410310 - Unaccounted airmen - 10-3-1941

[Henk Welting]

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

Sgt (Pilot u/t) Allan V. GASKELL - 970129 - killed on active service, and
P/O (Pilot) Grant H. McARTHUR - 64286 - not found Flight archives.

Proposed aircraft losses for this day:

Battle I - K7626 - 1 FTS - crashed in forced landing at night near Corsley Heath, Wiltshire.
Master I - T8634 - 58 OTU - collided with Spitfire L1002.
Spitfire I - L1002 - 58 OTU - collided with Master T8634. (Location not known).

Regards and thanks for your help.
Henk.

[Dick]

Hi Henk
Neither of these come up which might mean Scotland, and 58 OTU was based at Grangemouth which is near Edinburgh
Regards
Dick

[Henk Welting]

Thanks Dick. Perhaps DaveW or Paul will come up with some info.
Regards,
Henk.

[alclark]

The ORB didn't name the pilots of the Spitfire & Master but confirmed it was a fatal accident.

March 10th 1941, “Spitfire and Master aircraft collided at approximately 1000ft and crashed.
Both pilots killed. A Spitfire aircraft which was being ferried from Northolt is missing. The
aircraft was last seen in the vicinity of Loch Tay, search instituted.”

The missing Spitfire was found a couple of days later on Ben Ledi to the west of Callender, the pilot's body was recovered on the 13th.

[Henk Welting]

Thanks Al for this excellent info. Suppose that Sgt Gaskell was on Master T8634 and P/O McArthur on Spitfire L1002.
Regards,
Henk.

[davew]

Henk

Presume that Gaskell was the pilot of the Master as he is described as 'u/t'; this came down at Kinnell Kerse Mains Farm, Bo'ness and the Spitfire at East Kerse Mains Farm, Bo'ness. These locations are to the SE of Grangemouth and are only 1 mile apart. (From the death register).

regards

DaveW

[paulmcmillan]

Guys any idea on the pilot of Spitfire X4647? I note the body was found on 13-3-41 - So maybe on CWGC for this date or maybe being flown by a ferry pilot so not on 58 OTU Roll

[Henk Welting]

Paul,
Amending files ascertained that X4647 already was known to me. Also on ferryflight from Northolt to Grangemouth hit top of the Ben Ledi (Stuc Dubh), Glen Caseigh, Perthshire, killing Sgt Kenneth F.F. PURCELL - 754064.
So L1002 may have collided with Master T8634 elsewhere, but where ? And was P/O Grant H. McARTHUR - 64286 at the controls of the Spitfire ?
What were the places of death registration for:
Sgt (Pilot u/t) Allan V. GASKELL - 970129.
P/O (Pilot) Grant H. McARTHUR - 64286.
Sgt Kenneth F.F. PURCELL - 754064.
Regards,
Henk.

[paulmcmillan]

Purcell death is registered at Callender Perthshire, which is right for Ben Ledi

[paulmcmillan]

As DaveW has said GASKELL and McARTHUR are both registered at Bo'ness West Lothian

[paulmcmillan]

I don't think we can say MCARTHUR was definately on the Spitfire and GASKELL was on the Master. As Grant Herbert MCARTHUR was only promoted from LAC to P/O on 17th Feb 1941. Though I suppose he could have previously been LAC (Pilot under training) - and qualified but stayed on at 58 OTU as an instructor

Maybe ORB will tell us if he was on Strength of 58 OTU as pilot ?

Paul

[Henk Welting]

I overlooked DaveW's thread; sorry for that. Thanks Paul and Dave for helping me out to solve this.
Best regards,
Henk.

[jonheyworth]

Kamirez Sycz P 781233 , died under anaesthetic in Nottingham hospital in the course of an operation to treat acute coliysistitis

[jonheyworth]

John Denton Wright 1066261 , attached fo Number 80 Signals Wing, died at approximately 16:00 Hours in the vicinity of Fairmile , Devon. It was presumed he had fallen from his bicycle

[jonheyworth]

William Wilkin 1028763 , attached to RAF Ringway, died in Withington EMS hospital, Manchester , of a gastric ulcer