400620 - Unaccounted airmen - 20-6-1940

[Henk Welting]

What caused the death of:

Sgt Frederick L. ANDERSON - 743074 - missing believed killed on active service (Flight Global), commemorated on Panel 11 of the Runnymede Memorial, and

Sgt (Obs) William F.G. HOLLISTER - 561153 - 144 Sqn (Hampden, Hemswell, Lincolnshire) - died of wounds or injuries received in action (Flight Global), buried Sandown Shanklin (Shanklin) Cem., Isle of Wight (UK4986).

Regards and thanks for your help.
Henk.

[Doug Cuthbertson]

Hi Henk,
Here are two possibles;
Sgt Anderson...... May have been on board Fairey Battle K9420, of 12 OTU, Benson, which ditched off Seaton, Devon.
Sgt Hollister....... The nearest to the 20th is Hampden P1164, 144 Sqn, which overshot base, on return from ops, 11th June 1940, and went through a boundary hedge.
Doug.

[Henk Welting]

Thanks Doug, much appreciated.
Regards,
Henk.

[Amrit]

Anderson is listed as one of the casualties of the Lancastria sinking:

http://www.ipresent.co.uk/rollHonour.htm

[Doug Cuthbertson]

The CWGC normally list casualties of the Lancastria, as such, but no details of that nature appear for Frederick Lawrence ANDERSON.
Doug.

[Argus]

Hi,

Sgt Frederick L. ANDERSON - 743074

He is also registrated as lost with Lancastria here:

http://www.lancastria.org.uk/Victim_List/victim_list.htm

but "War Deaths RAF 1939-1948" says 12 OTU.

So what is right?

Regards

Finn Buch

[Ross_McNeill]

Regarding Battle K9420

Pilot was P/O Denman, 42595

"Three fishermen rowed quickly to the spot and rescued two airmen. The third had been jammed in the fuselage and had gone down with the aeroplane, which had sunk within a few minutes of crashing. - Rewards, £2 5s"

RNLI Records of Service 1939-46

So if there are no other No.12 OTU casualties for this day then it seems that the man lost his life in this crash.

Regards
Ross

[paulmcmillan]

Ross

Thanks for this, does look promising - so the adage about not believing everything on internet - i.e info on Lancastria is true. So it should only be used as a guide and then check other sources

Paul

[Amrit]

Chorley (Vol 7 page 19) states that that "it is believed the crew escaped serious injury". However, he only gives Denman's name.

A

[Henk Welting]

Thanks all for your contribution to find the cause of Sgt F.L. Anderson's death (743074).
Regards,
Henk.

[Martyn A Critchlow]

AIR 81/947 1940 Jan 01 – 1947 Dec 31
Sergeant W F Hollister:
report of death; Hampden P4367 in air operations, 20 June 1940

P4367 was lost a month later on 21 July 1940, so HOLLISTER must have been a casualty even though aircraft returned safely.

Martyn

[malcolm_raf]

Hi

I have Hollister as dying from injuries sustained whilst flying in Hampden, P1164 of No 144 Sqn, which crashed through a fence whilst attempting an overshoot.

Malcolm

[Martyn A Critchlow]

Certainly Doug offered P1164 as a possibility in #2.

Martyn

[SeonagHollister]

Malcolm. I am research my family tree and its interesting to see Sargent William Hollister in your thread, I am Williams niece and we have been search for information on William for a while, I have his death on the 20 June 1940 buried in the Isle of Wight. Where would I find out the cause of his death and if there was anyone else killed in the accident.

Seonag

[malcolm_raf]

Hi Seonag

I don't have an actual cause of death, you will need to order a copy of his death certificate from the GRO, his death was registered in Fakenham.

Malcolm

[SeonagHollister]

Thank you, there was a lot of movement with Williams family, I have Williams base Hemswell, Alice living in Stockton on Tees which is a 2 1/4 hrs away from the base,Parkston and William register of Death Fakenham in just a short space of time.

Regards Seonag

[jonheyworth]

Williams 883075 attached to RAF Digby

[Alex Smart]

Hello,

400620 - Unaccounted Airwoman & Airmen - 20 - 06 -1940

From Henk's list -

WAAF
UK
WILLIAMS, Barbara Sarah Watkin - ACW1c - 883075 - WAAF - RAF Digby.
Cardiff ( Cathays ) Cemetery, Glamorganshire, UK.
Cause of death reportedly an RTA, see also P/O. LAWTON on the 19/6/40.

UK
McGRADY, Nathaniel ( Northern Ireland) - AC1c - 630150 - RAF - 949 Balloon Sqn.
Ballyclare New Cemetery, County Antrim, UK.
Cause of death reportedly shot by accident.

ZIMBABWE
SMITH, Ivan Campbell - Sgt - 748315 - RAFVR.
Harare ( Pioneer) Cemetery, Zimbabwe.
Tiger Moth II - R4825 - 25 EFTS.

From CWGC -

GERMANY
MATHESON, Colin - P/O - 41722 - RAF.
POWELL, Rex Spurway - Sgt - 614266 - RAF.
ROWCLIFFE, William Stanley - Sgt - 631427 - RAF.
SMITH, Albert Stanley - F/O - 40187 - RAF.
These four airmen rest at Reichwald War Cemetery, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany.
They were crew of Hampden I - P4355 - 61 Sqn.

UK
ANDERSON, Frederick Lawrence - Sgt - 743074 - RAFVR.
Runnymede Memorial, Surrey, UK.
Battle I - K9420 - 12 OTU.

LEES, John Prescott - P/O - 77689 - RAFVR.
Aldingham ( St. Cuthbert ) Churchyard, Lancashire, UK.
RAWLINS, Denis Dimond - F/Lt - 37420 - RAF.
Stratford-Sub-Castle ( St. Lawrence ) Churchyard, Wiltshire, UK.
These two airmen were crew of Lysander II - N1292 - 26 Sqn.

HOLLISTER, William Frederick George - Sgt - 561153 - RAF.
Shanklin Cemetery, Isle of Wight, UK.
Hampden I - P4367 - 144 Sqn.

SMITH, Henry Vernon ( Barbados) - F/O - 39692 - RAF.
Honington ( All Saints ) Churchyard, Suffolk, UK.
Cause of death ?

Alex

[malcolm_raf]

Hi

SMITH, Henry Vernon - He was killed whilst flying in Whitley V, P4960 ZA-S of No 10 Sqn, which crashed into a tree as it approached Honington during a single engined landing on its return from Antwerp.

Malcolm

[wwrsimon]

Hello

UK
McGRADY, Nathaniel (Northern Ireland) - AC1c - 630150 - the inquest into his death was reported in several newspapers. The Yorkshire Evening Post of June 24th 1940:

SHOT WHILE LARKING
Shot by a sentry at Crewe, Aircraftman Nathaniel McGrady (20), of Ballyclare, County Antrim, told an officer in a death-bed statement:
"I was larking with Aircraftman Gaskell, who was on sentry, and was throwing things at him.
"Gaskell went through the firing motions with his rifle, swung it round and the rifle went off. It was my fault."
This statement was given at the inquest. "Death from misadventure" was returned. The Coroner said that had the routine and orders laid down by the authorities been complied with the fatality would not have occurred.

Regards

Simon

[Andy Marden]

Alex,

ZIMBABWE
SMITH, Ivan Campbell - Sgt - 748315 - RAFVR.
Harare ( Pioneer) Cemetery, Zimbabwe.
Tiger Moth II - R4825 - 25 EFTS.
>> His first name was Ivon: https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/2617475/smith,-ivon-campbell/

Andy