410527 - Unaccounted airmen - 27-5-1941

[Henk Welting]

What were the places of death registration for:

AC2 (WOp) John BOOTH - 1000552, and
AC2 (WOp) Ivor C. BURGESS - 1073117.

Proposed aircraft losses for this day:

Blenheim IV - Z6078 - 2(C)OTU - crashed on overshoot Sedgefield, Durham county.
Dominie I - R5929 - 2 SS - dived into ground Easton Hill, near Bishops Cannings, Wiltshire.
Tutor I - K3471 - 2 CFS - crashed on approach Fulbeck.

Regards and thanks for your help.
Henk.

[Dick]

Hi Henk
I found 2 John Booth's, one age 25 is registered at Devizes, the other age 20 is at Ilkeston,Derbyshire. CWGC has Booth's age as 28.
Ivor Burgess,33, is registered at Devizes. This could connect him to the older Booth, and it is the right area for the Dominie at Bishop's Canning.
Warner has no fatalities on Z6078.Sgt A Carter injured
Regards
Dick

[Lyffe]

Further to Dick's post, 2 SS was 2 Signals School, based at Yatesbury, about 10 km NNE from Bishops Cannings (itself about 7 km NNE from Devizes), so that fits nicely. I'm unable to find any reference to this particular accident in "Wings over Wiltshire", but in fairness this excellent book does not claim to record every incident.

Brian

[Henk Welting]

Thanks Brian & Dick for your quick response; much appreciated.
Regards,
Henk.

[Henk Welting]

Checking CWGC cemetery registers with my 'unaccounted' list found another name not listed sofar in my files:

AC2 (WOp u/t) John BATES - 1073782.

Looking for his place of death registration and possible match with one of the proposed aircraft losses.

Regards and thanks for your help.
Henk.

[Henk Welting]

If place of death registration for AC2 John BATES - 1073782 was Devizes as well, he could have been another casualty of the #2 Signal School's Dominie R5929.

Henk.

[RockHound]

Henk,

There is a John BATES, aged 24 (age not given on CWGC) registered at Devizes.

Regards,

David

[Henk Welting]

Thanks David for confirmation BATES and Devizes; will amend my files.
Regards,
Henk.

[Henk Welting]

Checking CWGC registers again found a name sofar missing in my files. What was the place of death registration for:
AC2 Geoffrey W. GOODDY - 1259461 (not found in Flight archives). A matching aircraft serial in message #1 ?
Regards,
Henk.

[COL BRUGGY]

AC2 G W GOODDY. Died of Wounds or Injuries received on Active service. The Times. June 18, 1941.

Col.

[Henk Welting]

Thanks Col. Let's wait for Dick whether he has a death registration place.
Regards,
Henk.

[malcolm_raf]

Hi Henk

Gooddy was registered in Chichester

Malcolm

[Henk Welting]

Thanks Malcolm. Good weekend,
Henk.

[Henk Welting]

Checking CWGC registers found the name of an airman sofar missing in my files. What was the place of death registration for:
Cpl Geoffrey C.A. BARHAM - 351156 - age 41.
Regards,
Henk.

[dennis_burke]

Aged 41 in Preston District, Lancashire.
Died on Active Service Flight Magazine July 3rd, 1941.

[Henk Welting]

Thanks again Dennis; I'm now close to 1942 !
Regards,
Henk.

[Henk Welting]

Checking CWGC registers found the names of THREE airmen sofar missing in my files. Can't find their names in Flight archives. What are the places of death registration for:
AC2 (WOp u/t) Frank BILLINGHAM - 1192273;
AC2 (WOp u/t) Arthur S. BUTCHER - 1290772, and
Cpl (WOp) Victor C. CHITTOCK - 640119.
They may have been posted with a Signals School. Is it possible they were on Dominie I serial R5929 of 2 SS ? This aircraft crashed at Easton Hill near Bishops Cannings, Wiltshire, killing
AC2 (WOp) John BOOTH - 1000552;
AC2 (WOp) Ivor C. BURGESS - 1073117, and
AC2 (WOp u/t) John BATES - 1073782,
death of all three registered at Devizes.
Regards,
Henk.

