430409 - Unaccounted airmen - 9-4-1943

[Henk Welting]

What were the places of death registration for:

A - Died on active service:
Sgt (WOp/Ag) George BLAKELEY - 1287439 - 418 Sqn (Holmsley South, Hampshire);
AC1 Victor A. BLOWS - 1448958 - age 37;
F/Sgt Richard F. OLIVER - 564927;
LAC Clifford H.J. PAYNE - 1411042, and
LAC Herbert J. WILSON - 1266051 - age 33.

B - Not found in Flight Global:
LAC James McINTYRE - 1147654.

C - Proposed aircraft losses:
Lysander II - L4768 - 55 OTU - crashed in forced landing 4 miles W of Annan, Dumfries.
Hurricane IV - KX408 - 1 SLAIS - crashed in forced landing Greenford Farm, 1½ mile SE of Old Meldrum, Leitholm, Berwickshire.

D - Looking for the GRO-listing of:
Sgt (Pilot) James V.K. NICOLL - 655204 - buried Benghazi War Cem., Libya.

E - Further looking for what caused the death of:
W/O² (Pilot) John S. PHELPS - RCAF R/80093 - missing and commemorated on Panel 272 of the Alamein Memorial. (He probably was with Nr. 2 ADU and lost on a Kittyhawk on a flight between Ismailia and Mersa Matruh; can't find a matching Kittyhawk serial).

Regards and thanks for your help.
Henk.

[malcolm_raf]

Hi Henk

Sgt (WOp/Ag) George BLAKELEY - Aylesbury (RAF Hospital Halton?)
AC1 Victor A. BLOWS - Greenwich, London
F/Sgt Richard F. OLIVER - not Eng/Wales
LAC Clifford H.J. PAYNE - Louth, Lincolnshie
LAC Herbert J. WILSON - Romford, Essex
LAC James McINTYRE - Worcester
Sgt (Pilot) James V.K. NICOLL - 136 MU

Phelps - I have Kittyhawk, EV359 as a possibility.

Malcolm

[Theletterwriter]

Henk

No evidence of F/Sgt. Richard Frank Oliver aged 29 in the Scottish records.

Douglas

[Litcham_Lad]

Only loss recorded for 2ADU on 09-Apr-42 relates to

Hurricane IId HW478 which hit sand dunes in forced-landing when out of fuel, about 5m (8km) east of Mersa Matruh - no info regarding pilot

ABS has Kittyhawk EV359 serving its time with 1 METS and SOC on 01-Feb-44

dg

[malcolm_raf]

EV359 is stated in TSGNO but I had not yet checked the serial in ABS but it states that Phelps was lost between Ismailia and Mersa Matruh so perhaps he was flying the Hurricane?

Malcolm

[Buz]

Hi Gents

I have Kittyhawk EV359 as being damaged when the aircraft suffered an engine failure after take off and the aircraft being force landed by Lt.D.S.Hastie 207179V on the 29th March 1943. Aircraft was being ferried at the time, however I haven't worked out if it was to or from 2RSU or in fact was a test flight by that unit.

I have Kittyhawk EV339 as being ferried by WOFF J.S.Phelps R.80093 on the 4th Apr 1943, when it was lost, some information seems to indicated that this aircraft may have been shot down, however yet to prove one way or another. Either way the aircraft was lost on this date. Aircraft had been much used and abused having seen service with 112Sqdn, 450Sqdn, 4 SAAF and 5SAAF before being lost.

Buz

[Henk Welting]

Thanks Buz for this excellent info. Just got the reprint of AB EA100-EZ999 and confirm EV339 of 2 ADU missing on delivery flight near Mersa Matruh, 4.4.43.
Buz: There's another (10-3-1943) Kittyhawk question on the forum !
Regards,
Henk.

[dennis_burke]

LAC J McIntyre DOAS June 3rd, 1943 magazine

[Ross_McNeill]

Hi Henk,

F1180 confirms

LAC James McINTYRE - 1147654 killed by airscrew of TFU Wellington W5389 at RAF Defford.

Regards
Ross

[wwrsimon]

Hello

AC1 Victor A. BLOWS - 1448958 - the National Probate Calendar records that he died at the Royal Herbert Hospital, Woolwich.

F/Sgt Richard F. OLIVER - 564927 - the National Probate Calendar records that he died at Calderstones Emergency Hospital, Whalley, Lancashire. He's on FreeBMD registered June 1943, Clitheroe.

Regards

Simon

[jonheyworth]

Victor Arthur Blows 1448958 , attached to the AFEE, died at 19:35 Hours in the Royal Herbert Hospital, Woolwich , of pneumonia

[jonheyworth]

Thomas Bale 1144479 , attached to Number 3 RSU, was found dead in bed at 06:30 Hours at Zuara

[jonheyworth]

Richard Frank Oliver 564927 , attached to 24 MU, died in Calderstones EMS hospital, Whalley, Blackburn, of carcinomatosis

[jonheyworth]

Clifford Harold James Payne 1410042 | attached to RAF North Coates | was killed when an RAF vehicle collided with a civilian lorry near Marshchapel. AC2 Joseph Thomas Carberry and AC2 Clarence William McLellan were admitted to Grimsby general hospital, the latter only shocked but Carberry suffered a fractured cervical vertebrae and severe head and facial lacerations, although he appears to have lived until June 1976