400719 - Unaccounted airmen - 19-7-1940

[Henk Welting]

What caused the death of:
AC1 Frederick S.R. FLETCHER - 48924 - 107 Sqn - Wattisham/Suffolk, buried Cheltenham Cem., Gloucestershire (UK7046), and
AC1 Julius GARNER - 308400, buried Lawshall (All Saints) Churchyard, Suffolk (UK2870).
Can't find their names in the Flight Global archives and have no longer access to The Times digital archives.

Proposed aircraft losses in case killed on active service:
Anson I - N5186 - 15 OTU - crashed in forced landing Ardington near Harwell
(for N5186 already as a casualty: F/Lt Francis N. HUGHES - 39084; two of the crew should have baled out).
Hereford I - L6023 - 5 MU - crashed on takeoff Kemble.
Magister I - N3990 - 5 EFTS - crashed on take-off Meir.

Regards and thanks for your help.
Henk.

[Dick]

Hi Henk
Both those that I found are a little old for flying, but there is a Frederick S R Fletcher age 42 whose death is registered at Ely where there was an RAF Hospital, and it is not a very long way from Wattisham. The other one is a Julius Garner age 39 whose death is registered at Sudbury and there is a Sudbury in Suffolk. Both are in the 3rd Qtr of 1940
Regards
Dick

[Henk Welting]

Thanks Dick for this info; very much appreciated.
Regards,
Henk.

[paulmcmillan]

Fletcher Died on Active Service Source: Times Tuesday Aug 06 1940

[Martyn A Critchlow]

AC1 Julius GARNER - 308400 - Probate states that he died at Lofts Farm, Cockfield, Suffolk (this is not his home address)


AC1 Frederick S.R. FLETCHER - 48924 - Probate states that he died in RAF Hospital Ely (and he left a substantial sum £11,853 14s 3d)

A number of local newspapers report that he died in a motor accident on the way back to his unit and that he was a town councillor.
(one is Saturday 27 July 1940 , Cheltenham Chronicle)

Martyn

[jonheyworth]

George William Barnes 517879, on detachment to Fowey , was accidentally shot

[Alex Smart]

Hello,

400719 - Unaccounted Airmen - 19-07-1940

From Henk's list -

UK
BARNES, George William - Cpl - 517879 - RAF.
Heckfield ( St. Michael ) Churchyard, Extension, Hampshire.
Cause of death ?
FLETCHER, Frederick Samuel Randolph - AC1c - 48924 - RAF - 17 Sqn (107 Sqn ?).
Cheltenham Cemetery, Prestbury, Gloucestershire.
Cause of death reportedly died from injuries sustained following a vehicle accident when returning from leave.
GARNER, Julius - AC1c - 308400 - RAF.
Lawshall ( All Saints) Churchyard, Suffolk.
Cause of death ?
HOLTUM, Ronald - AC2c - 1006134 - RAFVR.
Sutton ( St. Nicholas and All Saints) Churchyard, Lancashire.
Cause of death ?

From CWGC -

FRANCE
ATKINS, Frederick Peter John - Sgt - 903401 - RAFVR .
Boulogne Eastern Cemetery, Pas-de-Calais, France.
Defiant I - L7015 - 141 Sqn.

UK
ABERY, Edward Stanley - Sgt - 904333 - RAFVR.
City of London Cemetery and Crematorium, Manor Park, Essex.
JONES, Arthur Bevan - P/O - 42679 - RAFVR.
Norwich and Norfolk Crematorium, Norfolk.
WEBSTER, Kenneth Oswald - Sgt - 749541 - RAFVR.
East Raynham ( St. Mary ) Churchyard, Norfolk.
These three airmen were crew of Blenheim IV - R3842 - 18 Sqn.

HAMILTON, Arthur Charles - P/O - 78543 - RAF.
Hawkinge Cemetery, Kent.
DONALD, Ian David Grahame - F/Lt - 33306 - RAF.
Tilford ( All Saints) Churchyard, Surrey.
These two airmen were crew of Defiant - L7009 - 141 Sqn.

BUCK, James Alan - Sgt - 742235 - RAFVR.
Stretford Cemetery, Lancashire.
Hurricane I - P3531 - 43 Sqn.

HUGHES, Francis Noel - F/Lt - 39084 - RAF.
Prestatyn ( Coed Bell ) Cemetery, Flintshire.
Anson - N5186 - 15 OTU.

WALKER, Wilfred - P/O - 76457 - RAFVR.
Oakmoor Memorial Chapelyard, Staffordshire.
Hampden I - P1324 - 44 Sqn.

MEYER, Willi - GAF.
Cannock Chase German Military Cemetery, Staffordshire.
Cause of death ?

The following ten airmen are all commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial. Surrey.

BLOOR, Gordon Elijah - Sgt - 633207 - RAF.
DODD, Edward Laurence - Sgt - 746988 - RAFVR.
DUCKER, Francis Edward Robert - F/O - 71091 - RAF.
These three airmen were crew of Blenheim IV - P6924 - 101 Sqn.

CROMBIE, Robert - Sgt - 903506 - RAFVR.
KEMP, John Richard (New Zealand) - P/O - 41850 - RAF.
These two airmen were crew of Defiant I - L6974 - 141 Sqn.

CURLEY, Albert George - Sgt - 747968 - RAFVR.
HOWLEY, Richard Alexander - P/O - 41705 - RAF.
These two airmen were crew of Defiant I - L6995 - 141 Sqn.

KIDSON, Rudal (New Zealand) - P/O - 41297 - RAF.
Defiant I - L7015 - 141 Sqn.

SLATTER, Dudley Malins - P/O - 44597 - RAF
Defiant I - L7016 - 141 Sqn.

WISE, John Francis - Sgt - 746875 - RAFVR.
Defiant I - L6983 - 141 Sqn.

Alex

[wwrsimon]

Alex

FLETCHER, Frederick Samuel Randolph - AC1c - 48924 - his death was widely reported in the Gloucestershire papers as he was a well-known local businessman and councillor. He was injured in a road traffic accident on July 9th while returning from leave at Cheltenham. He was admitted to Bury St. Edmunds Hospital, then transferred to hospital at Littleport, near Ely for an operation, where he died.

Regards

Simon

[Andy Marden]

Alex



MEYER, Willi - GAF.
Cannock Chase German Military Cemetery, Staffordshire.
Cause of death ?


Fw Meyer was one of the crew of 1./KG40 Fw200C-1 0007/F8+EH, shot down off the coast between Hartlepool and Sunderland on the night of 19/20 July 1940.
Two of the crew were made POW, the other four were killed, of which Meyer's was the only body to be recovered to the UK. Another was washed ashore in the Netherlands. See:
https://verliesregister.studiegroepluchtoorlog.nl/rs.php?aircraft=&sglo=T0751A&date=&location=&pn=&unit=&name=&cemetry=&airforce=&target=&area=&airfield=
although note there is a difference in the spelling of his surname

[malcolm_raf]

Hi

BARNES, George William - Cpl - 517879 - He was serving at RAF Mount Batten and was accidentally shot whilst on detachment to Fowey.

Malcolm

[jonheyworth]

Garner and Holtum both died of natural causes . I’ve got them both somewhere . I’m gradually putting 1940 together ready to add

[jonheyworth]

Julius Garner 308400, attached to RAF Hemzwell, was found dead at Lofts Farm, Cockfield , Suffolk of gunshot wounds, believed to be self inflicted

[jonheyworth]

Ronald Holtum 1006134 , attached to Number 6 Recruits Centre, was admitted dangerously ill to RAF Hospital, Padgate on 4 July, where he died of a left renal tumour