410430 - Unaccounted airmen - 30-4-1941

[Henk Welting]

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

Sgt (Wop/Ag) Charles J. CLARKE - 744913;
Sgt (Pilot) Michael H.H. DAVIGDOR - 1250642;
Sgt (Pilot) Eric J. EASTON - 1253064;
P/O (Pilot) Kenneth G. EVANS - 61048;
F/O (Pilot/Instr.) Leonard A. HAINES - 40297;
AC1 John INGRAM - 1119404;
Sgt (Wop/Ag) Thomas L. LEVER - 979838;
Cpl Thomas F.G. PRESS - 354922;
P/O John F. RAW - 61294;
F/Lt (Pilot) John E. ROBINS - 70582, and
F/Lt John V. TREE - 78939.

Proposed aircraft losses for this day:

Hurricane I - P3308 - 55 OTU - crashed in forced landing Horden, Durham county.
Hurricane I - V6543 - 55 OTU - crashed in forced landing near Washington, Durham county.
Hurricane I - V6742 - 52 OTU - dived into ground Finchingfield, Essex.
Master I - T8678 - CFS - crashed on take-off at night Littleton Down.
Master I - T8771 - 53 OTU - spun into ground Hounslow Barracks, Middlesex.
Oxford I - L9698 - 11 FTS - crashed on take-off Shawbury.
Tomahawk IIA - AH888 - 403 Sqn - abandoned Hatton, Warwickshire.

Regards and thanks for your help.
Henk.

[Dick]

Hi Henk
Clarke,25, Evans,26,and Lever,20 are registered at Bristol, Davigdor,19, is registered at Braintree,Essex(which would be right for V6742 at Finchingfield) , Easton,19, is registered at Bishops Stortford, Hertfordshire, Haines,21, and Press,36, are registered at Brentford, W London(it could be right for the loss at Hounslow Barracks). There are 2 John E Robins, one age 19 at Edmonton, Hertfordshire N edge of London, the other 30, at Devizes where Raw,24 is also registered(the older one ties in with CWGC).John Ingram,20, is registered at Uppingham(in WW2 it was in Rutland and included N Luffenham). I didn't find John Tree
Regards
Dick

[alclark]

Haines and Press were killed in Master T8771.

53 OTU ORB:

April 30th 1941, “F/O A/F/Lt L.A. Haines (Pilot) and 354922 Corporal T.F.G. Press
(Passenger) killed in flying accident.”

I don't have anything for the others.

[paulmcmillan]

Hi Henk
There are 2 John E Robins, one age 19 at Edmonton, Hertfordshire N edge of London, the other 30, at Devizes where Raw,24 is also registered(the older one ties in with CWGC).

Which would be good for:

Master I - T8678 - CFS - crashed on take-off at night Littleton Down.

[thorne83]

L9698 was piloted by LAC W S Alderson (1064096) who was slightly injured. Log book endorsed.

Cheers, Tom

[Henk Welting]

Thanks friends for all your excellent help. Suppose that Sgt Easton and P/O Evans were killed on Spitfires P3308 and V6543. Is it possible to ask RAF Museum Hendon by e-mail for info on the RAF Forms 1180 ?
Regards,
Henk.

[paulmcmillan]

"Sgt Easton and P/O Evans were killed on Spitfires P3308 and V6543."
I doubt it as these deaths occurred a long way away from Durham!

Also - They are Hurricanes!

[davew]

Henk

Evans Clarke & Lever were killed in Wellington T2905 that crashed in St Andrews park, Bristol. The other three crewmen were injured.

regards

DaveW

[Henk Welting]

Thanks Dave. Stupid from me as their names were on file (Chorley Vol.7 page 49), however forgot to delete them from my unaccounted list. Forgive this old man !
Regards,
Henk.

