430404 - Unaccounted airmen - 4-4-1943

[Henk Welting]

What were the places of death registration for:

A - Died on active service:
LAC Leonard COLLEDGE - 1425963.

B - Killed on active service:
F/Sgt (Airgunner) William L. HENDERSON - 646320.

C - Looking for GRO-listing of:
AC1 Kenneth M. WOODWARD - 1175062 - DOAS - buried Medjez-el-Bab War Cem., Tunisia.

D - What caused the death of:
F/Sgt (WOp/Ag) Peter KNIGHTS - 1600425 - 70 Sqn (Gardabia, Libya) - KOAS - buried Bari War Cem., Italy. (Can't find a Wellington loss for his sqn this day and may the a/c safely have returned).

E - What was the unit of LAC (Pilot u/t) Keith T.L. WADE - 1337133 - DOAS - buried Montréal, Québec, Canada.

F - Proposed aircraft losses:
Beaufighter IIF - T3422 - 54 OTU - crashed on landing Winfield.
Beaufighter VI - T5152 - 2 (C)OTU - crashed on overshoot Catfoss (already as a casualty on this a/c: F/O [Pilot] D.P. O'REGAN - 46537 - buried Ardfield Burial Ground, Co. Cork, Irish Republic).
Beaufighter VI - X7959 - 96 Sqn - crashed on take-off Chadwick End, 1 mile W of Honiley.
Harvard I - N7178 - 41 OTU - crashed on take-off Hawarden.
Master I - T8497 - 10 FIS - crashed on approach Whiteknights Park, near Reading, Berkshire.
Tiger Moth II - N6601 - 22 EFTS - crashed on landing Cambridge.
Martinet I - HP267 - 1486 Flt - crashed in forced landing on beach ½ mile N of Rhosneigr, Anglesey.
Whitley V - EB285 - 42 OTU - crashed in forced landing 1 mile E of Highbridge, Somerset.

Regards and thanks for your help.
Henk.

[Dick]

Hi Henk
Just one!
Colledge,21, registered at E Glamorgan
Henderson didn't come up but he came from Lanark,Scotland and is buried there
Regards
Dick

[COL BRUGGY]

Henk,

1600425 F/Sgt Peter KNIGHTS was killed on 4-4-1945, not 4-4-1943.

Possibly:

4-4-1945
No.70 Sqn.
Liberator VI KL355

Collided in circuit with (Liberator) KK302 and crashed, Celone, Italy.

175205 P/O (Pilot) Frank Joseph HALES RAFVR + (buried XIII.A.3)
187249 P/O (Nav.) Kenneth George GLEAVE RAFVR + (XIII.A.6)
1600425 F/Sgt (W.Op./Air Gnr.) Peter KNIGHTS RAFVR + (XIII.A.8)
1237045 W/O (W.Op./Air Gnr.) James Derrick WOOD RAFVR + (XIII.A,4)
2220794 Sgt (Flt. Eng.) David Herbert ROBERTS RAFVR + (XIII.A.2)
184158 F/O (Air Bomber) Aubrey Matthew SHAW RAFVR + (XIII.A.7)
195865 P/O (Air Gnr.) Ronald Frederick Charles SHARP RAFVR + (XIII.A5)
1502728 W/O (Air Gnr.) Henry SIMMS RAFVR + (XIII.A.1)

All buried Bari War Cemetery.

Col.

[Theletterwriter]

Henk

F/Sgt (Airgunner) William Law HENDERSON - 646320 aged 21. His death is registered in Draine, County of Moray, Scotland. The statutory death record indicates his death occuring "In the air over Lossiemouth". The statutory death record was witnessed and signed by a F/Lt. from RAF Lossiemouth.

Douglas

[malcolm_raf]

Hi Henk

Wade - 13 SFTS.

Malcolm

[Tim Bishop]

Hello Henk,

For the record Martinet HP267 1486 Flight suffered engine failure at 300' when pilot throttled up after dropping drogue, aircraft made wheels up forced landing on beach. Engine failure due to fuel starvation, pilot Sgt HENNESSY, V (1330364) injured; unknown T.T.O. also injured. If anyone knows the T.T.O. name it would be greatly appreciated.

Kind regards,

Tim

[Henk Welting]

Have to thank you all for your excellent reactions to this thread.
Regards,
Henk.

[alclark]

Here are some of the record book entries.

No.2 (C)OTU

April 4th 1943, “Beaufighter T5152 total wreck, engine failure and pilot attempted to take off again and spun in. Pilot 46537 F/O O’Regan killed; Navigator 1075064 Sgt Caffyn seriously injured.”

