410824 - Unaccounted airmen - 24-8-1941

[Henk Welting]

What were the places of death registration for:

P/O (Pilot) John L. OKELL - 68162, and
F/O (Pilot) Stanley C. THORNLEY - 88917.

Proposed aircraft losses for this day:

Blenheim I - K7170 - 54 OTU - crashed on landing Church Fenton, Yorkshire.
Hudson I - T9348 - 6 (C?)OTU - crashed on take-off Thornaby.
Tutor I - K6117 - RAFC - flew into ground Coddington, 4 miles E of Newark, Nottinghamshire.

Regards and thanks for your help.
Henk.

[dennis_burke]

Okell age 23 in Tadcaster district. Flight archives lists him as Killed on Active Service. Church Fenton is in Tadcaster District.


Thornley age 43 in Cambridge district. Flight archives lists him as Killed on Active Service, same paragraph as Okell.

[Henk Welting]

Thanks Dennis. So OKELL could have been on Blenheim K7170; THORNLEY (age 43) an air raid casualty ?
Regards,
Henk.

[RockHound]

54OTU ORB records " There was a fatal accident at 23.10.hrs. P/O J.O'KELL was killed after one engine of his Blenheim Mk.1 aircraft failed in the air, it is being believed that the airscrew, and reduction gear came adrift. The pilot tried twice to make a forced landing on the areodrome, but on both occasions overshot. On the second attempt his aircraft collided with a dispersed Blenheim aircraft and a gun post at great speed. His own aircraft was burnt out and the second Blenheim completely damaged. P/O. O'kell was killed outright."

Regards,

David

[Henk Welting]

Thanks David for confirmation O'KELL and Blenheim K7170. The dispersed Blenheim was L6603.
Regards,
Henk.

[wwrsimon]

Hello

F/O (Pilot) Stanley C. THORNLEY - 88917 - the National Probate Calendar records that he died at 'on war service at Elementary Flying School Cambridge.'

Furthermore, the Western Daily Mail of August 26th 1941 carried the following anouncement:

ON ACTIVE SERVICE
THORNLEY - Pilot Officer Stanley Clifford, beloved husband of Mary Thornley, by enemy action.

Regards

Simon

[jonheyworth]

Robert Henry Wright Horn 122732, attached to RAF Sungei Patani, was seriously injured in a road accident and despite being operated upon, died of his injuries. There is no indication of how and why his grave was lost