[Amrit]

30/04/1941 Tomahawk AH888 of 403 Squadron was abandoned in a spin at Hatton after a camera door opened and made the aircraft uncontrollable. Sgt E K Tomlinson RCAF was injured. Eric Keith Tomlinson, hailing from East York, Ontario, went missing on 23rd October 1942, flying a Kittyhawk with 260 Squadron. He has no known grave and is commemorated on the Alamein memorial.

http://www.couplandbell.com/marg/crashes1941.htm

K

[Henk Welting]

Thanks Amrit. Tomlinson's Kittyhawk (23/10/42) may have been either FL238 or FL314. Who may confirm ?
Regards,
Henk.

[Amrit]

From an old thread on TOCH

E.K.Tomlinson was flying FL314
Sgt Sheppard was flying FL238

http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/showthread.php?t=1710

A

[Henk Welting]

Thanks Amrit, very much appreciated.
Regards,
Henk.

[John]

Sgt 744913 Charles John Clarke was my grandfather. Wellington T2905 took off from RAF Bassingbourn, Cambridgeshire, the crew being stationed there with 11 OTU. I have loads of info on the crash and am creating a website dedicated to it. I'll post details later. For now people may be interested to know that Evans, Clarke and Lever are commemorated on the War Memorial at Steeple Morden, Cambridgeshire. See

http://www.roll-of-honour.com/Cambridgeshire/SteepleMorden355thFighterGroup.html

[dennis_burke]

PREVIOUSLY REPORTED MISSING, nOW REPORTED KILLED ON ACTIVE SERVICE.—Act. Fit. Lt. J. V. Tree. Oct 9th 1941 Flight magazine, had been listed missing in June 26th magazine. Married to a lady from/in Belfast, buried Islay but I can't get him on Scotlandspeople, probably a spelling issue.
Probably found he he had a prewar Aero Club license.

PREVIOUSLY REPORTED MISSING. BELIEVED KILLED ON ACTIVE SERVICE, NOW REPORTED
KILLED ON ACTIVE SERVICE: Set. M. H. H. Davigdor; August 14th magazine
His birth index seems to carry a surname spelling of D'Avigdor,

Sgt. E. J. Easton KOAS June 26th magazine

There is an AC2 J Ingram DOAS in June 19th magazine.

Press, Haines, Evans, Clarke and Lever KOAS of course june 26 publication and the final two men KOAS in the magazine of the 19th.

Henk, no need to acknowledge this post unless further discussion/questions.

[malcolm_raf]

Hi Henk

Tree was killed aboard the SS Nerissa which was sunk by U-552.

Malcolm

[Henk Welting]

Malcolm,
What was your source for F/Lt TREE ? Those killed/missing on SS Nerissa (as far as their names are in my files) are commemorated on the Ottawa Air Forces Memorial. Moreover his name is not on a list I've of airmen killed/missing on board of a ship. F/Lt TREE - who hailed from N.Ireland - lies buried Kilnaughton Mil. Cem., Kildalton and Oa, Isle of Islay, Argyllshire.
Regards,
Henk.

[dennis_burke]

J V Tree is listed on the SS Nerissa website.

http://www.ssnerissa.com/?q=list_all

Not sure that full link will work but
http://www.ssnerissa.com/

Bruines, Morrison, Poock, Reed, are on the Ottowa memorial.

Tree is buried in Islay.

W/C Weir is buried in Co. Mayo, Ireland.

[malcolm_raf]

Henk

Tree was listed as being on the Nerissa on the GRO list.

Malcolm

[Ross_McNeill]

Hi Henk,

No.52 OTU ORB
Hurricane V6742 crashed near Finchingfield after high speed dive - pilot Sgt d'Avigdor killed.

Hurricane P3864 crashed near Bishops Stortford, failing to come out of high speed dive - pilot Easton killed.

Regards
Ross

[wwrsimon]

Hello

F/Lt (Pilot) John E. ROBINS - 70582 - the National Probate Calendar records that he died at West Lavington, Wiltshire.

Regards

Simon

[jonheyworth]

Joseph Harold Glover 1004135 , died on board HMT Duchess of York of heatstoke and was buried at sea

[jonheyworth]

John Ingram 119404, attached to Number 17 EFTS, was killed at RAF North Luffenham, when his back and chest were crushed when his tractor overturned