410504 - Unaccounted airmen - 4-5-1941

[Henk Welting]

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

LAC (Pilot u/t) Colin G.E. CROUCH - 1202561;
F/O John A. EDWARDS - 42995 - 4 Sqn (Linton-on-Ouse, Yorkshire);
Sgt (Wop/Ag) William G. ELLIOTT - 747946;
Sgt (Wop) George W. KNIGHT - 626731 - 4 Sqn (Linton-on-Ouse, Yorkshire);
Sgt (Pilot) Hubert W. LEE - 641880 (from Canada) - 242 Sqn (Stapleford Tawny, Essex) - commemorated on Panel 47 of the Runnymede Memorial;
AC2 Kenneth PHILLIPS - 1067854 - 241 Sqn (Bury St.Edmunds, Suffolk);
LAC Douglas H. REYNOLDS - 629581 - 18 BC, 948 (Balloon) Sqn (Rosyth, Glasgow);
Sgt (Wop/Ag) Edward SALMONS - 755504;
AC2 Eric W. TOWNEND - 1075689, and
LAC John B. VANES - 861187 - 18 BC, 929 (Balloon) Sqn (South Queensferry).

Proposed aircraft losses for this day:

Oxford I - N4563 - 11 FTS - crashed on take-off East Morton.
Oxford II - W6577 - 12 FTS - crashed on take-off Grantham.

Regards and thanks for your help.
Henk.

[Andy Ingham]

Hello Henk
Colin G.E. CROUCH age 29 registered at Whitchurch.
John A. EDWARDS age 18 registered at Manchester.
There are 2 William G. ELLIOTT registered in England & Wales both are unlikley to be your man. One was aged 74 registered at Birmingham and one aged 82 at Winchester.
George W. KNIGHT age 21 registered at Dover.
Hubert W. LEE Not listed as would be expected.
Kenneth PHILLIPS age 20 registered at Bury St.Edmunds.
Douglas H. REYNOLDS age 19 registered at Stirling. Killed in a road traffic acident.
Edward SALMONS age 34 registered at Wigton.
Eric W. TOWNEND Not found in England, Wales or Scotland.
John B. VANES age 39 registered at Stirling. Killed in the same road traffic acident as Reynolds.
Regards
Andy

[Henk Welting]

Thanks Andy for this much appreciated and quick reply.
Regards,
Henk.

[dennis_burke]

Colin G.E. CROUCH age 29 registered at Whitchurch. KOAS

Sgt William G. ELLIOTT and Hubert W. LEE are listed as Missing believed KOAS in June 19th magazine. Listed in same list as P/O. M. S. Smith: Sgt. R. J. Strickland.- Lee and Strickland are listed as 1 (C) OTU, on GRO RAF list, if that might link them to an aircraft.

Both the 4 Sqn men, Missing, Believed KIA -
George W. KNIGHT age 21 registered at Dover.
John A. EDWARDS This name is on the GRO RAF lists & Runnymede still and I imagine that this person, age 18 registered at Manchester, is another name by co-incidence.

Tony Woods Claims list:
04.05.41 Hptm. Heinz Bretnütz: 31 Stab II./JG 53 Lysander �� - 12.53 Reference: JG 53 Lists f. 1664
04.05.41 Oblt. Heinz Schönefeldt: 1 * Stab II./JG 3 Lysander �� 5 km. E. Deal: 100 m. - Reference: JG 3 Lists f. 424

Kenneth PHILLIPS age 20 registered at Bury St.Edmunds. ---> DOAS June 26th magazine
Edward SALMONS age 34 registered at Wigton. --> KOAS June 19th magazine
Eric W. TOWNEND ---> Found age 28 in Fylde District, Lancashire. DOAS Aug 7th magazine

Douglas H. REYNOLDS age 19 registered at Stirling. Killed in a road traffic acident.
John B. VANES age 39 registered at Stirling. Killed in the same road traffic acident as Reynolds.
Both the above --> DOAS of course on June 19th magazine

Henk, no need to acknowledge this posting, unless you have further questions

[Henk Welting]

SMITH, TAYLOR and STRICKLAND were on Hudson N7304 of 1(C)OTU. 'For Your Tomorrow' (Martyn) vol.1 page 120, mentions SIX casualties. LEE may have been number four, although listed by Allison in his 'TSGNO' page 416 being 242 Squadron (flying Hurricanes).
Do Errol and Ross have more info on the crew ?
Regards,
Henk.

[dennis_burke]

I don't own a copy of TSNGO but would H W Lee be listed in that? Was he Canadian or is the books remit outside of just Canadians?, the Lee I refer to is RAF and there is no CWGC link to him being from Canada?

