411116 - Unaccounted airman - 16-11941

[Henk Welting]

What caused the death of and/or what was the place of death registration for:

AC2 Leslie E.T. SMITH - 950490 - not found Flight archives.

One aircraft loss for this day as a proposal:

Magister I - R1843 - 15 EFTS - crashed in forced landing 3 miles S of Gretna, Dumfries.

Regards and thanks for your help.
Henk.

[JimCorbett1977]

Hi Henk,

Don't think that is your crash, I have:

16.01.41
Miles M.14 Magister I R1843 15 E.F.T.S. Kingstown
D M Cook pilot
Aircraft ditched in the sea 3 miles south of Gretna, in the Solway Firth, Cumberland.

[Dick]

Hi Henk
I found L E T Smith ,21, in CWGC but the only one that came in the Register was Leslie J Smith,20, registered at Hendon. A change of initial on the Register is not unknown but I wouldn't bank on it being the same man, even though the age might indicate a casualty of Military age and Hendon, an RAF one
Regards
Dick

[Henk Welting]

Thanks Dick; Smith a simple name but difficult for research.
Regards,
Henk.

[Henk Welting]

Hi Henk,

Don't think that is your crash, I have:

16.01.41
Miles M.14 Magister I R1843 15 E.F.T.S. Kingstown
D M Cook pilot
Aircraft ditched in the sea 3 miles south of Gretna, in the Solway Firth, Cumberland.

Thanks Jim.
Cook servived. Any idea on rank and servicenumber ?
Regards,
Henk.

[dennis_burke]

AC2 L E T Smith is KOAS in Flight magazine October 9th 1941.

And his name then turns up in the Q3 register as Leslie E T Smith age 21 in the Derby district, Derbyshire. There must have been an enquiry or something to delay the registration perhaps.

[wwrsimon]

Hello

AC2 Leslie E.T. SMITH - 950490 - there was indeed a considerable delay. The Derby Daily Telegrpah of August 14th 1941 reported the following:

Winter Raid Victim In Derby Found
The body of an R.A.F. man was found beneath a heavy girder and debris at Derby yesterday afternoon, and it is concluded that he was a victim of the bombing in January. He was identified last night as Aircraftman Leslie Edwin Thomas Smith, who was stationed at Cranwell and whose home was at Navenby, Lincs.
He was posted as missing when he was due back from leave which he is thought to have spent at Birmingham. He would have had to change at Derby on his journey back.
Some time after the bombing a kit-bag bearing Smith's name was found among debris.
During the raid a few other people lost their lives.

Regards

Simon

[jonheyworth]

William Dean 1036648 , attached to 59 OTU , was drowned when he accidentally fell into a static water tank at Crosby on Eden at 21:30 Hours

[jonheyworth]

Cyril Cocks 1379969 , was killed In a flying accident when Spitfire I X4713 crashed into high ground at Ruabon, Denbighshire

[jonheyworth]

William Alfred Stevens 188891 , died at 11:00 Hours in the Sutton EMS hospital, Surrey, of toxaemia due to pulmonary tuberculosis

[jonheyworth]

William James Owen Matthews 1121892 | attached to 23 OTU | died in RAF hospital Innsworth of leukaemia

[jonheyworth]

George Robert Wade 1288793 | attached to RAF Croydon, died in Sutton EMS hospital of an internal Obstruction