401112 - Unaccounted airmen - 12-11-1940

[Henk Welting]

No proposed aircraft losses for this day and many airmen killed on active service; most of them - if not all - may have been killed in air raids. Badly hit was 3 BC, 907 Balloon Sqn, Woodberry Down, Middlesex, with the following casualties:

F/O (Pilot) Marcus L. ARNOLD - 78290;
P/O Joseph W.C. BARTHOLOMEW - 78886;
AC1 John J. BELL - 629670;
AC2 Maurice BERNSTEIN - 1056202;
AC1 William E. BEZZANT - 845153;
Cpl Reginald J. BURTON - 355278;
AC1 Arthur V. CHOPE - 845095 - not found Flight archives;
AC2 Philip S. COTTER - 1056210;
AC2 Thomas DAVIDSON - 1056187;
P/O Alexander W. GRANT - 86735 not found Flight archives;
AC1 Louis GREW - 844945 - not found Flight archives;
AC1 Henry A. HYNER - 297123;
LAC Leslie NICHOLSON - 844631;
AC1 Francis C. REEVES - 844716;
LAC James R.M. SANDS - 844529;
F/Sgt Charles S. TOWNSHEND - DCM - 844509 - not found Flight archives,
AC2 Fred WALKER - 1006638.

Also following airmen:

AC2 Fred BROADHURST - 1154792 - 14 BC, 953 Balloon Sqn, Cardiff - killed on active service (perhaps dow - refer to 'Unaccounted airmen 10-11-1940');
AC2 William CURRILL - 1201815 - not found Flight archives, and
AC2 Bernard A. TISDALE - 1181653.

Regards and thanks for your help.
Henk.

[Henk Welting]

Forgot to mention:
Looking for their places of death registration !

Henk.

[Dick]

Hi Henk
Woodberry Down, despite being labelled as Middlesex is in N London in a part that was administered by Middlesex County in WW2(London is physically a big City and parts were run by nearby Counties).All the deaths on your list except 2 are registered at Islington N E London and this is consistent with the Balloon Unit. To have so many Casualties it must have been caught assembled together on the ground but near their HQ. Note that Broadhurst is among them and may have been transferred from the Cardiff Unit.
The Final 2 are Currill,32, registered at Winchester, Hampshire and Tisdale,18, back in London but registered at Chelsea,SW Central London
Regards
Dick

[Henk Welting]

Thanks Dick; will amend my files. 907 Sqn Woodberry Down was part of 3 BC (together with 906 Sqn Hampstead and 956 Sqn Colnbrook) with HQs at Stanmore (Middlesex ?).
Regards,
Henk.

[markpeelgb]

The eighteen men registered in Islington were killed by a bomb on their billet at 26 Highbury Grove, Islington (see http://bookofremembrance.islington.gov.uk/BookOfRemembrance/EventFolder.aspx?id=8345 for details).

[Martyn A Critchlow]

TISDALE is KOAS and CURRILL is DOAS.

Martyn

[RecklessRat]

Not listed above but in the database as 'unaccounted' for this date:-

522142 LAC Thomas POTTS RAF
http://www.rafcommands.com/database/wardead/details.php?qnum=103525
https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/2682097/potts,-thomas/

Thomas Potts
'Ground Mechanic. No.522142, Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force Detachment, Snell Parade, Durban'
Died at 'Near Snell Parade Military Barracks, Durban', aged 40. Cause of death was 'Concussion of brain and multiple injuries. (Fractures of upper and lower jaws and ribs on left side). Haemorrhages through brain. Deceased was a passenger in a ricksha which collided with a motor car (which travelled the same direction) (Homicidal).'

From the Form of Information of a Death on FamilySearch:-
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C912-87WJ-K?cc=2721608

[jonheyworth]

Sidney Charles Norris 161555 , attached to 58 MU , was seriously injured in a road accident on 11 December, dying of his injuries in the Norfolk and Norwich hospital the following day

[jonheyworth]

John Charles Alcock 953906 , died of cellulitis of the face

[jonheyworth]

John Albert Bott 616651 , attached to RAF Hednesford , died in a railway accident

[jonheyworth]

Bernard Alexander Tisdale 1181653 , attached to Number 6 Initial Training Wing, was killed in an air raid

[Alex Smart]

Hello,

401112 - Unaccounted Airmen - 12-11-1940

From Henk's List -

SOUTH AFRICA
POTTS, Thomas - Lac - 522142 - RAF.
Durban (Stellawood) Cemetery, Kwazulu Natal,South Africa.
While travelling in a Rickshaw it was hit by a passing car. He later died in hospital of a brain injury and multiple fractures.

UK
ALCOCK, John Charles - AC1c - 953906 - RAFVR - 21 Sqn.
Costessey (St.Edmunds) Churchyard, Norfolk.
Died of Cellulitis of the face.

BEAUCHAMP, Harry Francis (Jim) - AC2c - 915943 - RAFVR.
Yatesbury (All Saints) Churchyard, Wiltshire.
Died of a short illness. Cause ?

