410424 - Unaccounted airmen - 24-4-1941

[Henk Welting]

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

Sgt Wilfred A. BENDY - 1152038 - Runnymede Panel 39;
P/O John CLAPHAM - 61238 - Runnymede Panel 31, and
Sgt Claude R. NASH - 955027 - Runnymede Panel 49.

Also:
AC2 William A. EDWARD - 1002109;
LAC Alfred E. HOCHSTRASSER - 853801 - 8 BC, 919 (Balloon) Sqn, Birkenhead;
P/O (Pilot) Richard W.S. INGE - 64298;
P/O (Pilot) Henry R. LANCHESTER - 64300, AND
ac1 gEORGE e. talbot - 1050503.

Proposed aircraft losses for this day:

Blenheim I - K7132 - 54 OTU - abandoned 8 miles NE of Barnsley, Yorkshire.
Magister I - N3789 - 16 EFTS - vrashed on approach Ternhill, Shropshire.
Tutor I - K4814 - CFS - flew into ground Langrod Moss, Coddington, Notts (Nottinghamshire ?).

Regards and thanks for your help.
Henk.

[RockHound]

Henk,

For those I can find, death registration districts as follows:

William A EDWARD, Age 20, Horsham, Sussex
Alfred E HOCHSTRASSER, Age 46, Birkenhead
Richard W S INGE, Age 25, Newark
Henry R LANCHESTER, Age 29, Newark
George E TALBOT, Age 28, Totnes, Devon

Coddington is near Newark in Nottinghamshire so this might be Tutor K4814

Regards,

David

[Ross_McNeill]

Hi Henk,

The Runnymede chaps were the crew of Blenheim L8799 of No.2 OTU.

Regards
Ross

[Henk Welting]

Thanks David & Ross for this excellent info.
Regards,
Henk.

[dennis_burke]

William A EDWARD, Age 20, Horsham, Sussex DOAS June 19th magazine
Alfred E HOCHSTRASSER, Age 46, Birkenhead DOAS June 19th magazine
Richard W S INGE, Age 25, Newark --- > Cannot find on Flight magazine
Henry R LANCHESTER, Age 29, Newark ; KOAS July 3rd magazine
George E TALBOT, Age 28, Totnes, Devon ; DOAS June 19th magazine

No need to aknowledge this message Henk.

Hoped to finish April 1941 this evening but promised I'd be elsewhere.

[Ross_McNeill]

F1180 confirms Lanchester as pilot of Tutor K4814.

Two killed, so I would link other fatality to Inge.

Regards
Ross

[wwrsimon]

Hello

AC2 William A. EDWARD - 1002109 - the West Sussex County Times of May 9th 1941 reported the following (edited for brevity):

R.A.F. MOTOR CYCLIST KILLED IN COLLISION
...an inquest on William Alexander Edward, R.A.F., who was killed when the motor cycle he was riding came into collision with a car on the Horsham-Rusper road on April 24.
P.C. Edward Lester said in his evidence that at 10.45 p.m. on April 24 he had gone to the Horsham-Rusper road, where he saw a Morris car on its right side of the road, facing Horsham. A man in R.A.F. uniform was lying under thr front off-side, wedged under the chassis. He was dead.
P.C. Lester said he had seen the driver of the car, Jospeh Penn...the following morning and he had made a statement, in which he said, "On Thursday, April 24, at approximately 8.55 p.m., I was driving from Rusper to Horsham. I was driving at a speed which I would estimate att 25 m.p.h., with side lamps and regulation headlamps on."
Mr. Penn's statement continued by saying that about a quarter of a mile from the bottom of Hurst hill, he had seen a motor-cycle, travelling without lights, coming towards him on the crown of the road at a high speed.
When about 25 yards away, the rear of the machine had suddenly swung round, skidded broadside into the car and struck the front bumper on the offside front wheel.
The jury recorded a verdict of accidental death.

P/O (Pilot) Richard W.S. INGE - 64298 - the Graves Registration Report Form gives his unit a 2 C.F.S.

Regards

Simon

[jonheyworth]

William Arthur Dewhirst 944843, was Fatally wounded by enemy action

[jonheyworth]

Abraham Grabie 774626 , attached to Number 53 RSU, died of wounds sustained in the fall of Crete

[jonheyworth]

Joseph Lowin 774402 , was reported as a battle casualty missing during the fall of Greece

[jonheyworth]

Alec Polson 523687, attached to Number 53 RSU , was killed in an air raid during the evacuation from Greece

[jonheyworth]

Matthew Swain 540167 , attached to 53 RSU , was reported as a battle casualty during the withdrawal from Crete.

[jonheyworth]

Albert Emil Hochstrasse 853801, died whilst on 28 days discharge leave at Rock Ferry, Cheshire, of a malignant growth of the nasal pharynx

[jonheyworth]

Roy Silvester Hodgson 651050 ,attached to 51 RSU , was reported killed in an air attack during the evacuation from Greece

[jonheyworth]

George Edward Talbot 1050503 , attached to Number 4 ITW, died in Paignton of heart faliure due to sub acute pleurisy and myocarditis