430529 - Unaccounted airwoman and airmen - 29-5-1943

[Henk Welting]

What were the places of death registration for:

A - Died on active service:
LAC Ronald R. BIDDLE - 1016112;
AC1 James FEHILLY - 1126182;
LAC James G. MURPHY - 855865 - 919/923 (Balloon) Sqn (in Flight Global no middle "G");
LAC Sidney PARKER - 945946;
LACW Rosina SHIPP - 2075843 - 961 (Balloon) Sqn (Dover), and
W/O Patrick TULLY - 331596 (fm Irish Republic).

B - Not found in Flight Global:
Sgt (Pilot) Andrew J.M. CROZIER - 1482489.

C - Killed on active service:
P/O (Pilot) Hugh D. FRANCIS - 141137, and
AC2 (WOp) William R. WHITEHOUSE - 1579728.

D - Proposed aircraft losses:
Albemarle II - P1503 - 305 FTU - flew into high ground ½ mile N of Tigh-an-Loan Hotel, Feamen, near Kenmore, Perthshire.
Tiger Moth II - R4921 - 9 EFTS - crashed in forced landing 1 mile NE of Ansty.
Horsa I Glider - LJ170 - 297 Sqn - undershot landing NW of St.Mawgan.
Master II - DK946 - 17 (P)AFU - crashed on landing Bodney.
Oxford I - ED199 - 18 (P)AFU - crashed on take-off Cottage Farm, Ryton-on-Dunsmore, Coventry, Warwickshire (already as a casualty on this a/c: Sgt [Pilot] S. ROSENSTEIN - RCAF R/135233).
Oxford I - ED228 - 6 (P)AFU - crashed on take-off ½ mile NE of Windrush.
Oxford I - LB478 - 11 (P)AFU - dived into ground at night Little Wollascott, 4 miles W of Shrewsbury, Shropshire.

Regards and thanks for your help.
Henk.

[malcolm_raf]

Hi Henk

LAC Ronald R. BIDDLE - East Glamorgan
AC1 James FEHILLY - not Eng/Wales
LAC James G. MURPHY - Liverpool South
LAC Sidney PARKER - Oxford
LACW Rosina SHIPP - not Eng/Wales
W/O Patrick TULLY - Surrey Mid East
Sgt (Pilot) Andrew J.M. CROZIER - Stamford, Lincs
P/O (Pilot) Hugh D. FRANCIS - Shrewsbury, Shropshire (LB478?)
AC2 (WOp) William R. WHITEHOUSE - Shrewsbury, Shropshire (LB478?)

Malcolm

[dennis_burke]

There is a 23 year old James Fehilly in Manchester district, Lancs.

There is a 35 year old Rosina Skipp in the index for the Dover District. I'd be content it was her.

August 19th magazine lists Crozier as DOAS, which is strange since he has the pilot trade listed with him on CWGC.

For the record, Simon Rosenstein is registered in Rugby district.

[thorne83]

Hi Henk,

can confirm from ORB and accident card that Francis and Whitehouse were on LB478 which crashed during unauthorised low flying while on a night flying test.

Cheers, Tom

[davew]

Henk

I have noted that the Albemarle was being flown by a Russion crew, pilot Gruzdin.

regards

DaveW

[AL90]

Albermarle P1503 was being flown by Major Alexsandr Ivanovitch Gruzdin who had been made a hero of the soviet union on 26/11/41 for flying over two hundred missions behind enemy lines. From memory the death certificate lists his surname as A.G Ivanovitch.
The rest of the crew were:-
Lt. Mechanic Alexiev, Russian.
Lt. Dramin, Russian.
Sgt. Francis Drahovzal, Czech who was a cook but acted as interpretor for the Russian crews at Errol.
All are buried at Dundee Crematorium with the exception of Drahovzal who is buried at Murie, Errol.
The cause of the crash was due to balast weights carried breaking free and causing control loss.
The location is behind Cromrar cottage Fearnon which is half a mile north of Tigh-an-Loan hotel on O.S sheet 51 at 724451. A full recovery by Dumfries & Galloway aviation museum on 25/11/2006 yeilded one piston and a pile of ballast weights.

Alan.

[Henk Welting]

Thanks friends for all this excellent info.

Henk.

[wwrsimon]

Hello

LAC Ronald R. BIDDLE - 1016112 - the National Probate Calendar records that he died at the Miners Hospital, Caerphilly.

LAC James G. MURPHY - 855865 - a post on Murphy's family tree on ancesry.co.uk has the following from the Widnes Weekly News, June 4th 1943 (not available on FMP):

Leading Aircraftman James Murphy aged 45 whose home address was 143 Milton Avenue Widnes was found at 4.30 a.m. on Saturday lying unconcious in a pool of blood on the footwalk, ten feet below the bedroom of his billet in Liverpool. His skull was fractured, and he was dead on admission to hospital. The inquest was held on Monday but the evidence failed to solve the mystery of how he came to fall.

LACW Rosina SHIPP - 2075843 - a search on FreeBMD using just her Christian name finds that she's recorded on the Civil Registration Death Index under SKIPP, registered Dover, June 1943. Her birth in 1908 is registered correctly as SHIPP.

Regards

Simon

[jonheyworth]

Donald Rees Biddle 1016112 , died in Caerphilly Miner's hospital of hepatic mediastinal metastatic and peritoneal carcinoma

[jonheyworth]

John Reay Bazire 1192694 , was dangerously injured in a flying accident in Botha L6290 Which crashed on 27 May at 17:40 hours at Overpool, 1.5 miles North of Hooton Park . Admitted to RAF Hospital West Kirby where he died of his injuries .

Denny 415769 also died and Austin 1334147 and Spillane 1331068 both survived the crash

[jonheyworth]

Cecil Frank Pepper 1192353 , attached to Number 1 Armament Training unit , collapsed at Kirkee on 28 May, and died in Jhansi Military Hospital of heatstroke

[jonheyworth]

Ian Tyrell Paulin 113027 , attached to Number 8 WU , died in the Government Hospital, Coconada, of heatstroke

[jonheyworth]

Patrick Tully 331596 , attached to RAF Bushy Park, was admitted dangerously ill to Walton EMS hospital, Epsom on 31 March where he died of an abdominal neoplasm

[jonheyworth]

John Edmund Steadman Deverell 619819, attached to Number 255 Group, died of pulmonary tuberculosis

[jonheyworth]

James Fehilly 1126182 , attached to 61 MU, was dangerously injured in a road accident at 22:20 Hours at Styal Road, Gatley. He was admitted to Withington hospital where he died the following day