410810 - Unaccounted airmen - 10-8-1941

[Henk Welting]

What were the places of death registration for:

AC2 Glyn DAVIES - 1408724;
Apprentice William G. POWELL - 577913;
F/Sgt (Pilot) John B. RAFFELS - DFM - 745744 - 23 Sqn (Ford, Sussex), and
Cpl Robert E. REEVES - 107958 - age 44.

Proposed aircraft losses for this day:

Blenheim IV - L8745 - 1 AGS - crashed in forced landing Kidwelly, Carmarthenshire.
Master I - N7989 - 60 OTU - crashed in forced landing Jedburgh, Roxburghshire.
Spitfire I - N3181 - 61 OTU - abandoned near Hanwell, Middlesex.

Regards and thanks for your help.
Henk.

[PeteS]

John Raffels, aged 23 (I think) death registered at Aylesbury

William G Powell, aged 18 at Lothingland
(interesting to see the next registered death on the list is Willian H Powell aged 52 at Lothingland - I only mention it because I've never heard of Lothingland and wondered if thats a family member)

Robert E Reeves, aged 45 at Gosport

[Dick]

Hi Henk
Davies,20, is registered at Blackpool, Lancashire,
William G Powell, 18, registered at Lothingland, Suffolk. Also on the register is a William H Powell,52 also at Lothingland, and on the previous page a Georgina H Powell, 50.CWGC has these names as William's parents and reports that they died in the same incident but does not specify what the incident is. Both parents are on CWGC as Civilian War Dead which suggests Air Raid victims while their son was also at home.
Raffels,25, registered at Aylesbury,Buckinghamshire, a long way from Ford but he was possibly at Halton Hospital,
Reeves,45, registered at Gosport,Hampshire.
Warner's Blenheim records no injuries on L8745 to P/O Z Giedrys PAF and crew
Regards
Dick

[Ken MacLean]

Henk,

From Times lists:

AC2 G. Davies DOAS
Apprentice W.G. Powell KOAS
F/S J.B. Raffels D.F.M. Died of Wounds or Injuries Recieved on Active Service
Cpl. R.E. Reeves DOAS

[Henk Welting]

Thanks friends for all your valuable info; will amend my files.
Regards,
Henk.

[John Larder]

Henk

Can confirm Powell killed during an air raid, whilst visiting his family. He was in my father's entry at Halton.

[Henk Welting]

Thanks John for confirmation POWELL (and family members) killed in air raid.
Regards,
Henk.

[Henk Welting]

Checking CWGC cemetery registers again found the name of an airman sofar missing in my files. What was the place of death registration for LAC (Obs u/t) Ashley CAMPBELL - 655190, age 24, who died of wounds or injuries received on active service.
Could there be a match to a proposed aircraft loss mentioned in message #1 of this thread.
Regards,
Henk.

[Dick]

Hi Henk
Campbell,24, registered at Ulverston, in Lancashire at the time. It is in the North of the area and includes parts of what we know as the Lake District which lies mainly in the adjacent County of Westmorland. I'm afraid it doesn't tie in with any of your possible a/c
Regards
Dick

[malcolm_raf]

Hi Henk

I have Campbell dying fron injuries sustained the previous day in Blenheim, V6320 which ditched in the Peel Channel.

Malcolm

[Dick]

Hi Henk
Ulverston is the right area for the incident in Malcolm's post. Warner has it on 9/8/41 and mentions the ditching in Peel Channel, Barrow in Furness which is within the Ulverston area.He mentions that Campbell died of injuries the following day i.e. 10/8/41
Regards
Dick

[Henk Welting]

Thanks friends. Are more names known of surviving crew ?
Best regards,
Henk.

[Dick]

Hi Henk
Also from Warner's Blenheim, the other names were
Sgt W Muir, Sgt W Bold, Sgt H Gable, with the trainees LAC A Campbell and LAC W Darragh, all on board were rescued with injuries and Campbell, as you know, died next day
Regards
Dick

[Henk Welting]

Thanks Dick for additional info.
Regards,
Henk.

[wwrsimon]

Hello

AC2 Glyn DAVIES - 1408724 - the Lancashire Evening Post of August 13th 1941 reported the following:

30-FT. FALL MYSTERY AT BLACKPPOL
An open verdict, "there being no evidence as to how he came by his untimely end, " was returned by Deputy Coroner (Mr. A. L. Ashton) ata Blackpool inquest last nigh on Glyn Davies (20), a member of the R.A.F., of Maested [sic - Maesteg?], Glamorgan, who, in the early hours of Sunday morning was found by a police officer lying unconscious outside 369, Promenade, Blackpool, where he had been staying, apparently having fallen distance of 30 feet from a bedroom window.
According to the evidence of the three men who occupied the same room, Davies, in their company, had beer and chips during Saturday night, but they were quite sober. He was not the type of person likely to take his own life, and to their knowledge had never been in the habit of sleepwalking. Davies was first in bed that night, and they knew nothing more until roused by police. When they retired for the night th window was shut and the blacckout on.
One witness said Davies might have felt the alck of air in the room after his beer and chips, and having opened the window leaned out too far.

Cpl Robert E. REEVES - 107958 - the Portsmoth Evening News of August 14th 1941 reported the following:

MIDNIGHT SEA DRAMA
Upturned Boat
An upturned dinghy, two men struggling in the water, with the dark shadows of the night closed around them, and a pognant cry for ehlp from a man who cluld not swim, were points in a midnight drama in the upper reaches of Portsmouth Hrbour, the story of which was infolded to the Coroner for South Hampshire, Major G. H. Warner, at the inquest at Gosport yesterday on Robert Edwin Reeves (45), a coproal fitter of aero engines, serving in the Royal Air Force.
The story was told by a comrade of the dead man, Corporal Reece Malcolm Dowes, who said that he and Reeves, on Sunday night last, were preparing to put off to a motor launch in order to go on duty for the night. Dowse said he was in a dinghy holding it steady for Reeves to embark, when the next thing he knew the craft had capsized and they were both in the water.
"The tide was taking us up the harbour, " went on Dowse, " so I told him to hang on to my tunic, and I started to swim for the landing pontoon, which was four or five yards away. I reched the pontoon and turned to give Reeves a hand, but he had gone."
[Reeves] was not found until the next morning. The Coroner returned a verdict of "accidental drowning."

Regards

Simon

[wwrsimon]

Hello again

F/Sgt (Pilot) John B. RAFFELS - DFM - 745744 - the 23 Sqn ORB Form 540 for July 1941 has the following entry:

25.7.41
Two Havocs operated from Manston. F/O Ensor bombed St. Omer Longueness where the lights were put on. F/O Ensor put on his navigation lights, whereupon green cartridges were fired. Three large fires and two smaller fires were started by the bombing. Sgt. Raffles [sic] bombed some searchlights near Ostend. On taking off from Manston to return to base he crashed and the crew were taken badly burned to Margate Hospital where, on 10.8.41, Sgt. Raffles unfortunately died of his injuries [but see below].

ORB Form 541, July 25th 1941:

Havoc YP-R
Sgt. Raffels
Sgt. Richardson
Sgt. Forsythe

Finally, the ORB Form 540 from August 1941:

10/8/41 745744 Sgt. Raffles [sic], Pilot, died in A.M. Hospital, Halton, as result of injuries sustained in flying accident.

Regards

Simon

[jonheyworth]

Abraham Ralph Bronstein 116677 I was seriously injured when hit by a motor vehicle near Suez, dying in Number 13 General hospital of a fracture to the base of the skull