"My" UnAccounted Airmen 03/06/1943

[paulmcmillan]

Can anyone with access to the death indexes confirm that

a)
BANKS, JACK STANDISH Flying Officer J/15267 Royal Canadian Air Force buried at KIDLINGTON BURIAL GROUND

BOIRE, LEO ALBERT Flight Sergeant R/132245 Royal Canadian Air Force buried at KIDLINGTON BURIAL GROUND

INNES-SMITH, DONALD JAMES Warrant Officer 564068 Royal Air Force buried at KIDLINGTON BURIAL GROUND

are ALL registered in the same district (believed to be in Berkshire)

b) Can provide a death location for either:

BROOKE, JACK Flight Sergeant 1148948 Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve buried at
ASHTON-UNDER-LYNE (HURST) CEMETERY

WOOD, RONALD CHARLES Flying Officer 122251 Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
buried at BROOKWOOD MILITARY CEMETERY


Many Thanks

Paul

[Andy Ingham]

Hello Paul,
Jack S Banks Death registered at Abingdon, aged 25.
Leo A Boire Death registered at Abingdon, aged 20.
Donald J Innes-Smith Death registered at Abingdon, aged 29.
Jack Brooke Death registered at Abingdon, aged 23.
Ronald C Wood Death registered at Abingdon, aged 25
All are on the same page of the register.
Regards
Andy

[Doug Cuthbertson]

These five men died in a mid-air collision between Oxford II, V3821 and Oxford I, X6871.
Both aircraft were from 20 OTU, Kidlington. Boire and Brooke were flying from Weston on the Green and the others were out of Kidlington. The ORB does not specify who was on which aircraft. Both crashed at Kingston Bagpuize (pronounced as in fuze), nr Abingdon.
Doug.

[paulmcmillan]

Andy, Doug - thanks
Paul

[Henk Welting]

AB Serials have both aircraft of 20 (P)AFU. Allison in his 'They Shall Grow Not Old' has Banks on V3821 and Boire on X3821 (also 20 [P]AFU). I had Innes-Smith as the pilot on V3821. If Boire and Brooke were on X3821 out of Weston on the Green than Innes-Smith, Banks and probably Wood were on V3821 out of Kidlington.
Regards,
Henk.

[Doug Cuthbertson]

Thanks for the correction, Henk. I really did intend to write 20(P)AFU. That is what comes of doing too many things at the same time.
I will update my notes, based on Allison's info. Thanks.
Doug.

[Henk Welting]

And I made another big mistake............. BOIRE/BROOKE self-evidently were on X6871 !
Henk.

[WokingTreeProject]

Hi
I am researching the men on the war memorial in Old Woking, one of which is Ronald Charles Wood. According to CWGC he was F/O 122251 an Instructor with 20(P) AFU.

A note from his mother to the memorial committea in 1949 states he was killed "in a Mid-air night flying Collision at Kingston Bagpuize airfield, Berks.

His death certificate signed by Group Captain J. Noakes (or Roakes) OC 20 (P) AFU states the cause of death was "due to War Operations"
However the OC has entered Wood as Flying Officer RAF No. 960373? Any ideas?

[alieneyes]

Hello,

960373 was his NCO number. Commissioned 7 March 1942. Gazetted 9 June 1942.

https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/35592/page/2554/data.pdf

Regards,

Dave

[Frank Dutil]

Long time since this post was last active but if anybody is still interested, I just went through the personnel records of the 2 RCAF pilots, their records include copies of the actual 20 (P) AFU accident reports. Unless some later amendment was made, the info below should be considered as factual.

According to the accident reports:
Wood, Innes-Smith and Banks were in V3821
Boire and Brooke were in X6871

The info in the pages below should be corrected by whoever has those accesses, I sure don't.
http://www.rafcommands.com/database/serials/details.php?uniq=V3821 should be X6871
http://www.rafcommands.com/database/serials/details.php?uniq=X6871 should be V3821

I can produce both reports on request.

Cheers,

[Andy Marden]

Frank,
Thanks for the new information. I have adjusted our database accordingly.
Regards,
Andy