410416 - Unaccounted airmen - 16-4-1941

[Henk Welting]

What caused the death of and/or what were the places of death registration for the following airmen killed on active service (while engaged on non-operational flying duties or on the ground through enemy action); it's known that many airmen were killed in an air raid on London and many died of wounds later as the Overseas Victoria League Club in Malet Street they were in, took two direct hits:

Lac (Pilot u/t) Richardson K. DAVIDSON - 1060807;
AC2 William A. JONES - 1356684;
LAC (Pilot u/t) Louis RAPHAEL - 931091, and
LAC (Pilot u/t) Douglas St.J. SHIPWAY-FOWLER - 1166467.

Also:
F/Lt Frederick C.G. EDEN - 74387 - killed on active service, and

following airmen whose names couldn't be found in Flight Global archives:

Sgt William R. GOVETT - 570309;
AC1 Kenneth C.G. NICE - 929380;
LAC (Pilot u/t) Thomas C. SHARKEY - 1286069;
AC1 Anthony M. SILVERMAN - 651093;
AC2 Arthur THORPE - 1044549, and
LAC (Pilot u/t) Donald J. WHITE - 1262262.

Proposed aircraft losses for this day:

Hart Trainer - K3146 - 9 FTS - dived into ground Hankerton, 3 miles NE of Malmesbury, Wiltshire.
Hurricane I - N2433 - 55 OTU - crashed on landing Ouston.
Hurricane I - V7237 - 59 OTU - flew into ground Howbarry, Dumfries.
Oxford I - R6087 - 14 FTS - crashed in forced landing at night Hemingford Abbots, Huntingdonshire.
Oxford II - V3645 - 15 FTS - crashed on take-off Weston-on-the-Green.
Spitfire I - X4475 - 57 OTU - abandoned near Ilkley, Yorkshire.
Stirling I - N6002 - 10 MU - crashed Castle Combe.
Tiger Moth II - N6480 - 11 EFTS - crashed on landing Perth.
Tiger Moth II - N6654 - 4 EFTS - crashed; no further details.

Regards and thanks for your help.
Henk.

[alclark]

I only have two entries for the 16th and neither of them seem to match any of the people you are after. The Sgt from 256 Sqn isn't Govett as he is recorded as 50 Squadron on the CWGC register.

5 FTS - April 16th 1941, “Pilot Instructor Sgt J. Proctor and pupil 1006784 LAC Taylor were fatally injured in a flying accident.”

3 SGR - April 16th 1941, “A Sergeant of 256 Squadron killed in a London Air Raid.”

[Andy Ingham]

Hello Henk

Richardson K. DAVIDSON age 20, St Ives.
William A. JONES (4 listed in England & Wales)
Louis RAPHAEL age 23, Chippenham.
Douglas St.J. SHIPWAY-FOWLER age 23, Chippenham.
Frederick C.G. EDEN age 46, Westminster.
William R. GOVETT age 20, Doncaster.
Kenneth C.G. NICE age 20, Surrey SE.
Thomas C. SHARKEY age 28, Howden.
Anthony M. SILVERMAN not found in England, Wales or scotland.
Arthur THORPE age 40, Newton
Donald J. WHITE age 27, Howden.

Regards
Andy

[Dick]

Hi Henk
Bet you didn't realise you were mixing with the British Nobility!! Frederick C G Eden is registered at Westminster after being killed in an Air raid, he was the 6th holder of the title Baron Auckland(the Auckland in this case is in County Durham). I suppose it is possible he was attending our Parliament.(The Houses of Parliament were among buildings damaged by bombing during the night of 16/17 Apr 1941)
Now to business! Davidson,20 is registered at St Ives, Cambridgeshire(this area is right for Hemmingford Abbots.( ?Oxford R6087)), both Raphael and Shipway-Fowler are registered at Chippenham,Wiltshire it could connect them to Hart K3146, it is the right area.2 possible William A Jones, one ,44, in Lambeth S London just across the river from Westminster. and one ,36, in Manchester(CWGC don't have an age but theirs is buried at Hendon in N London). Thomas C Sharkey,28, and Donald J White,27 are registered at Howden, E Yorkshire a slight puzzle as this office supposedly closed in 1937 and it's function passed to Holderness and Howdenshire, but on a previous thread Tom found others also at Howden, it might be that on the list on Ancestry the "shire"was dropped for lack of space. Govett,20, is registered at Doncaster E Yorkshire, Thorpe is registered at Newton, probably the one in Devon. Silverman didn't come up so could be Scotland.
Regards
Dick

[nicks]

Hi Henk

Shipway-Fowler (Pilot) and Raphael (Passenger) are listed in Wings over Wiltshire by Rod Priddle, as the crew of Hawker Hart K3146 which crashed near the village of Charlton 6 miles northeast of Hullavington.

