430101 - Unaccounted airmen - 1-1-1943

[Henk Welting]

What were the places of death registration for:

A - Died on active service:
Cpl Sydney A. BOLTON - 63583 - age 45 (Flight has a Cpl A. Bolton);
AC2 Kenneth SPEAK - 1884350;
LAC James WILSON - 943573 - 220 Sqn (Ballykelly, Londonderry), and
LAC Raymond F. WYATT - 1322827.

B - Killed on active service:
Sgt (Pilot) James M. GILMOUR - 1554149 (Flight has a Sgt J. Gilmour), and
Sgt (WOp/Ag) George D. SINGLETON - 1257904.

C - Not found in Flight archives:
AC2 George LONSDALE - 2200312;
S/Ldr Guy S.J. PRATT - 21287, and
AC2 Joseph S. WALKER - 1550332 - 12 Sqn (Wickenby, Lincs.).

D - Proposed aircraft losses:
Master III - W8510 - 5 (P)AFU - crashed on landing Calveley.
Oxford II - V3841 - 11 (P)AFU - flew into ground at night 3½ mile N of Wheaton Aston.

Regards and thanks for your help.
Henk.

[Ross_McNeill]

Hi Henk,

I have J M Gilmour registered in Stafford which would be correct for V3841 at Wheaton Aston (just to the south west of Stafford)

Regards
Ross

[malcolm_raf]

Hi Henk

Cpl Sydney A. BOLTON - 63583 - age 45 - Cambridge
AC2 Kenneth SPEAK - 1884350; - Ely, Cambridgeshire
LAC James WILSON - 943573 - 220 Sqn - Nortumberland North 2nd
LAC Raymond F. WYATT - 1322827. - Uppingham, Rutland
Sgt (WOp/Ag) George D. SINGLETON - 1257904. - Wigton
AC2 George LONSDALE - 2200312; - Newton, Lancashire
S/Ldr Guy S.J. PRATT - 21287 - Doncaster, West Yorkshire
AC2 Joseph S. WALKER - 1550332 - 12 Sqn - Welton, Lincolnshire

Also registered in Wigton were

BOWN, BRUCE OSWALD Plt Off 413950
BURT, WILLIAM Plt Off 129765
KNIGHT, EDWIN OMER Sgt 414574
THOMPSON, WILLIAM BASIL CHEALE Plt Off J/16171

Malcolm

[Henk Welting]

Thanks Malcolm for info on death registrations.
I've BOWN, KNIGHT and THOMPSON on Anson AX145 of 1 (O)AFU.
BURT on Anson W2629 of same unit together with Sgt W.A.L. BABINGTON - NZ39816 who died the day after (2-1-43) and P/O (Pilot) J. BLAIN (RCAF) injured.
Perhaps Errol has info whether SINGLETON was on W2629.
Regards,
Henk.

[Henk Welting]

Malcolm,
Australian archives has on digitised file of BOWN that SINGLETON and also BURT (listed as BUST) were killed on Anson AX145. Will amend.
Regards,
Henk.

[alclark]

Gilmour was, as Ross suspected, killed onboard V3841.

January 1st 1943, “Wheaton Aston Fatal Night Flying Accident. Oxford I V3841. An A.F.U. pilot, 1554149 Sgt Gilmour, J.M. was killed instantly when this aircraft hit a tree and crashed to the ground during night flying. The pilot had carried out 4 successful solo landings and on the fifth landing carried out over-shoot procedure. He subsequently turned 90o to starboard instead of to port and crashed about 4 miles from the flare path. An investigation into the cause of the accident was requested.”

And just for the record here is the ORB entry for the two Ansons which details the crew members.

January 2nd 1943, “Information was received from RAF Silloth that Anson aircraft W2629 had crashed at High Pike, Caldbeck Fells, Cumberland and that NZ39816 Sgt Babbington W/Op AG, an instructor, had been killed. The following members of the crew were seriously injured and admitted to Carlisle General Hospital. Pilot P/O J. Blain, 15304, Navigators under training AUS420045 Sgt Phillips, J. and AUS420161 Sgt Doust, L.E. The remaining member of the crew was slightly injured and admitted to Station Sick Quarters, RAF Silloth, namely AUS420192 Sgt Higgins, N.J. Wop/AG. No news was received of the second aircraft, without success it was presumed lost. The crew were: Pilot P/O W.B.C. Thompson, J16171 W/OpAG, 1257904 Sgt Singleton, G.D. u/t WOpAG, P/O B.O. Bown AUS413950 u/t Navigators P/O W. Burt 129765 and AUS414574 Sgt Knight E.O. Casualty action was instituted in both above cases.”

[Henk Welting]

Thanks Al & Ross for much appreciated info.
Regards,
Henk.

[dennis_burke]

C - Not found in Flight archives:
AC2 George LONSDALE - 2200312; There is a AC2 G Longsdale DOAS in the April 8th magazine, difficul to read, scanned as A/C.2 G. Lonzsdalc; there is no Longsdale listed on CWGC, search Flight for G. Lon only

Cannot find these two men in the flight archives.

