401202 - Unaccounted airmen - 2-12-1940

[Henk Welting]

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

Cpl William B. BRUNNING - 155357 - killed on active service,
F/O (Pilot) Hubert D. BUSWELL - 43366 - killed on active service, and
LAC Richard A. CHANT - 958288 - not found Flight archives.

Proposed aircraft losses for this day:

Harrow II - K7025 - 8 BGS - crashed in forced landing Meddap, Kildary, Ross & Cromarty
Magister I - T9885 - F-BFTS - spun into ground 1½ mile W of Crondall, Surrey
Master I - N7597 - 5 FTS - dived into ground near Hodnet, Shropshire
Audax I - K5175 - 9 FTS - crashed in forced landing Camp Farm, 3 miles of Painswick, Glos.

Regards and thanks for your help.
Henk.

[Dick]

Hi Henk
I found a William B Brunning ,39, registered in Norwich,Norfolk. Both Buswell,28, and Chant, 23, are registered in Whitchurch and there is such a place in Shropshire not far from Hodnet. It might put them as Instructor and trainee on N7597
CWGC records that Brunning is buried at Norwich and that his wife died in the same incident. She is not listed as a civilian casualty so it could have been a vehicle accident not connected with the war.
Regards
Dick

[Henk Welting]

Thanks Dick. Rosa Edith Brunning (age 31) is listed as a civilan casualty (Norwich County Burough) and I do believe that she and her husband may have been killed in an air raid.
Regards,
Henk.

[thorne83]

Buswell and Chant were both on Master N7957.

Tom

[thorne83]

Going back to Buswell. According to the Times of 29th March 1939:
“the names of the following have been brought to notice of the Air Officer formerly Commanding British Forces in Aden, for distinguished services rendered in connection with the operations in the Aden Protectorate, on April 29 and 30 1938 and from July 6 to September 4 1938.”

He is listed as Sgt Hubert Davenport Buswell 516191.

Can anyone identify his unit?

He was indeed the instructor on the Master and died when the aircraft stalled out of a cloud at night.

I'll be interested to know if anyone can provide further information on him?

Cheers, Tom

[John Larder]

Looks like an air raid as they were both killed at the same address in Norwich and The Blitz Then & Now Vol.2 mentions for night of December 2/3 'elsewhere bombs fell at Norwich, Hereford and Rochester'

[Henk Welting]

Thanks John for info on Brunning and Tom for confirmation a/c serial Buswell (and self-evidently you mean to say N7597 instead of N7957).
Regards,
Henk.

[BC1]

Confirming Cpl Brunning and his wife died in their cottage in St John Street, Norwich, direct hit from 50 kg HE bomb, one of 18 dropped across the city near the Cathedral at 1800 hours. Six killed, 5 injured.

BC

[Henk Welting]

Thanks "BC1" for this additional info.
Regards,
Henk.

[jonheyworth]

Arthur William Gibbons 1258420 , attached to RAF Detling , was killed in a road accident

[Alex Smart]

Hello,

401202 - Unaccounted Airmen - 02-12-1940

From Henk's List -

UK
BAGROWSKI - SWINKA, Tadeusz - Podporuczinik - P/0707 - PAF - 55 OTU.
Woodchester (Church of the Annunciation) Churchyard, Gloucestershire.
Motor-cycle accident, Died in Hospital of injuries received.

BRUNNING, William Bullock - Cpl - 155357 - RAF.
Norwich Cemetery, Norfolk.
Killed in an Air Raid over Norwich. A bomb hit the cottage that he and his wife were in. Both were killed.

GIBBONS, Arthur William - AC2c - 1258420 - RAF.
Maidstone Cemetery, Kent.
Killed in a road accident.

WINDER, Roy - Lac - 814127 - RAF (AAF) - 616 Sqdn.
Barnsley (Ardsley) Cemetery, Yorkshire.
Died at Scunthorpe Hospital shortly after admission, following aa collision with a private motor car and his motor-cycle .

From CWGC -

UK
BUSWELL, Hubert Davenport - F/O - 43366 - RAF.
Warborough (St.Lawrence) Churchyard, Oxfordshire.
CHANT, Richard Anthony - Lac - 958288 - RAFVR.
Stoke-On-Trent (St.Peter) Church Cemetery, Shropshire.
These two airmen were crew of Master - N7597 - 5 SFTS.

FARMES, Ernest Thomas - Sgt - 580368 - RAF.
DUNLEAVY, Alfred Scott - Sgt - 618345 - RAF.
PALMER, Gordon - Sgt - 748570 - RAFVR.
These three airmen are commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial, Surrey.
These three airmen were crew of Blenheim IV - T2187 - 101 Sqdn.

Alex

[Andy Marden]

Alex,
One typo, the Master serial was N7597.
Andy

PS no entry for 04-12-1940?

[Alex Smart]

Hi Andy,
Thanks for serial carrion. Have edited.
The 4th disappeared after I went to copy/paste. So have had to do it all over again.
Alex