410720 - Unaccounted airmen - 20-7-1941

[Henk Welting]

What were the places of death registration for:

Cpl William T. AVERY - 524501;
LAC (Pilot u/t) Cyril E. SACKLEY - 1311832, and
LAC Leonard F. SURRIDGE - 967770.

Proposed aircraft losses for this day:

Blenheim IV - T2337 - 54 OTU - crashed on landing Church Fenton, Yorkshire.
Hurricane I - W9110 - 59 OTU - crashed in forced landing Longtown.
Master I - N7835 - 5 FTS - crashed on landing Childs Ercall.
Master I - N7939 - 5 FTS - crashed in forced landing 4 miles NE of Stirchley, Shropshire.
Oxford I - T1060 - 12 FTS - crashed on overshoot Harlaxton.

Regards and thanks for your help.
Henk.

[Ken MacLean]

Henk,

Surridge and Avery DOAS, Sackley KOAS, Times lists.

[alclark]

I don't much for this date, the 54 OTU accident was non-fatal.

July 20th 1941, “During the afternoon, there was a flying accident on the aerodrome involving two aircraft No.1284643 Sgt H.E. White was taking off in Oxford No.V3623, and was just airborne when he saw a Blenheim aircraft (Mk No.T2337) landing on the wrong runway, he was unable to avoid a collision and both aircraft were so severely damaged as to be written off. Sgt White was fortunately uninjured, but the pilot of the Blenheim, No.780455 Sgt J. Feruga suffered slightly.”

[Dick]

Hi Henk
There is a William Avery(no T),25, registered at Gosport, Hampshire. CWGC has a middle name Thomas but no age.
Sackley,20 is registered at Grantham, which would right for Oxford, T1060 at Harlaxton
Surridge,25, is registered at N Walsham, Norfolk
Regards
Dick

[thorne83]

Hi Henk the pilot of N7835 was the famous Belgian baron Jean-Michel P M G De Selys Longchamps, a Pilot Officer under training at the time. He was uninjured.

N7939 was piloted by Acting F/Lt Roy Bailey (43828) and an unknown pupil. They were both uninjured.

Cheers, Tom

[Henk Welting]

Thanks friends for all your replies. All aircraft lost will be added to my files and names of surviving crew are very welcome.
Regards,
Henk.

[GeoffStuderus]

It is stated above "N7939 was piloted by Acting F/Lt Roy Bailey (43828) and an unknown pupil. They were both uninjured."

Roy Bailey (43828) was my father-in-law who died of natural causes in 2005. He rarely spoke about this incident for which he was awarded the AFC and, unfortunately, his log book was destroyed but, until now, his family understood that he had recovered both the aircraft and pupil safely to base. Does anyone have any more detail about this forced landing ?

[dennis_burke]

Hello Geoff, welcome on board,

you would be best requesting a copy of the Form 1180 from the RAF Museum for some basic details about the loss of the aircraft. Contact them via the DoRIS webpage.

http://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/research/
Though someone here might have the details already.

As regards the AFC award,

http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/36544/supplements/2648

This was not gazetted until mid 1944, was it deffinetly for the 1941 incident or for later war service?

He is listed as an Acting Squadron Leader at the time of the publication.

[Henk Welting]

Thanks Geoff for confirmation F/Lt Roy BAILEY and Master N7939.
Regards,
Henk.

[thorne83]

Hi Geoff,

please contact me at tomthorne83ATyahooDOTcoDOTuk replacing AT's and DOT's with the appropriate and i shall send over information on the accident in which he was involved. No need to contact Hendon for the Form 1180 as i already have it!

Regards, Tom

Ps His AFC was awarded whilst he was serving at No. 3 Flying Instructors School, not Tern Hill and was for his instructing work throughout the war.

[Ross_McNeill]

I was concerned that posting this next batch of answers from the F1180s would have put Henk under too much pressure to update after his request to remove his user name.

I now post them to contine his legacy on RAF Commands.

Sackley confirmed from F1180 as sole fatality on Oxford T1060

Ross

[phill jones]

Hurricane W9110 , 59 OTU , Engine failure in Flt During Formation Practise Landed wheels up Ordnance Dept Longtown at 16.40 Pilot unhurt P/O DL Edy RCAF J5034

phill jones

[jonheyworth]

UPGRADE to Eric Stanley Holloway 625983 , he was killed in a double collision on the Twyford by-pass when the car he was driving collided with an oncoming lorry at 11:30 PM. Sisters Edith Mabel and Hilda Betty Hopper aged 18 and 16 were killed in Holloway's car and Lieutenant Terrence Graham Evans of the Devonshire Regiment also died when the car he was a passenger in, subsequently collided with the wreckage

[jonheyworth]

Leonard Frank Surridge 967770 , was fatally injured during aircraft salvage operations