410625 - Unaccounted airmen - 25-6-1941

[Henk Welting]

What were the places of death registration for:

AC2 George W. BELL - 1074302;
AC2 Alan W. CHAPMAN - 1288202, and
P/O(P) George M. STOOKE - 67639.

Proposed aircraft losses for this day:

Blenheim IV - Z5814 - 6 OTU - crashed on taje-off Thruxton.
Blenheim IV - Z6251 - 54 OTU - crashed on approach Church Fenton.
Botha I - L6268 - 8 AGS - crashed on take-off 2 miles SSE of Evanton.
Hurricane I - L2080 - 9 FTS - crashed in forced landing Hook, near Wootton Bassett, Wiltshire.
Magister I - L8084 - 15 EFTS - broke up in air 3 miles NE of Carlisle.
Oxford I - L9691 - 11 FTS - crashed in forced landing Minden Drive, Leicester.
Oxford I - V3939 - 6 FTS - crashed on takeoff Windrush.
Oxford II - V3839 - 6 FTS - crashed on take-off Windrush.
Tiger Moth II - T5376 - 3 EFTS - flew into ground Lea Village, near Malmesbury, Wiltshire.

Regards and thanks for your help.
Henk.

[Andy Ingham]

Hello Henk

George W. BELL death registered at Ploughley aged 26.
AC2 Alan W. CHAPMAN death registered at Peterborough aged 20.
George Martin STOOKE death registered at Ross & Cromarty, Scotland aged 29. He died as a result of multiple injuries recieved in a flying accident. He was based at RAF Evanton so is likley to be on the Botha of 8 AGS.

Regards
Andy

[Dick]

Hi Henk
Bell,26, registered at Ploughley, Oxfordshire
Chapman,20, registered at Peterborough,Cambridgeshire
Stooke wasn't on the register
Regards
Dick

[Rich Allenby]

Henk

I have the pilot of Blenheim Z6251 as being P/O Malcolm R P Oxley RAFVR, uninjured. He was killed in another crash a week later in L1438 however.

regards Rich

[davew]

The death register records the death of Stooke from multiple injiuries at St Martins, Resolis, Dingwall, Ross & Cromarty.

regards

DaveW

[Henk Welting]

Thanks Dave and Rich for this additional info.
Best regards,
Henk.

[paulmcmillan]

George M. STOOKE KOAS so maybe on the Botha

[Dick]

Evanton ,where the Botha crashed is very close to Dingwall.
Regards
Dick

[alclark]

The 15 EFTS accident was according to the ORB none fatal.

June 25th 1941, “Damage to Whitley a/c No.K8974 caused by pilot (Sgt A.G. Sadler) taxying
into Magister a/c.
Accident to Magister L8084 – Structural failure in air – Pilot No.783464 Cpl Habela who
made a successful parachute descent.”

Here is the ORB entry for Oxford L9691, for once a reasonable amount was written about the incident.

June 25th 1941, “Evington, Leicester, F0823” “Forced landing, Oxford I L9691, the pupil,
1377443 LAC Webb, J.C. haze over Leicester, he decided to descend from 3000 ft to 1500 ft. On reaching that height, he endeavoured to open up but the engines misfired, and failed.
Subsequent inspection of the engines showed no fault and the Technical Officer was of the
opinion that the pupil glided with the throttles too far open and just in the position of change over from slow running to main jet. Consequently, the engines choked instead of responding when the pupil opened up, and he tried to make a belly landing in a small field. He misjudged it and ran through a hedge, and the aircraft was a total wreck. The pupil was not considered to blame, and all pilots were duly warned of the danger of making a prolonged glide with the throttles too wide open. The accident was reported by signal T58.”

No.59 OTU also suffered a fatal accident on this day,

June 25th 1941, “Sgt J.B. Spangler RCAF (American) killed in the course of a training flight.”

[davew]

The 59 OTU a/c mentioned in the last para of alclark's post was Hurricane V7044 which fig at Kerhopesfoot, Cumbria.

regards

DaveW

[Henk Welting]

Thanks friends for all this additional info. You keep me busy for the weekend.
Best regards,
Henk.

[dennis_burke]

Chapman and Bell are both DOAS listings.

[wwrsimon]

Hello

AC2 George W. BELL - 1074302 - the Dundee Evening Telegraph of June 28th 1941 carried the following announcement:

BELL - in England, the result of an accident, on the 25th June, George Wilson Bell, R.A.F., only son of the late George Bell and of Mrs Bell, 31 Ramsay St., Monifieth.

Regards

Simon

[jonheyworth]

Alan Wilson Chapman 1288202, attached to RAF Polebrook, was seriously injured in a motor cycle accident when he waved to some friends and then lost Control at a bend , dying in Peterborough memorial hospital

[jonheyworth]

George Wilson Bell 1074302 | attached to 10 OTU | was accidently drowned near Cuddesdon