401231 - Unaccounted airmen - 31-12-1940

[Henk Welting]

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

AC1 Leslie R. DAVIES - 908291 - not found Flight archives;
Sgt (Pilot) Maurice A.W. LEE - 742796 - killed on active service;
Sgt (Pilot/Instr.) Donald A. STOCKTON - 740333 - killed on active service, and
Sgt (Pilot) Bernard C. WEBBER - 754818 - 603 Sqn, Drem, East Lothian - killed on active service.

Only one proposed aircraft serial:

Magister I - L8355 - 15 EFTS - flew into ground Ullswater, 3 miles SW of Pooley Bridge, Cumberland.

Regards and thanks for your help.
Henk.

[Ross_McNeill]

Hi Henk,

Aircraft was flown solo by LAC J R Senior who survived the crash to be subject to a Court Martial.

Regards
Ross

[davew]

Henk

Davies's death reg.at North Walsham, Norfolk. No suggestion

Lee killed in the crash of unknown Spitfire 'LZ-F' of 421 Flt at Addington, Surrey.
" ... the year ended on a sad note for No 421 Flt with the death of one of its original founder members, Sgt Maurice Lee. He had taken off at first light on the 31st to perform a routine weather flight, an finding that the visibilty over east Kent was becoming progressively worse, had attempted to land at Biggin Hill in atrocious conditions. Striking the ground short of the airfield, Lee was killed when his Spitfire was engulfed in flames" (No 91 'Nigeria' Squadron by Peter Hall.)

Stockton killed in the crash of TM K4272 at Hockley Heath LG, another casualty was Armstrong. I do not have his initials.

Webber killed in Spitfire P7550 at Quixwood Farm, Grantshouse, Berw

regards

DaveW

[davew]

A possible identity for the Spitfire of 421 Flight is P7497 which was soc on 9th Jan 1941.

DaveW

[JimCorbett1977]

I have the following for Webber:

31.12.40
Supermarine Spitfire IIA P7550 603 Sqn. Drem
754818 Sgt Bernard Clare Webber pilot (K)
Aircraft crashed during a snowstorm at Grantshouse, Berwickshire.

Jim

[Henk Welting]

Thanks friends for all your excellent help.
Best regards,
Henk.

[Henk Welting]

Sgt STOCKTON on TM K4272 (not listed Aeromilitaria 'Crashes in UK'):
Armstrong as mentioned by you may have been Ldg NA Alan ARMSTRONG - FX.81988 - HMS Daedalus; died of wounds this day and lies buried Tynemouth (Preston) Cem., Northumberland.
Regards,
Henk.

[davew]

Henk

re Armstrong, that's the one! Registered at Birmingham, thanks

DaveW

[jonheyworth]

George Mcmillan R 63668 , attached to 5 SFTS, collapsed after jumping the fence surrounding the station and died a few minutes after admission to Brantford general hospital of a coronary thrombosis

[Alex Smart]

Hello,
401231 - Unaccounted Airmen - 31 - 12 - 1940



From Henk's List -


CANADA
McMILLAN, George - AC2c - R/63668 - RCAF.
Wharton (Bayview) Cemetery, Ontario, Canada.
This airman collapsed within minutes of jumping over a fence surrounding the Station. He died of Coronary Thrombosis at Brantford General Hospital.

UK
DAVIES, Leslie Robert - AC1c - 908291 - RAFVR.
King's Lynn Cemetery, Norfolk.
Shot and killed by a fellow Airman while engaged in horseplay in their Billit.


REYNOLDS, Gordon Murray - AIR Mechanic (E)2c - FX.76610 -RN - RNAS Yeovilton.
Plymouth (Weston Mill) Cemetery, Devon.
Cause of death ?


From CWGC -


EGYPT
BENNETT, Sidney Lewis - Sgt - 742975 - RAFVR.
FRANCE, Leslie Ronald - Sgt - 580854 - RAF.
TUNSTALL, William Henry - Sgt - 749318 - RAFVR.
These three airmen are commemorated on the Alamein Memorial, Egypt.
They were crew of Blenheim I - L1540 - 211 Sqdn.


NETHERLANDS
BROWN, John Edward - Sgt - 937342 - RAFVR.
COATES, Jack - Sgt - 644895 - RAF.
YOUNG, Leslie Alfred - Sgt - 742982 - RAFVR.
These three airmen rest at Bergen-Op-Zoom Cemetery, Netherlands.
They were crew of Blenheim IV - R3897 - 114 Sqdn.


SOUTH AFRICA
ALCOCK, Jack Oswald - Pupil Pilot - 103345 - SAAF.
Johannesburg (Brixton) Cemetery, Gauteng, South Africa.
Tiger Moth II - 1455 (ZS-ANY) - c/n 3633 - 2 AS.



KEELEY, James John - Pupil Pilot - 103334 - SAAF.
Mosita Farm Burial Ground, North West, South Africa.
Tiger Moth II - 1462 (ZS-ANZ) - 2 AS.


