450626 - Unaccounted Airmen - 26-06-1945

[Alex Smart]

Hello,

450626 - Unaccounted Airmen - 26-06-1945

From Henk's List -

EGYPT
ALLAN, Frank George - F/S - 510948 - RAF - Heliopolis Cemetery, Egypt .

ITALY
FENTON, Stanley - LAC - 948478 - RAFVR - Bari War Cemetery, Italy .
STEPHENSON, Robert David Bracey - P/O - 196687 - RAFVR - Forli War Cemetery, Italy .

UK
RIPLEY, Kenneth Hinchliffe - LAC - 1090066 - RAF - Leeds ( Lawnswood ) Cemetery, Yorkshire .

From CWGC & Geoff's sites -

CANADA
BAYSTON, John Charles Eric - P/O - 57074 - RAF - Ottawa Memorial, Ontario, Canada. - [ Dakota III - FZ583 - 6 OTU ].
SORFLEET, Daniel Victor - Sgt - 1625696 - RAFVR - Ottawa Memorial, Ontario, Canada. - [ Dakota III - FZ583 - 6 OTU ].
WILTON, Charles Arthur John - Sgt - 1609589 - RAFVR - Ottawa Memorial, Ontario, Canada. - [ Dakota III - FZ583 - 6 OTU ].

PAKISTAN
HANCOCK, Albert - AC2c - 2248821 - RAFVR - Karachi War Cemetery, Pakistan.

Alex

[Bill Walker]

RCAF Dakota FZ583 was reported missing on a training flight off the west coast of BC on 27 June 1945 (possibly a night flight?). I have never found any record that it was ever located.

[malcolm_raf]

Hi

EGYPT
ALLAN, Frank George - F/S - RAF Heliopolis.

ITALY
FENTON, Stanley - LAC - 240 Wing.
STEPHENSON, Robert David Bracey - P/O - 61 SP.

UK
RIPLEY, Kenneth Hinchliffe - LAC - registered in Leeds.

PAKISTAN
HANCOCK, Albert - AC2 - Gujrat.

Malcolm

[COL BRUGGY]

Hello,

CANADA

BAYSTON, SORFLEET & WILTON

Firstly, we have this:

https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19450627-5

Note that ASN has quoted RAFComms as one of their sources hmmmmm. I have copies of the 3 volumes of The Douglas DC-1/DC-2/DC-3 - The First Seventy Years by J.M.Gradidge. They contain absolutely nothing on the ultimate fate of Dakota III FZ583.

I haven't got access to contemporary US papers. Could someone who does have access, please check and see if there is any mention of the discovery of Dakota FZ583 on 15 September, 1945, and subsequent burial of the crew.

Others have also mentioned the same information as ASN etc:

BAYSTON, Pilot Officer John Charles Eric, Royal Air Force (57074), Navigator, 6 Operational Training Unit, Royal Canadian Air Force, Comox, British Columbia, Canada, Canada, 26 June 1945. Killed Whilst Flying, Dakota III, FZ583, Flew into Sulphur Mountain near Darrington, Washington, USA on a navigational exercise, wreck found Sep 1953, remains buried at the crash site, Age 23, Holbeach, Lincs, Ottawa Memorial, Ontario, Canada.

See: Failed To Return, Part 2, A-B/Hobson/N&MP/2019/p.485.

and ...

https://roll-of-honour.com/Hampshire/PortsmouthPolice.html (Charles Arthur John WILTON).

What do fellow members make of all this?

Col.

[wwrsimon]

Col

The discovery was reported in the Centralia Daily Chronicle on September 18th 1953, but FindMyPast doesn't seem to want to work this morning...

It was also reported in RAF News in July this year, pages 26-27:

https://issuu.com/rafnews/docs/raf_news_26_july_2019

and: https://www.portsmouth.co.uk/our-region/portsmouth/plea-launched-to-family-with-portsmouth-pilot-killed-in-crash-tragedy-1-7794897

Regards

Simon

[COL BRUGGY]

Simon,

Thanks for that!

Just as I suspected, a "Broom and Carpet" job. Disgraceful.

Col.

[wwrsimon]

A little more from the Centralia Daily Chronicle, culled from the rather garbled OCR version here:

https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/25382714/

Wreckage of Plane
The wreckage of an airplane found high on the slope of Sulphur mountain, near Darrington, is that of a Canadian craft and has been there about 10 years. Coroner Kenneth Baker said a Sgt. Talbert of the 444th Air Rescue Squadron telephoned him with the report after hunters discovered the wreckage earlier in the week. There were a few bones in the debris but no complete skeleton, the sergeant told Baker. The largest piece of wreckage he could find was a wheel. The information will be forwarded to the Canadian government.

Regards

Simon

[jonheyworth]

Frank George Allen 510948 , attached to RAF Heliopolis , was admitted dangerously ill to Number 5 RAF Hospital on 19 June 1945 suffering with clinical malaria and heart faliure, but he died of typhoid fever

[jonheyworth]

Robert David Bracey Stephenson 196687 , attached to Number 61 SP , died in Number 56 General hospital of enchapalitys

[jonheyworth]

Albert Hancock 2248821 , attached to RAF Gujerat , collapsed and died , a post mortem at the British military hospital, Sialkot, found he had died of bronchial pneumonia