410104 - Unaccounted airmen 4-1-1941

[Henk Welting]

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

S/Ldr (Pilot) Cyril H.A. COLMAN - 24058 - 23 Sqn (Ford, Sussex) - not found Flight archives (some connection to MACRORY and MATHEWS 3-1-1941 ?);
ACW1 Ethe M. DREW - 894681 - killed on active service;
F/Sgt Walter A. HAZELDEN - 514999 - not found Flight archivesw;
ACW1 Annie D. HILL - 886211 - not found Flight archives, and
LAC (Pilot u/t) John E.D. MARRINER - 1060077 - killed on active service.

Proposed aircraft loss:
Tiger Moth II - T5890 - 22 EFTS - damaged byond repair in accident; no more info available.

Regards and thanks for your help.
Henk.

[Amrit]

Colman*, Macrory and Mathews were killed on an intruder mission to Dieppe in Blenheim L6781**. Colman's body was washed ashore at Worthing. Others are on Runnymede

* Colman's initial is given as "V" by Warner
** Warner says "Serial No incorrect in several sources: L6781 was lost with 13 OTU 28.9.1940"

A

[Dick]

Hi Henk
Drew,27,and Hill,41, are registered at Bristol,(this might tie them in with the air raid reported by Amrit for 3/1/41), Marriner,19, is registered at Cambridge, Hazelden,28, is registered at Holderness in E Yorkshire
Regards
Dick

[Henk Welting]

Thanks Amrit and Dick.
Perhaps Pel Temple has an answer for this tricky Blenheim serial L6781 !! (repaired after accident 28-9-1940 ?).
Regards,
Henk.

[dave bristol]

Henk,

Ethel Mary Drew and Annie Dorothy Hill are listed on the Bristol Blitz War Memorial site as killed at 13 Berkeley Square Bristol in an air raid on night of 3/4 January 1941.

Also listed as killed at the same site is ACW1 894204 Doreen Rita Cocks WAAF.

best regards

Dave Molyneux

[Henk Welting]

Thanks Dave for this confirmation.
Regards,
Henk.

[paulmcmillan]

Foreman has this Blenheim coded as YP-X - no serial, what is interesting is Aircraft of the few by Michael Bowyer has L6781 with 23 Sqn from 31-7-40 to ?

[paulmcmillan]

Just a small point

S/Ldr (Pilot) Cyril H.A. COLMAN
was previously a Test Pilot with Airspeed and he flew the first flight of the Airspeed Oxford on 19 June 1937

A photo of him can be found here:

http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1936/1936%20-%200693.html?search=colman+airspeed

[brian]

Hi Henk

An extract from my draft Volume I of 'Blue on Blue in WW"

"The first aerial misidentification of the New Year occurred on the night of 3/4 January, when 103 Squadron launched four Wellingtons from RAF Newton at 1630 to attack Bremen. On the return leg, Flt Lt L.M. Blome-Jones’ aircraft (N2770) was attacked from below by a night fighter when near the French coast. The assailant was seen approaching in a climbing turn and opened fire at 200 yards range. As it passed astern of the rear turret, Sgt Bedford opened fire with two bursts and noticed strikes on its fuselage, following which it dived through clouds and was not seen again. At this point the Wellington switched on its IFF since it was approaching the British coastline and was being coned by searchlights. In the absence of any report of loss or damage to a German night fighter, it seems likely that the attacking aircraft was Blenheim IF (L6781/YP-X) of 23 Squadron, piloted by 35-year-old Cornishman Sqn Ldr Cyril Colman, which failed to return from an intruder sortie. Colman and his crew – Flt Sgt David Mathews (on loan from 25 Squadron) and Sgt H.I. Macrory – were killed."

Hope this helps

Cheers
Brian

[Henk Welting]

Thanks Brian, took note of this interesting story.
Regards,
Henk.

[Henk Welting]

One more question Brian:
Attacking Bremen (N2770) and on the return leg attacked near the French coast. Should the return leg not have been far more up to the north? Why risking flying from Bremen back to UK such a long distance over enemy territory ?
Regards,
Henk.

[brian]

Hi Henk

I can't answer that at the moment - requires further investigation.

Cheers
Brian

[Henk Welting]

Take time Brian; will wait patiently for your answer.
Regards,
Henk.

[Rich Allenby]

Henk, not sure if Eddie Fell made you aware of this.. but

...F/Sgt Hazelden died as a result of suicide at Catfoss airfield. So one to rule out for aircraft losses on that day.

Eddie passed me his research into Catfoss incidents and Im going through them at the moment, there may be others I will add to your postings on here. He had begun some additional research into the losses and names on the memorial at Catfoss, not as detailed as his 158 Sqn info but interesting none the less.

regards Rich

[COL BRUGGY]

Brian,

Re your, "35-year-old Cornishman, Sqn Ldr Cyril Colman."

Sdn Ldr Cyril H A Colman, 716 (RAAF), Born: Bromley, Kent, England, 8 January, 1905. 1FTS (RAAF - 4 Course 1926). RAF. 32 Sqn. WW2: Comd 23 Sqn RAF 1940-41. Killed in action 3 January, 1941.

See:
The Imperial Gift:British Aeroplanes which formed the RAAF in 1921.
Bennett,John.
Maryborough,(QLD):Banner Books,1996.
p.160 (Appendix One).

For further biographical details, see also:

www.rafcommands.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4402

Col.

[Henk Welting]

Brian, Coll, Dick.
I´ve the crew - Colman, Mathews, Macrory - still listed under a temporary Blenheim serial number Y0002. Some info say L6781 however Chorley and Air Britain have this serial being lost 28.9.1940 with 13 OTU.
Regards,
Henk.

[Henk Welting]

Yes, the info on HAZELDEN was passed on to me. Most times this kind of death is forwarded in a PM. Nevertheless thanks.
Season greetings,
Henk.

[wwrsimon]

Hello

LAC (Pilot u/t) John E.D. MARRINER - 1060077 - the Andrews Newspaper Index Cards on ancestry.co.uk record that he died in a flying accident, an he's listed on the Graves Registration Report Form as being with 22 E.F.T.S., both of which would link him to Tiger Moth T5890.

Regards

Simon

[jonheyworth]

Albert Ronald Brant 1307848 , attached to Number 5 EFTS , was taken seriously ill with a fractured spine through a pathological cause on 28 November , dying at 10:25 Hours in Botleys Park War Memorial hospital, Chertsey, Surrey