UK
BUSHELL, Gordon Downs - Sgt - 745584 - RAFVR - MiD.
Bletchley Cemetery, Buckinghamshire.
Wellington Ic - P9267 - 213 Sqdn.(Hurricane I - P3267?).


AIR81/4766 - C16688864 gives -
Bushell, G,D, Sgt - Hurricane P9267 213 Sqdn 31 December 1940.
AIR81/1969 - C16471235 gives -
Hewitt,J,P,M,P/O - Wellington Ic P9267 149 Sqdn 4 April 1940.


P9267 was a Wellington Ic.
P3267 was a Hurricane I.


There does not seem to be an AIR81 document for P3267 as far as I can find. So can only assume that AIR/4766 has incorrect details in regards to the aircraft serial number.


DOCKERTY, James (Canadian) - Sgt - 910187 - RAFVR.
Market Drayton Cemetery, Shropshire.
Miles Master - T8442 - 5 SFTS.


FENSOME, John Stanley - Sgt - 747822 - RAFVR.
Biscot (Holy Trinity) Churchyard, Bedfordshire.
Wellington Ia - N2980 - 20 OTU.


LEE, Maurice Alexander William - Sgt - 742796 - RAFVR.
St.Mary Cray Cemetery, Kent.
Spitfire IIa - P7664 - 421 Flight.


WEBBER, Bernard Clare - Sgt - 754818 - RAFVR.
Dirleton Cemetery, East Lothian.
Spitfire IIa - P7750 - 603 Sqdn.


ARMSTRONG, Alan - LNA (Pilot U/T) - FX.81988 - HMS Daedalus - RN.
Tynemouth (Preston) Cemetery, Northumberland.
STOCKTON, Donald Arthur - Sgt - 740333 - RAFVR.
Birmingham Municipal Crematorium, Warwickshire.
These two airmen were crew of Tiger Moth II - K4272 - 14 EFTS.


BEAMAN, Robert Carleton - Sqdn/Ldr - 39367 - RAF.
ROBSON, Henry - Sgt - 509364 - RAF.
TRIGWELL, Douglas - Sgt - 619035 - RAF.
These three airmen are commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial, Surrey.
They were crew of Blenheim IV - T2328 - 139 Sqdn.

Alex

[Andy Marden]

WEBBER, Bernard Clare - Sgt - 754818 - RAFVR.
Dirleton Cemetery, East Lothian.
Spitfire IIa - P7750 - 603 Sqdn.

Webber was killed in P7550

[Andy Marden]

BUSHELL, Gordon Downs - Sgt - 745584 - RAFVR - MiD.
Bletchley Cemetery, Buckinghamshire.
Wellington Ic - P9267 - 213 Sqdn.(Hurricane I - P3267?).

AIR81/4766 - C16688864 gives -
Bushell, G,D, Sgt - Hurricane P9267 213 Sqdn 31 December 1940.
AIR81/1969 - C16471235 gives -
Hewitt,J,P,M,P/O - Wellington Ic P9267 149 Sqdn 4 April 1940.

P9267 was a Wellington Ic.
P3267 was a Hurricane I.

There does not seem to be an AIR81 document for P3267 as far as I can find. So can only assume that AIR/4766 has incorrect details in regards to the aircraft serial number.

Alex,
Yes, that is correct. I have updated our database to link to the correct serial for this loss:
http://www.rafcommands.com/database/serials/details.php?uniq=P3267
Andy

[Alex Smart]

Thank you Andy,
I thought that 213 Sqdn was a Fighter Sqdn but may well have had a Wellington for transport use .
But as you , I thought it to be the Hurricane.
Alex

PS :
P7750 :( another of my typo errors. Yes it should have been P7550 :)
Alex

[wwrsimon]

Alex

REYNOLDS, Gordon Murray - AIR Mechanic (E)2c - FX.76610 - ADM 104 on ancestry.co.uk records that he died at the R.N. Hospital, Plymouth, due to a cerebral tumour. He was a native of Dunfermline, Fife, and was born on November 18th 1921.

Regards

Simon

[norfolkjohn]

Concerning 908291 AC1 Leslie Robert Davies, the Lynn Advertiser of 10th Jan 1941 reports that he died of an accidental gunshot wound. An inquest was held on 2nd January 1941 including the following evidence. “Ac Ernest Melling gave evidence that on 31st ult. He was in a billet with Davies and another man. Davies went to a sergeant’s bunk, got a revolver and started pulling the trigger and playing about with it for five or 10 minutes. Melling saw a rifle in the corner, got hold of it, and pulled the trigger. He did not know why he did it, but the next thing was that Davies was on the floor. Davies had pointed the revolver at him and he had pointed the rifle at Davies. They had not quarrelled. It was all done in play. Melling said he did not know the rifle was loaded. The revolver was not loaded. The Coroner recorded a verdict that Davies had died from a gunshot wound caused by the rifle being fired accidentally”.