No.20 OTU

April 4th 1943, “Wellington “D” of “A” Flight burst a tyre on landing – no further damage to aircraft.
Wellington “P” of “A” Flight landed at Drem with supposed petrol shortage.
Wellington “N” of “B” Flight crashed SE of Bombing Range and caught fire. Two of crew killed, remaining four members of crew uninjured.
Martinet “M” of Gunnery Flight involved in towing wire accident resulting in the death of F/Sgt Henderson, an Instructor.”

No.42 OTU

April 4th 1943, “Whitley V No. EB285 crashed at Highbridge F/O Rees and 2 crew injured.”

[Henk Welting]

Looking for the GRO-listing of AC1 Leonard W. READ - 923979 - age 28 - KOAS and buried in the Sfax War Cem., Tunisia.
Regards and thanks,
Henk.

[malcolm_raf]

Hi Henk

Read was with 53 RSU.

Malcolm

[dennis_burke]

Woodward is listed as "88 WU" not sure what unit a WU is.

[Henk Welting]

Hello Tim,
Could the TTO have been F/Sgt William L. HENDERSON - 646320, as mentioned by Al (thanks Al !) in msg # 8 ?
HP267 was 1486 Flt; is it possible that info on this accident was reported in 42 OTU ORB ?
Regards,
Henk.


Hello Henk,

For the record Martinet HP267 1486 Flight suffered engine failure at 300' when pilot throttled up after dropping drogue, aircraft made wheels up forced landing on beach. Engine failure due to fuel starvation, pilot Sgt HENNESSY, V (1330364) injured; unknown T.T.O. also injured. If anyone knows the T.T.O. name it would be greatly appreciated.

Kind regards,

Tim

[Henk Welting]

Tim,
For msg # 12 read "20" OTU instead of 42 OTU. ! Sorry.

[malcolm_raf]

WU = Wireless Unit

[Ross_McNeill]

Wiliam Law Henderson was killed in the air in Martinet HP387.

Henderson was an air gunner andkilled at 11:25 when his leg was amputated by the drogue cable. He died before the aircraft landed.

The pilot was F/Sgt Smith RCAF R/74418.

From the casualty signal in No.20 OTU ORB

Regards
Ross

[Tim Bishop]

Ross,

Many thanks for the clarification of Henderson, is there any way I could get a copy / scan of the casulty signal you mention?

Kind regards,

Tim

[Ross_McNeill]

Tim

You have no email in your profile so this is next best way.

http://www.rafcommands.com/Images/Form765/Form765A/DSCF1577.JPG

It is from AIR29/664, No.20 OTU. The full file is on the fixed price ORB list.

Regards
Ross

[Tim Bishop]

Ross,

Many thanks for the information on HP387 I will look into the costs of copying the ORB.

Kind regards,

Tim

[alclark]

I've got a question about William Law Henderson, do you chaps think he was the same Sergeant Henderson who survived the crash of Wellington X3599 of No.57 Sqn (http://www.rafcommands.com/forum/showthread.php?4238-Chorley-s-BCL-Vol.4). I've been trying to identify the survivor from X3599 and I've got 7 people matching the initials W L Henderson and no airmen matching N L Henderson.

We do know that the Sgt Henderson on X3599 was the rear gunner, which fits with the trade of William Law Henderson.

For completeness the others I've come across are:
W.L. Henderson 349792
William Lambie 1568181
William Lamont 1002737
William Laggett 1205615
William Leslie 1501773

[jonheyworth]

Alfred William Birch 1046274 , attached to AHQ Aden, died in Number 63 general hospital, 14 days after being admitted seriously ill with typhoid fever

[jonheyworth]

Kenneth Miles Woodward 117562 , attached to Number 88 WU was standing by his van at Post 14 when at 14: 00 Hours, 6 x FW 190 and an ME 109 approached at low level , one FW190 fired a short burst which hit Woodward and the petrol tank of the van setting it ablaze destroying it and slightly burning AC1 Ure. They were both admitted to a CCS. After having his wounds dressed, Ure insisted on return I g to duty but Woodward died shortly after admission

[jonheyworth]

Leonard William Read 923979 and

1254144 LAC Crust and

977616 AC1 Carter all attached to Number 53 RSU , were the crew of a Coles crane which was destroyed by bombing at El Hamma landing ground. Read was killed instantly and the other airmen seriously wounded

[jonheyworth]

Edward John Botfield 942608 , attached to 501 AMES was lost when flying in Wellington HF910 or HX576

[jonheyworth]

Leonard Colledge 1425963 , attached to RAF St. Athan, was killed when he stepped on a land mine at Leys Beach near Aberthaw