450203 - Unaccounted Airwoman & Airmen - 03-02-1945

[Alex Smart]

Hello,

450203 - Unaccounted Airwoman & Airmen - 03-02-1945

From Henk's List -
WAAF
WAGSTAFFE, Marjory Constance - ACW1 - 449104 - WAAF - Cardiff (Cathays) Cemetery, Glamorganshire.

UK
BEAZER, Herbert William - LAC - 1276054 - RAFVR - Gloucester Old Cemetery, Gloucestershire.
SMITH, Alexander - LAC - 1020713 - RAFVR - Thirsk Cemetery, Yorkshire.

WAR CORRESPONDENT
BYAM, Guy - War Correspondent - BBC - Runnymede Memorial, Surrey.

From CWGC & Geoff's sites -

UK
HALL, Stanley Arthur - Sgt (Air Bomber) - 1623632 - RAFVR - Costock (St. Giles) Churchyard Extension, Nottinghamshire. [ Wellington X - LN838 - 14 OTU ].
HENDERSON, John - F/O (Nav) - 164059 - RAFVR - South Shields (Harton) Cemetery, Durham. [ Wellington X - LN838 - 14 OTU ].
HESKETH, Jess - W/O (Pilot) - 1534931 - RAFVR - Ashton-Under-Lyne (Hurst) Cemetery, Lancashire.[ with Poole in Mosquito FB.VI - HX967 - 60 OTU ].
MARTIN, Clifford Stanley - Sgt(A/G) - 1861750 - RAFVR - Romford Cemetery, Essex. [ Wellington X - LN838 - 14 OTU ].
McKAY, Denis - F/O (Pilot) - 150574 - RAFVR - Darlington West Cemetery, Durham. [ Wellington X - LN838 - 14 OTU ].
PHILLIPS, Albert Leonard - F/S(Nav) - 1376114 - RAFVR - Enfield Crematorium, Middlesex. [ Wellington X - LN838 - 14 OTU ].
POOLE, Frederick Albert - Sgt (Nav) - 1615650 - RAFVR - Woodgrange Park Cemetery, East Ham, Essex. [ with Hesketh in Mosquito FB.VI - HX967 - 60 OTU ].
RILEY, Patrick Joseph - Sgt (W0P-(Air) - 1894783 - RAFVR - Barking (Rippleside) Cemetery, Essex. [ Wellington X - LN838 - 14 OTU ].
SORRELL, Ronald Frank - Sgt (A/G) - 2247417 - RAFVR - Islington Cemetery & Crematorium, Middlesex. [ Wellington X - LN838 - 14 OTU ].
Alex

[COL BRUGGY]

Hello,

WAR CORRESPONDENT - BYAM

"ROSE OF YORK", the 306th Group Fortress (B-17G 42-102547, 367BS/306BG - MACR 12283), christened by Princess Elizabeth (now H.M. Queen Elizabeth), was lost on February 3, 1945. Last seen leaving the Continent with two engines out and losing height it was presumed that the North Sea claimed another aircrew. Also on board this, her 63rd mission, was Guy Byam, a B.B.C. Correspondent

See:
The Mighty Eighth(1991 rep.)/Freeman. pp.208 & 310.

Col.

[malcolm_raf]

Hi

UK
WAGSTAFFE, Marjory Constance - ACW1 - registered in Surrey S E.
BEAZER, Herbert William - LAC - registered in Gloucester.
SMITH, Alexander - LAC - registered in Thirsk
HALL, Stanley Arthur - Sgt (Air Bomber) - Wellington X - LN838 - 14 OTU ].
HENDERSON, John - F/O (Nav) - Wellington X - LN838 - 14 OTU ].
HESKETH, Jess - W/O (Pilot) - possibly Mosquito FB.VI - HX967 - 60 OTU ].
MARTIN, Clifford Stanley - Sgt(A/G) - Wellington X - LN838 - 14 OTU ].
McKAY, Denis - F/O (Pilot) - Wellington X - LN838 - 14 OTU ].
PHILLIPS, Albert Leonard - F/S(Nav) - Wellington X - LN838 - 14 OTU ].
POOLE, Frederick Albert - Sgt (Nav) - his death does not appear to be registered in Anglesey like Hesketh?
RILEY, Patrick Joseph - Sgt (W0P-(Air) - Wellington X - LN838 - 14 OTU ].
SORRELL, Ronald Frank - Sgt (A/G) - Wellington X - LN838 - 14 OTU ].

Malcolm

[alclark]

This is the entry from the No.60 OTU ORB relating to the loss of HX967:

February 3rd 1945, “Fatal Accident. F/S Hesketh and Sgt Poole of No.40 Course were killed in an accident the cause of which is as yet unknown. Their aircraft crashed into the sea nr St. Ormes Head at 1607 hours. Only 7 days ago, this same crew had made a successful S/L Landing at Hawarden.”