Regards,

Nick

[Henk Welting]

Thanks friends sharing with me all these goodies to get rid of my endless 'unaccounted' list. I do hope this effort also may be of some help to other researcher/historian on the air war 39-45.
Best regards,
Henk.

[Henk Welting]

I only have two entries for the 16th and neither of them seem to match any of the people you are after. The Sgt from 256 Sqn isn't Govett as he is recorded as 50 Squadron on the CWGC register.

5 FTS - April 16th 1941, “Pilot Instructor Sgt J. Proctor and pupil 1006784 LAC Taylor were fatally injured in a flying accident.”

3 SGR - April 16th 1941, “A Sergeant of 256 Squadron killed in a London Air Raid.”

"A Sergeant of 256 Sqn" was Sgt Reginald L. ROBINSON - NZ402116; info thanks to "For Your Tomorrow" (Errol Martyn) Vol.1, page 117.
Regards,
Henk.

[Henk Welting]

PROCTOR and TAYLOR are on my 'unaccounted' list with date of death 18th April 1941. Unfortunately can't find an 5 FTS loss on 16th April 1941.
5 FTS losses for 18th April were:
Magister I - T9701 - 5 EFTS - crashed on overshoot Meir;
Master I - 5 FTS - N7823 - flew into ground at Ternhill, Shropshire, and
Master I - 5 FTS - T8876 - damaged byond repair in accident; no further details.

"A Sergeant of 256 Sqn" was Sgt Reginald L. ROBINSON - NZ402116 (thanks to "For Your Tomorrow" [Errol Martyn] Vol.1, page 117).

Regards,
Henk.

[alclark]

Proctor and Taylor are recorded as the 18th by CWGC, though it is defintately the 16th in the ORB, though it wouldn't be the first time. I get the feeling that sometimes the typed up ORBs were written at the end of the month from hand written notes as everything seems too neat to be a daily entry.

The entry for the 18th only records that the station commander Group Captain Haskins had returned from leave.

[Henk Welting]

Thanks Al; agree with you on typed ORB's; have seen more imperfections in the past. Perhaps the place of death registration will give a lead to the aircraft involved (may have been Master N7823).
Regards,
Henk.

[Dick]

Henk
Both Proctor,24 and Taylor,23 are registered at Whitchurch which would be right for Ternhill . Meir is not far away but I think we've had deaths there recorded at Cheadle Cheshire. Obviously there is the date difference to work out but I suppose both could have survived a crash and died of injuries later
Regards
Dick

[Henk Welting]

Thanks Dick for info on Proctor and Taylor. No write-off 5 FTS for 16th and two fatally injured in flying accident; both died 18th. For the time being my preference goes to Master N7823 on the 18th.
Regards,
Henk.

[dennis_burke]

Sgt William R. GOVETT - DOAS magazine 3rd July;
AC1 Kenneth C.G. NICE - KOAS magazine 22 May;
LAC (Pilot u/t) Thomas C. SHARKEY - KOAS magazine 22 May;
AC1 Anthony M. SILVERMAN - not found but this might be a common thing with Belfast casualties at this time;
AC2 Arthur THORPE - DOAS magazine 22 May
LAC Donald J. WHITE - KOAS magazine 22 May.

[Henk Welting]

Thanks Dennis for DOAS/KOAS-info.

Henk.

[wwrsimon]

Hello

Lac (Pilot u/t) Richardson K. DAVIDSON - 1060807 - the Graves Registration Report Form confirms him with 14 F.T.S., which would tie him in with Oxford I R6087.

Regards

Simon

[jonheyworth]

William Roy Govett 570309 , was admitted dangerously ill to Doncaster Royal Infirmary on 15th April where he died in a diabetic coma

[jonheyworth]

William Arthur Jones 1356684, attached to RAF Hendon, was killed in London in an air raid

[markpeelgb]

1356684 Aircraftman 2nd Class William Arthur Jones

After a bit more sleuthing through the 1939 Register and an earlier census, I think I have discovered a bit more about AC2 Jones' death. In the heavy air raid on April 16, 1941, a number of people, including firewatchers and ARP personnel, were killed along Stockwell Road between Stockwell Lane and Stockwell Green in Lambeth. AC2 Jones lived in Stockwell Green in 1939, and one of the people killed on Stockwell Road was his nephew, Edward Pavey, who lived in Stockwell Crescent. It remains circumstantial, but it seems reasonable to assume that he AC2 Jones was one of the casualties in this part of Lambeth on that night.

[markpeelgb]

1044549 Aircraftman 2nd Class Arthur THORPE

According to his burial record, AC2 Thorpe died from the effects of pneumonia on 16 April 1941 at the RAF Hospital in Poulton, Lancashire. He was based at RAF Padgate.