before the war he was employed as an apprentice mechanic by Messrs. G A. T. Jessons, Worsley Road Swinton.
Hope the info is of some help.
Regards Sue

[dennis_burke]

Thorley certainly does not seem to be registered in Scotland or England/Wales, searched for Moran and David M only.

Perhaps a death in Northern Ireland. He seems to have been born in 1920, his parents likey to be Mary E Moran and Walther Thorley.

[susantydd]

Thanks for the post Dennis,
yes his parents were definately Mary Ellen Moran and Walter Thorley, they are both also buried in Swinton Cemetery.

I have located a family tree for this family so hopefully the person involved with that will respond with some more information.
Regards Sue

[Ross_McNeill]

Anson I - N9649

F1180 confirms 2 fatalities and names Marsham as pilot. So pencil in Walker as the other man.

Regards
Ross

[wwrsimon]

Hello

LAC Joseph L. WALKER - 648708 - the Grave Registration Report confirms him being with 12 F.T.S.

Regards

Simon

[jonheyworth]

David Moran Thornley 615817 committed suicide on the railway near his station, RAF aldergrove by laying his neck across the rail at Victoria halt

[Alex Smart]

Hello

401031 - Unaccounted Airmen - 31-10-1940

From Henk's List -

EGYPT
CLARKE, Robert Hugh ( Northern Ireland) - F/O - 40513 - RAF.
Alamein Memorial, Egypt.
Gladiator I - L7608 - 112 Sqn.

UK
BRACHER, Charles Derek - AC2c - 1172833 - RAFVR - 908 Balloon Sqn.
Braunton (St.Brannock) Churchyard, Devon.
Died in Bethnal Green Hospital following a collision with a lorry on the motor cycle he was riding.

RICHES, George Hazel - AC2c - 1281318 - RAFVR.
King's Lynn Cemetery, Norfolk.
Accidentally shot by another airman in their billet who was cleaning his revolver.

THORLEY, David Moran - AC1c - 615817 - RAF.
Swinton Cemetery, Lancashire.
Suicide, found on a railway track near to RAF Aldergrove.

From CWGC -

EGYPT
LEVEILLE, Edmond Kidder (Canadian) - F/O - 40837 - RAF.
El Alamein War Cemetery, Egypt.
Hurricane I - P3968 - 33 Sqn.

NORWAY
ERSKINE, Basil Pollock (NorthernIreland) - P/O - 44190 - RAF.
WALLACE, James Andrew - Sgt - 568661 - RAF.
WEABER, William Owen - P/O - 83709 - RAFVR.
These three airmen rest at Sola Churchyard, Norway.
They were crew of Hudson II - T9377 - 233 Sqn.

UK
DEAN, Henry - Sgt - 642917 - RAF.
Runnymede Memorial, Surrey.
Hudson II - T9377 - 233 Sqn.

MARSHAM, Theodore John Ralph - Lac - 902246 - RAFVR.
Rockbourne (St.Andrew) Churchyard, Hampshire.
WALKER, Joseph Leslie - Lac - 648708 - RAF.
Knossington (St.Peter) Churchyard, Leicestershire.
These two airmen were crew of Anson I - N9649 - 12 SFTS.

Alex

[COL BRUGGY]

Hello,

NORWAY.

WEABER, William Owen - P/O - 83709 - RAFVR.

P/O William Owen WEABER RAFVR, was an Australian (from Queensland), serving in the RAF. Weaber (20), was involved in a fatal accident at Yeppoon, Queensland. He crashed DH.60A VH-UJS (which he owned and operated), at Yeppoon beach on 2 December, 1937. Weaber's sister, Kathleen (16), was killed along with three members of the Hayes family, father, son and daughter, Weaber suffered shock. He subsequently departed for the UK aboard the "Orama" on 15 August, 1939, taking up instructors' duties in the RAF (907684/83709). For details of his death, see: CCL1/McNeill/Midland Publishing,2003/p.75.

Col.