430427 - Unaccounted airmen - 27-4-1943

[Henk Welting]

What were the places of death registration for:

A - Not found in Flight Global (up to the end of 1943):
LAC Alfred J. BIRD - 1296831 - age 34;
LAC Frederick A. DACKOMBE - 1243016 - age 22;
F/Sgt (Pilot) Kenneth A. DAVIES - 1382625, and
AC2 Norman THORNTON - 1498339.

B - Died on active service:
Sgt Alexander W. PATE - 1367322 - 424 Sqn (Leeming, Yorkshire).

C - Killed on active service:
F/O (Pilot) Eric G.L. THOMPSON - 102985.

D - Proposed aircraft losses:
Beaufighter I - X7751 - 141 Sqn - flew into ground Predannack.
Beaufighter I - X7547 - 29 Sqn - crashed in forced landing Kemsley, 2m N of Sittingbourne, Kent.
Beaufighter II.F - T3022 - 132 (C)OTU - crashed on take-off East Fortune.
Beaufort I - L9818 - 51 OTU - crashed on landing Charterhall.
Botha I - L6172 - 11 RSW - flew into ground Hooton Park.
Dominie I - R9553 - 24 Sqn - crashed in forced landing Rednal.
Hurricane I - V7136 - 59 OTU - collided with Hurricane P3454 and crashed W of Belford, Northumberland.
Hurricane I - P2754 - 56 OTU - collided with Hurricane V6913 during dummy attack and crashed, Maryton Farm, near Montrose (V6913 landed safely).
Hurricane I - P3454 - 59 OTU - collided with Hurricane V7136 and crashed 2 miles W of Belford.
Master II - AZ806 - 7 (P)AFU - crashed in forced landing Guntoons Road, Peterborough.

Regards and thanks for your help.
Henk.

[malcolm_raf]

Hi Henk

Bird - not Eng/Wales
Dackombe - Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Davies* - Northumberland North 1st
Thornton - Norwich, Norfolk
Pate - Wensleydale, North Yorkshire
Thompson* - Northumberland North 1st

* According to Nothumberland Aviation Diary these two were both killed in the collision of V7136 and P3454, but it does specify who was in which aircraft

Malcolm

[Theletterwriter]

Henk

LAC Alfred James BIRD - 1296831 - age 34 : death registered at Forres, County of Moray, Scotland.

Douglas

[Henk Welting]

Thanks Douglas and Malcolm for your excellent help.
Regards,
Henk.

[alclark]

The 56 OTU ORB recorded P2754 (P3754 in the ORB) as F/Sgt D.W.W. Bull R.A.A.F., V6913 was recorded as F/Sgt Ball.

The ORB for No.59 OTU records the deaths of both F/Sgt Davies and F/O Thompson, though the serial numbers were not recorded.

[Henk Welting]

Thanks Al for this additional info.
Regards,
Henk.

[AL90]

Some further information on the crash of Hurricane P2754- according to Form 765 F/Sgt's Bull and Kevin were to carry out practice attacks at 6000ft. During the practice F/Sgt Bull collided with a Hurricane flow by F/Sgt Ball who was returning from a low flying exercise.
Douglas Walter Westlake Bull is commemorated on the Runnymead memorial as,tragically, he still lies in the remains of his cockpit in Montrose basin off Maryton Farm. The attempted recovery lasted four days and employed a total of 96 men at each low tide. Recovery was stopped due to continuing shifting of the sand banks.
The National Archives of Australia reference is 166/6/124.
Summary of the recovery is page 31 with Form 765 on pages 41-43.

Regards,
Alan.

[Rich Allenby]

Henk, I think Wensleydale is the right area for Leeming airfield - re Pate.

Rich

[dennis_burke]

LAC Alfred J. BIRD - 1296831 - age 34; There is an LAC A J M Bird DOAS in the Sep 9th 1943, no matching name on CWGC so must be a typo.

LAC Frederick A. DACKOMBE - 1243016 - age 22; Found DOAS July 8th 1943 magazine.

F/Sgt (Pilot) Kenneth A. DAVIES - 1382625, KOAS in the same list as Thompson

AC2 Norman THORNTON - 1498339. Can't find him flight either

HENK: Note for the 6th JULY 1943, LAC M J Sullivan is DOAS, the name is obscured in the page of the flight magazine, I doubt I'll recall it when the time comes around!

[Ross_McNeill]

Hi Henk,

Beaufighter I - X7751 - 141 Sqn - flew into ground Predannack.
F1180 gives two fatalities, Pilot F/L A I Stuart RAAF 403383

Rooting about gives the second fatality as:
P/O Thomas Benson Blackburn RNZAF, 39197

Beaufighter I - X7547 - 29 Sqn - crashed in forced landing Kemsley, 2m N of Sittingbourne, Kent.
Pilot F/O R J Croome RCAF J/8645 injured

Beaufighter II.F - T3022 - 132 (C)OTU - crashed on take-off East Fortune.
Sgt F P Stranger RAAF 413683 safe

Regards
Ross

[wwrsimon]

Hello

LAC Alfred J. BIRD - 1296831 - the Statutory Deaths Register on the Scotland's People website records that he died at 4.00 p.m. at Leanchoil Hospital, Forres, due to a preforated gastric ulcer and hyopstalic pneumonia.

AC2 Norman THORNTON - 1498339 - registered Horwich, Lancs, not Norwich.

Regards

Simon

[jonheyworth]

Frederick Albert Dackombe 1243016 , attached to Number 1 OAPU , was killed at Kemble Airfield when the tail of Wellington HZ427 fell on him

[jonheyworth]

Duncan Croker 928929 , attached to the RAF Marine craft section at Aden, died of mastoditis in RAF Hospital, Aden at 15:30 hours after first being taken ill at 06:45 hours

[jonheyworth]

Charles William Baker 1268674, attached to 112 MU, died in Number 13 General hospital at Suez, of typhus fever