And this entry is from the RAF Valley station ORB:

February 3rd 1945, “During the day of operational weather traffic was light. At 1606 hours a Mayday call from a Mosquito from High Ercall was heard on World Guard. The F.C.L.O at North West Filter Room was immediately informed and the B.A.T.F. Flight Oxford on exercise was diverted to the Great Orme area as the pilot had been heard to say he was near there. A second B.A.T. Flight Oxford was scrambled to search and a Mosquito from High Ercall also assisted. A third B.A.T. Flight Oxford was sent to the vicinity. At 1620 hours F.C.L.O. North West Filter Room reported the aircraft had ditched near Little Orme Head and that air/sea rescue action had been taken. At 1647 F/O Sinclaire (the second B.A.T. Flight Oxford) reported that he was circling a dinghy and a minute later the Mosquito from High Ercall made the same report. F/O Sinclaire led a rescue boat to the dinghy and at 1705 it was reported that the crew had been picked up. Unfortunately one was dead and the other severely injured.
Wreckage reported in the Welsh Mountains yesterday had now been identified as that of a B.26 which left St Mawgan for Burtonwood on the 1st of February, the five members of the crew being all killed.”

[Martyn A Critchlow]

BEAZER, Herbert William - LAC - 1276054 - Gloucester newspaper headlines show 'HERBERT WILLIAM BEAZER (31), was found dead from lysol poisoning in Brunswick Square on the morning..'. Together with other headlines of 'wife alleges attack in alleyway' and 'attacked wife carried on with other men', suggests some kind of domestic incident.

Martyn

[Martyn A Critchlow]

BEAZER, Herbert William - LAC - 1276054
Having now had an opportunity to review the full article, Beazer had recently been invalided out of the RAF for deafness and was awaiting discharge. It is reported that 'evidence pointed to Beazer having drank the poison the previous evening after he was alleged to have attacked his wife....... Recording that Beazer took his own life while the balance of his mind was disturbed, the Coroner commented that he could understand any man's mind being disturbed when treated by his wife as Beazer had been treated'
Gloucester Journal 17 February 1945

Martyn

[BC1]

Hello,

WAR CORRESPONDENT - BYAM

"ROSE OF YORK", the 306th Group Fortress (B-17G 42-102547, 367BS/306BG - MACR 12283), christened by Princess Elizabeth (now H.M. Queen Elizabeth), was lost on February 3, 1945. Last seen leaving the Continent with two engines out and losing height it was presumed that the North Sea claimed another aircrew. Also on board this, her 63rd mission, was Guy Byam, a B.B.C. Correspondent

See:
The Mighty Eighth(1991 rep.)/Freeman. pp.208 & 310.

Col.

Col and Alex: This is interesting. I had been under the impression that the Runnymede Memorial was to commemorate RAF personnel? If Byam was a civilian he should not be there? MACR 12283 has him as "Passenger Byan, Guy F British war Correspondent". No rank or service mentioned?

[John Larder]

There are 14 War Correspondents on Runnymede

[WFD Museum]

I am searching for information about what happened to LN838 and the crew. was it a crash with recovered bodies or are they MIA? is there a MACR or accident report?

Primarily I am searching to see if i can find a photo of Sgt Patrick Joseph Riley for the lady who was his girl friend when he died on the 3rd of February 1945. all she was ever told was that he had been killed and has always wondered how he died. She never had a photo of him, my hope is that maybe a training or crew photo exists some where of the men listed in the posts below regarding LN838.

Thanks in anticipation of any help given.

Ross Stewart
Curator & Historian
RAF Wethersfield Museum.

[wwrsimon]

Ross

Bill Chorley's Bomber Command Losses, Volume 7, states that LN838 crashed near Flore, SW of Northampton at around 0130 hours. He also adds that all the crew were buried (cremated in the case of Philips) in their respective home towns.

Regards

Simon

[WFD Museum]

Thank you Simon for your quick response.

My WW2 research has been all about Wethersfield some fasacnating stories.

This brings a whole new perspective to WW2 Bombers for me, all those young men who died in aircraft that were possibly not really airworthy. courage to step aboard let alone be prepared to defend your nation at war.

[jonheyworth]

Marjorie Constance Wagstaffe 449104, died when she fell down a stairwell at midday in the Courtlands Hostel in Surrey

[jonheyworth]

Martin Patrick Farrell 54260V was a navigator and air bomber in Boston BZ583 of 55 Squadron which took off from Porli at 05:00 Hours on 30 January to bomb marshalling yards at Canposanpiero. The aircraft was shot down and Farrell died of injuries sustained on 2 or 3 February in hospital at Abuno near Padua