430408 - Unaccounted airwoman and airmen - 8-4-1943

[Henk Welting]

What were the places of death registration for:

A - Died on active service:
ACW2 Phyllis AUSTIN - 2135303 - 467 Sqn (Bottesford, Leicestershire);
Sgt (Pilot) John B. BOYD-CLARK - 778920 (from S. Rhod.), and
F/O John H.W. HARRISON-BROADLEY - 60211.

B - Not found in Flight Global:
Sgt (Pilot) Bodney BERRY - 958191, and
W/O Robert W. SNOWDEN - 355725.

C - Died of wounds or injuries received on active service:
Sgt (Pilot) Reginald HULME - 952518.

D - Killed on active service:
F/Sgt (Pilot) Paul H.R. MOODY - 758126.

E - Proposed aircraft losses:
Spitfire IIA - P8429 - 61 OTU - collided with P7921 during formation practice and lost tail; crashed 1 mile W of Montford Bridge.
Spitfire IIB - P8529 - 58 OTU - dived into ground Airdrie Mains Farm, Slamannan, Stirlingshire.
Anson I - EG305 - 5 AOS - crashed in forced landing Halbankgate, near Brampton, Cumberland.
Defiant I - AA362 - 286 Sqn - crashed in forced landing ¾ mile W of Cockington Church, Torquay.
Hotspur II Glider - BT989 - 3 GTS - crashed on landing Northleach.
Oxford II - AB665 - 14 (P)AFU - collided with Lancaster L7545 near Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire (already as casualties on this a/c: Sgt [Pilot] J.A. LEMMERICK - RCAF R/123711 and Sgt [Pilot] Arthur A. MOORS - RCAF R/119562).

Regards and thanks for your help.
Henk.

[malcolm_raf]

Hi Henk

Austin - Leeds, West Yorkshire
Boyd-Clark - Northallerton, North Yorkshire
Harrison-Broadley - Wenlock (RAF Hospital Cosford?)

I have Rodney Berry in P8529

Snowden - East Glamorgan

Hulme was in Hotspur II, BT989 (Cummings)

I have Moody in P8429

Malcolm

[alclark]

Anson EG305 was recorded by the orb as none fatal.

The orb confirms Moody for P8429.

[COL BRUGGY]

Henk,

Re: F/Sgt (Pilot) Paul H R MOODY - 758126

Presentation Spitfire Mk.IIa P8429 "FRIMLEY & CAMBERLEY".

Aircraft was allocated to No.61 OTU at Heston on 5 January, 1942. On 8 April, 1943, P8429 lost its tail when struck in mid-air by P7921 "EVER READY" (Sgt L S Clarke made a wheels-up landing at base), during formation practice and dived into the ground one mile west of Montford Bridge. Sgt Paul Huart Rowland Moody 758126, aged 27, of Southampton was cremated at Southampton Crematorium his name appearing on commemorative Panel No.4.

See: Gifts of War/Boot & Sturtivant. p.142

and ...

Sgt (Pilot) Rodney BERRY - 958191.

Spitfire IIB P8529 - 58 OTU. Presentation Spitfire "BOROUGH OF COLWYN BAY"

P8529 was issued to No.58 Operational Training Unit at Balado Bridge on 16 January, 1943. On 8 April, it dived steeply into the ground at Airdrie Mains Farm, near Slamannan, Stirlingshire and was struck off charge. Sgt Rodney Berry 958191, aged 24 of Balham, London, is buried in Streatham Park Cemetery, Mitcham, Surrey.

See: Gifts of War/Boot & Sturtivant. p.77.

Col.

[Theletterwriter]

Henk

Sgt (Pilot) Rodney BERRY - 958191 aged 24 : found at Airdrie Mains Farm, Slammanan : death registered at Slammanan, County of Stirling, Scotland.

Douglas

[Henk Welting]

Thanks friends for this excellent help.

Henk.

[wwrsimon]

Hello

F/O John H.W. HARRISON-BROADLEY - 60211 - the Yorkshire Post of April 10th 1943, as well as several other newspapers at the time, reported that he "died of pneumonia in an R.A.F. Hospital."

Regards

Simon

[Steve Brew]

I've got another loss on this date, of Flt Lt Bertram J. MARSDEN (flying instructor) and 1335454 Sgt George RAYNER (presumably a student pilot). The're buried side-by-side in Graves 93 & 94 in the European War Graves Plot of Harare (Pioneer) Cemetery, Bulawayo, Zimbabwe.

Can anyone identify the unit and circumstances, please? I assume the deaths, both on 8 April 1943, are related.

Thanks
Steve

[malcolm_raf]

Hi Steve

I've got them as possibles for Harvard I, N7126 of No 20 SFTS, which crashed and burst into flames.

Malcolm

[Steve Brew]

Many thanks Malcolm

Steve

[COL BRUGGY]

Hello,

A - Died on Active Service.

778920 Sgt (Pilot) John Bartram BOYD-CLARK RAFVR.

Chris Hobson, in his Failed To Return, Part 2, A-B, (p.845), records the following:

Boyd-Clark, Sergeant John Bartram Boyd-Clark, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve (778920), Pilot, 7 Personnel Reception Centre, Harrogate, Yorks, Flying Training Command, 08 April 1943, Died of Natural causes, Died of nephritis at Northallerton, Yorks, Age 22, Zonga, Inyazura, Southern Rhodesia, Northallerton Cemetery, Yorks.

Col.

[jonheyworth]

Albert Charles Henry Weedon 856015, a wireless mechanic, died at RAF Hal Far of a brain heamorhage

[jonheyworth]

Robert William Snowden 355725 , attached to RAF Penarth , died at RAF Penarth of a self inflicted gunshot wound to the head