S/Ldr Guy S.J. PRATT - 21287, and
AC2 Joseph S. WALKER - 1550332 - 12 Sqn (Wickenby, Lincs.). This name on the register was aged only 19.

[Martyn A Critchlow]

S/Ldr Guy S.J. PRATT - 21287 - a verdict of suicide was recorded after he was found shot in the bathroom at his house in Doncaster.

Martyn

[wwrsimon]

Hello

Cpl Sydney A. BOLTON - 63583 - the Grantham Journal of January 8th 1943 reported the following:

COLLEAGUES AS BEARERS
At Funeral of Cpl. S. A. Bolton
After six months in hospital, the death took place on New Year's Day of Cpl. Sydney Arthur Bolton, R.A.F., late R.F.C., aged 45, youngest son of the late Mr. and Mrs. Bolton, 9, North Parade, and husband of Mrs. Ivy Caroline ("Dimps") Bolton, 2, North Street.
For 10 years before joining the R.A.F., deceased was employed by the Lincolnshire Road Car Co., Ltd.

AC2 Kenneth SPEAK - 1884350 - the Nelson Leader of January 8th 1943 reported the following:

Mr. Kenneth Speak
The interment took place at Nelson Cemetery, on Wednesday, of the remains of Mr. Kenneth Speak, of Barwick-in-Elmet, son of Mr. and Mrs. Wilson Speak, of Leeds, formerly of Nelson, whose death, at the early age of 20 years, occurred last Froday at Ely Hospital, Cambridge.

Regards

Simon

[kenmorrison]

Re: WILLIAM BURT (129765) died 1 January 1943 and buried in Annan Cemetery in Dumfriesshire.
The Dumfries and Galloway Standard of 6 February has:
WAR CASUALTIES - ANNAN PILOT OFFICER’S DEATH. Pilot Officer William Burt, R.A.F., son of Mr and Mrs W. Burt, 28 Belmont Gardens, Murrayfield, Edinburgh, and grandson of Mr and Mrs John Richardson, The Bungalow, Annan, was reported missing after an operational flight in the North of England on Ist January. News has now been received that his ’plane was found wrecked in the North of England in the end of the week, along with the bodies of Pilot Officer Burt and his two comrades. The remains of Pilot Officer Burt were brought to Annan on Monday, and the funeral took place that afternoon to Annan Cemetery. The service was conducted by the Rev. A. D. Brown, St, Andrew’s Greenknowe Church. The bearer-party were under an R.A.F. Sergeant. Pilot Officer Burt was twenty-one years of age, and was a young man of much promise. He was educated at Daniel Stewart’s College, Edinburgh, and was engaged in the town clerk’s department before the war. He was also a student at Edinburgh University, and had taken part of the B.L, degree. His father was formerly English Master in Dumfries Academy, and afterwards at Langholm, before going Linlithgow, where he is presently engaged.

There has been an assumption (from the burial records) that he was based at RAF Annan rather that at RAF Silloth (just across the Solway) but it was obviously due to the family connections that he was buried in Annan.

However he is not named on the Annan War Memorial but is named on the Linlithgow War Memorial in West Lothian, on the Edinburgh University Roll of Honour and on the Edinburgh Old College Memorial.

Ken

[jonheyworth]

George Lonsdale 2200312 , died in the course of an operation to treat a brain tumour

[jonheyworth]

Michael Swift 1105569 , was injured on duty at 16:00 hours on 31 December 1942 at Souk El Araba in an air raid, dying off his injuries the following day

[jonheyworth]

Kenneth Speak 1684350 , attached to Number 2 ITW, died in RAF Hospital Ely of pericarditis

[jonheyworth]

Frederick Joseph Robson 1451331 , died in a native boat on the way from Subalong to Rangamati of unknown causes. A post mortem was carried out the following day by a civil surgeon, Dr Dewan, which found he had died of pulmonary tuberculosis

[jonheyworth]

Joseph Spence Walker 1550332 , suffered self inflicted gunshot wounds at RAF Wickenby at 23:59 Hours, dying in SSQ at 01:55 Hours

[jonheyworth]

John Francis Croft 1352031 , attached to RAF Ramleh, was killed in a road accident. 1155288 Cpl. W.F. Tucker was injured and admitted to Number 12 General hospital

[jonheyworth]

Raymond Frederick Wyatt 322827 , a Fitter Ii E attached to 29 OTU , died in a bicycle accident

[jonheyworth]

James Wilson 943575 , attached to 220 Squadron, was found dead at the side of the road at Newton Northumberland. A Post Mortem found he had died of haemorrhage and shock from a torn liver. It appears no one as found who had been involved in the accident

[jonheyworth]

Edward Louis Lewis 31351, was accidently electrocuted at Port Moresby

[jonheyworth]

Stanley Thomas Woods 33039 | attached to SHQ at RAAF Richmond | was killed off duty whilst returning on leave when he was struck by an unidentified train sometime between 00:50 Hours and 03:50 Hours at Wentworthville railway station which was the station nearest to his home