[dennis_burke]

Not mentioned by you Henk but you might want too have it:
From Northern Ireland PRONI Wills calenders on their website:

Campbell Douglas George of 11 Cooldarragh Park North Belfast sergeant R.A.F. died 4 May 1941 at the Hospital Bagdad
Administration Belfast 16 September to William Gibb Campbell sales manager

[Ross_McNeill]

Hi Henk,

No.1 OTU ORB gives the following deaths on the Hudson:
P/O M S Smith
Sgt R B Taylor RNZAF
Sgt H W Lee
Sgt R J Strickland
Sgt W G Elliott

Regards
Ross

[Henk Welting]

Not mentioned by you Henk but you might want too have it:
From Northern Ireland PRONI Wills calenders on their website:

Campbell Douglas George of 11 Cooldarragh Park North Belfast sergeant R.A.F. died 4 May 1941 at the Hospital Bagdad
Administration Belfast 16 September to William Gibb Campbell sales manager

Dennis,
CAMPBELL was killed on Wellington I.C serial T2711 of 37 Sqn. (Bomber Loses ME & Med - Gunby/Temple - vol.1 page 58). He hailed from Northern Ireland.
Regards,
Henk.

[Henk Welting]

Dennis,
Forgot to mention that he died of wounds caused by Arabs.
Henk.

[thorne83]

Hi Henk, Crouch was on N4563, which crashed at Moreton Corbet, near Shawbury (not East Morton).

Cheers,

Tom

[Henk Welting]

Thanks Tom; another one taken from the list; much appreciated.
Best regards,
Henk.

[wwrsimon]

Hello

AC2 Kenneth PHILLIPS - 1067854 - the Bury Free Press of May 10th 1941 reported the following:

Rifle Accident
Aircraftman Shot Dead
The sotry of how a Doncaster young man, Aircraftman Kenneth Phillips (30), of 24, Grove Vale, Wheatley Hills, was shot dead in a rifle accident, was told to the Coroner (Mr. George Carter) and a jury at an inquest on Tuesday.
Coprl. Thomas Gough said that before the accident on Sunday he examined the rifles of Phiilips and another airman names Cawley, and by pulling the triggers saw that there were no bullets in the breech.
Aircraftman Leslie F. Broadhurst said he saw Aircraftman Lindsey and Phillips at the "on guard" position. There was a report, Phillips dropped and Lindsey picked him up. "I know they were just playing," said witnes, "and I heard them laughing. They were sparring about, and the shot was a pure accident."
Aircraftman Cawley said that Phillips pointed his rifle at Lindsey, who grabbed witness' rifle. Witness said to him"Be creful. There are five rounds in it." Lindsey pointed the rifle towards Phillips, who released the safety catch and put a cartridge into the breech..."Lindsey did exactly the same thing but did not apply the safety catch.As soon as he got a cartridge in the breech, the gun went off. We were all pals. It was a pure accident."
An R.A.F. medical officer said that the bulet glanced off the buckle of Phillips' respirator to enter his chin, causing instantaneous death.
The jury returned a verdict fo "Death by misadventure."

LAC Douglas H. REYNOLDS - 629581 and
LAC John B. VANES - 861187

Here's what the Dundee Courier reported on May 5th 1941 about the accident that cost them their lives:

AIRMEN KILLED ON ROAD
A.C. Jack Vanes (20) and A.C. Douglas Hewitson Reynolds (36) lost their lives in a collision betweenan R.A.F. truck and a bus at Bellstyke Road, Larbert, late on Saturday night. The truck, containing 17 aircraftmen, was travelling from Glasgow to Fife. The bus had no passengers. The driver of the bus, William Miller, Larbert, sustained cuts and bruises.

Sgt (Wop/Ag) Edward SALMONS - 755504 - the Graves Registration Report Form lists his unit as 1 (C) O.T.U. The Banbury Advertiser of May 14th 1941 reported the following:

IN FATAL FLYING ACCIDENT
The death occurred some ten days ago, as the result of a flying accident, of Sergeant-Instructor Edward Salmons, of Horton View, Banbury. On the reserve, he was called up shortly fter the outbreak of war and served in the R.A.F. He was 33 years of age and leaves a widow.

Regards

Simon

[markpeelgb]

1075689 Aircraftman 2nd Class Eric Walker TOWNEND

An online family tree states--I think on the basis of a death certificate--that AC2 Townend drowned in a Lancashire reservoir (Fylde Registration District) on 4 May 1941.