BOTT, John Albert - Cpl - 616651 - RAF.
Hanbury Church Cemetery, Staffordshire.
Death caused by a Railway accident.

CURRILL, William - AC2c - 1201815 - RAFVR.
Brightwell (St.Agatha ) New Churchyard, Berkshire.
Cause of death ?

NORRIS, Sidney Charles - Lac - 161555 - RAF.
Deal Cemetery, Kent.
Seriously injured in a Road accident on the 11th,died in Norwich Hospital this date.

TISDALE, Bernard Alexander - AC2c - 1181653 - RAFVR.
North Sheen Cemetery, Surrey.
Death caused by an Air Raid, NFD.

ARNOLD, Marcus Leonard - F/O - 78290 - RAFVR - 907 Balloon Sqn.
Dorking Cemetery, Surrey.
BARTHOLOMEW, Joseph William Francis - P/O - 78886 - RAFVR - 907 Balloon Sqn.
Sevenoaks (Greatness Park) Cemetery, Kent.
BERNSTEIN, Maurice - AC2c - 1056202 - RAFVR - 907 Balloon Sqn.
Blackley Jewish Cemetery, Lancashire.
BEZZANT, William Ernest - AC1c - 845153 - RAF (AAF) - 907 Balloon Sqn.
South Ealing Cemetery, Middlesex.
BROADHURST, Fred - AC2c - 1154792 - RAFVR - 953 Balloon Sqn.
Tilehurst (St.Michael) Church Cemetery, Berkshire.
COTTER, Philip Sidney - AC2c - 10562110 - RAFVR - 907 Balloon Sqn.
Birkdale Cemetery, Lancashire.
DAVIDSON, Thomas - AC2c - 1056187 - RAFVR - 907 Balloon Sqn.
Glasgow (Sandymount) Cemetery, Glasgow.
GREW, Louis - AC1c - 844945 - RAF - 907 Balloon Sqn.
Willesden Jewish Cemetery, Middlesex.
HYNER, Henry Alexander - AC1c - 297123 - RAF - 907 Balloon Sqn.
Morden Cemetery, Surrey.
SANDS, James Robert Murton - Lac - 844529 - RAF (AAF) - 907 Balloon Sqn.
Harrow Weald Cemetery, Middlesex.
WALKER, Fred - AC2c - 1006638 - RAFVR - 907 Balloon Sqn.
Broughton (St.Mary) Churchyard, Flintshire.

BELL, John Joseph Henry - AC1c - 629670 - RAF - 907 Balloon Sqn.
BURTON, Reginald James - Cpl - 355278 - RAF - 907 Balloon Sqn.
CHOPE, Arthur Valentine - AC1c - 845095 - RAF (AAF) - 907 Balloon Sqn.
GRANT, Alexander Wilson - P/O - 86735 - RAF - 907 Balloon Sqn.
NICHOLSON, Leslie - Lac - 844631 - RAF (AAF) - 907 Balloon Sqn.
REEVES, Francis Charles - AC1c - 844716 - RAF (AAF) - 907 Balloon Sqn
TOWNSHEND, Charles Samuel - F/Sgt - 844509 - RAF (AAF) - 907 Balloon Sqn.
These seven Airmen rest at Brookwood Military Cemetery, Surrey.

The eighteen airmen named above were all killed when a High Explosive Bomb struck A Flight HQ at 25 Highbury Grove, London.

From CWGC -

SOUTH AFRICA
VILJOEN, Lucas Cornelius - 2Lt - 47871 - SAAF.
Weltevrede Farm Burial Ground, Mpumalanga, South Africa.
DE VILLIERS - LUBBE, Clifford Cawood Theron - 2Lt - 47831 - SAAF.
Johannesburg (Braamfontein) Cemetery, Gauteng, South Africa.
These two airmen were crew of Avro 621 - Tutor - 728 - 62 Air School - SAAF.

UK
CLARKSON, Frederick John Henry - Cpl - 568393 - RAF.
Plymouth (Ford Park) Cemetery, Devon.
DUNCAN, Walter - Sgt - 623462 - RAF.
Bebington (St.Andrew) Churchyard, Cheshire.
These two airmen were crew of Sunderland - N6138 - 201 Sqn.

KUEBLER, Rudolf - GAF.
Wareham Cemetery, Dorset.
Cause of death ?

Alex

[jonheyworth]

Henry Francis Beauchamp 915943 , attached to Number 3 Signals School at RAF Compton Bassett, was admitted seriously ill to SSQ at RAF Biggin Hill on 3 May with cerebrospinal meningitis and transferred to the Borough Hospital Croydon the sane day. Transferred to RAF hospital, Yatesbury, on 10 November, he became dangerously ill and died there of pneumococcal meningitis

[jonheyworth]

William Currill 1201815 , attached to Number 12 Balloon Centre , died in an ambulance en route to Netley hospital, Hampshire, of a cerebral haemorrhage