[davew]

These three also registered at Devizes.
Just looked in 'Wings over Wiltshire' which says there were seven fatalities in this incident, but only naming three, Billingham, Butcher and Chittock. One to find.
regards

DaveW

[Henk Welting]

Thanks Dave. Could #7 have been AC2 Geoffrey W. GOODDY - 1259461 ?
If this airman registered Devizes, the pilot of R5929 may have survived !
Regards,
Henk.

[davew]

Henk

Gooddy at Chichester, Sussex.

regards

DaveW

[Henk Welting]

Thanks Dave. This means that we still have to look for casualty nr. 7. A civilian pilot ?
Regards,
Henk.

[Henk Welting]

Checking CWGC registers again found the name of an airman sofar missing in my files. What was the place of death registration for AC2 William Q. HOPKIN - 1263157, age 33, whose name I can't find in the Flight archives.
Regards,
Henk.

[dennis_burke]

There is a 33 yr old William Q Hopkin registered in Brigend district, Glamorganshire. Pg1116
Interestingly, a 65yr old William Hopkin is also registered same district, same quarter, Q2. pg1124

I assume the difference in page numbers says they did not expire in the same incident or event.

Newton Nottage is in Bridgend District. I'd wager he is a DOAS candiate but i can't find him on Flight myself either.

[Henk Welting]

Thanks Dennis, file amended.
Regards,
Henk.

[dennis_burke]

The 6 Devizes men are in the same KOAS list Jul 3rd 1941.

Just noticed that AC2 G W Gooddy is listed DOAS in Flight casualty lists but was found above to be Died of Wound/injuries on active Service. Can someone check the times again. Flight publication was July 3rd.

[Litcham_Lad]

The pilot of Dominie R5929 has been the subject of some discussion here, but I think (hope) I've found the solution. A search of civilian deaths on that date (27-May-41) via Geoff's excellent CWGC search engine reveals the death of a CIVILIAN pilot, 23-year-old Frederick J O'Connor, whose death was registered at Devizes, as per the others who died

link to CWGC

http://www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=3156630


Happy new year

dg

[COL BRUGGY]

Dennis,

AC2 G W GOODDY, was in fact DOAS in The Times June 18, 1941.

Col.

[Henk Welting]

Thanks 'dg' for info on the possible civil pilot of R5929.
Regards,
Henk.

[Henk Welting]

Looking for info on the death of LAC Francis C. WRIGHT - RAAF 408136, of 26 EFTS, Guinea Fowl near Gwelo, S.Rhodesia, killed in an aircraft (Tiger Moth ?). LAC Wright lies buried in the Gweru Cemetery, Zimbabwe.
Regards and thanks for your help.
Henk.

[paulmcmillan]

Starr has

Aircraft Type: Tiger Moth
Serial number: T 5554
Radio call sign:
Unit: 26 Flg Trg School SRAF

[COL BRUGGY]

Henk,

Storr has a little more to say on this incident:

On 27th May 1941, Tiger Moth T5554 was detailed to carry out solo landing approaches at Senale forced landing ground, from 11.40 hours for 40 minutes. Tiger Moth T5552 took off for the Senale forced landing ground at 11.25 hours for 35 minutes of solo practice, and to return by 12 noon. Both aircraft collided with one another and the pilots in each aircraft were killed.

An inquiry into the accident stated; "It appeared that T5552 came into contact with the port upper main plane of T5554, and a collision occurred in mid air, when both aircraft were practising forced landing approaches."

T5554 - AUS408136 LAC (Pupil Pilot) Francis Colin WRIGHT RAAF +

T5552 - 57897 Air Sgt (Pupil Pilot) T E SERFONTEIN SAAF +

Storr: Vol.23. Conversion Units. p.362 of 508 (edited).

Wright was a member of No.10 Course (6th Draft to Southern Rhodesia).

Col.

[Henk Welting]

Col,
Never said thanks for your answer on my question re LAC WRIGHT. Now checking SAAF-airmen in Winston Brents "85 Years of SAAF" checked my threads on the RAF Commands Forum and saw that I completely missed your answer from November last year !!. Will amend my files on WRIGHT and SERFONTEIN and apologize oncemore.
Regards,
Henk.

[jonheyworth]

William Quilford Hopkin 1263157, died at Berwyn, Hookland Road, Porthcawl, of uranaemi caused by chronic nephritis

[jonheyworth]

Geoffrey Cornelius Arthur Barham 351156 | attached to Number 9 Recruit’s Centre | died in Preston hospital at 09:30 Hours of scarlet fever with complications