400806 - Unaccounted airmen - 6-8-1940

[Henk Welting]

What caused the death of:

Sgt (Obs) Ronald D. BAILEY - 746776 - died of wounds or injuries received on active service (Flight Global), buried Dyffrynn (St.Matthew) Churchyard, Dyffryn Clydach, Glamorganshire (UK6983), and

S/Ldr Nicholas W. WADHAM - 3092 - aged 46 - name not listed Flight Global archives, commemorated column 2 of the Cambridge Crematorium, Dry Drayton (UK2414).

Proposed aircraft losses:
Blenheim I - L4853 - 2 SAC - crashed on take-off 1 mile W of Andover
Magister I - P2385 - 219 Sqn - flew into ground Piercebridge near Darlington
Oxford I - P1869 - 15 FTS - crashed on take-off Windrush

Regards and thanks for your help.
Henk.

[Amrit]

Bailey was in the Blenheim:

lost height on night take-off at Andover, struck ground 1 mile from airfield and destroyed by fire

P/O R de Burlet (pilot) seriously injured
Sgt R Bailey (obs) killed
Sgt F Andrews (WOp/AG) injured

from Warner's Blenheim

A

[Dick]

Hi Henk
Sgt R Bailey is recorded in Warner's Blenheim as being killed in L 4853 at Andover, The other 2 crew were injured. A Nicholas W Wadham age 46 has a death recorded at Newmarket in the 3rd Qtr of 1940
Regards
Dick

[Amrit]

Wadham is listed in BCL 9 as being 3 Group(?). Not sure how to interpret that

[Doug Cuthbertson]

Hi Henk,
The pilot (sole occupant) of Oxford P1869 was P/O Donald James YOUNG, 91232, Auxilliary Air Force. Age 19. Cremated at Aberdeen Crematorium, Scotland. Crashed on night take off from Windrush.
Doug.

[Dick]

Hi Henk
From Amrit's post, if Wadham is in Chorley Vol 9 but nowhere else it suggests that he gone have on an op, perhaps whilst on the Staff of 3 Gp.and was killed or wounded and died later when the a/c returned and was not itself a loss. At 46 he would have been somewhat old for normal Sqn Operations and his death is registered at Newmarket which had several bomber stations around it.Close to Newmarket is Mildenhall which was 3 Gp HQ.
Regards
Dick

[Henk Welting]

Thanks Amrit/Dick/Doug for all your info.
Doug: Young was in my files (info from unconfirmed source) that he was injured 5-8-1940 on Harvard P5793 of 15 FTS which crashed at Bibury and died next day. Will amend my files.
Regards,
Henk.

[paulmcmillan]

Henk, So you are now looking for a casualty on Harvard P5793 of 15 FTS for 5-8-1940 or someone else injured and died later?

Paul

[Henk Welting]

Paul,
Doug told me that Young definitely was killed on Oxford P1869. I amended my files by deleting Harvard P5793 and adding the Oxford with Young's info. No longer after Harvard P5793 and crew.

Henk.

[Ken MacLean]

Henk,

Times, 10 August 1940:

WADHAM - On Aug. 6 ,1940, Squadron Leader Nicholas Wyndham Wadham of Field House, Buckden, Hants. No flowers.

Times, 5 August 1940:

WADHAM - On Aug. 2, 1940, suddenly, at Field House, Buckden, Hants. Agnes Moira, beloved wife of Squadron Leader Nicholas W. Wadham. No flowers.

[Henk Welting]

Thanks Ken. A very sad story. What drama may have enacted there. !

Henk.

[jonheyworth]

Lewis Price Lloyd 799681 , attached to the CFS, was killed in a firearms accident

[Alex Smart]

Hello,

400806 - Unaccounted Airmen - 06-08-1940

From Henk's List -

UK
WADHAM, Nicholas Wyndham - Sqn/Ldr - 03092 - RAF.
Cambridge Crematorium, Cambridgeshire.
Reported to have died suddenly at home.

From CWGC -

EGYPT
JONES, Colin James Campbell - Lac - 525815 - RAF.
Alamein Memorial, Egypt.
Sunderland I - N9025 - 228 Sqn.

UK
BAILEY, Ronald Douglas (Ron) - Sgt - 746776 - RAFVR.
Warwick Cemetery, Warwickshire.
Blenheim IV - L4853 - 2 SoAC.

BRITTON, Henry Wilfred - P/O - 42458 - RAF.
Wimbish (All Saints) Churchyard, Essex.
Hurricane I - N2456 - 17 Sqn.

COLLS, William Logan - Sgt - 758029 - RAFVR.
South Cerney (All Hallows) Churchyard, Gloucestershire.
Oxford - R6332 - 3 SFTS.

YOUNG, Donald James - P/O - 91232 - RAF (AAF).
Aberdeen Crematorium, Aberdeenshire.
Oxford - P1869 - 15 SFTS.

FETHERSTON, Alan James - Sgt - 748733 - RAFVR.
Middleton Stoney (All Saints) Churchyard, Oxfordshire.
Hereford - L6053 - 16 OTU.

FISHER, Arthur Vivian (New Zealand) - P/O - 43702 - RAF.
Benson (St.Helen) Churchyard Extension, Oxfordshire.
Battle - L4943 - 12 OTU.

BATHO, Reginald Frank - Sgt - 580629 - RAF.
LINDSAY, James Fenton - Sgt - 638486 - RAF.
JENNINGS, Robert James - Sgt - 565910 - RAF.
JONES, John - Sgt - 638740 - RAF.
These four airmen are commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial, Surrey.
They were crew of Hampden I - P4377 - 49 Sqn.

LLOYD, Lewis Price - AC2c - 799681 - RAF.
Whitchurch (St Dubricius) Churchyard, Herefordshire.
Cause of death ?

http://www.rafcommands.com/forum/showthread.php?963-400806-Unaccounted-airmen-6-8-1940&p=4871#post4871

Alex

[malcolm_raf]

Hi

Lloyd - He was serving with No 3 SFTS and was killed in a firearms accident, his death was registered in Devizes (36).

Malcolm

[jonny]

The Peterborough Standard - Friday 16 August 1940 states that Sqn Ldr Wadham died 4 days after his wife, Agnes Moira Wadham, who committed suicide in their garage, at Field House, Buckden, with a revolver. The article states: "So far as we have been able to make enquiries nothing official appears to be known concerning the cause of death, but it is understood to have taken place at the aerodrome station at which deceased was attached."

Edit - Probate states that he died at Melton House, Exning, Newmarket, which was connected with HQ 3 Group.

[Resmoroh]

WADHAM, Nicholas Wyndham
b. Q1 1894 Wadham, Nicholas Wyndham, Paddington 1a 72
27 Nov 1914 Commissioned (www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/28986/supplement/9983)
The Huntingdonshire Cyclist Battalion.
The undermentioned to be Second Lieutenants. Dated 27th November, 1914 : —
Corporal Nicholas Wyndham Wadham, from the Public Schools Battalion, The Duke
of Cambridge's Own (Middlesex Regiment).
27 Feb 1929 Promoted Sqn Ldr (www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/33470/page/1349)
10 Mar 1935 Squadron Leader Nicholas Wyndham WADHAM is placed on the retired list at his
own request. (www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/34141/page/1733)
d. Q3 1940 Wadham, Nicholas W, 46, (Reg) Newmarket 4a 1972

There is no indication in the LG that he was re-called in WW2, or served in uniform??
I grew up in Peterborough during WW2. There were more airfields than I can count within a 20 mile radius of Peterborough!
There was, in WW2, a very severe shortage of newsprint paper (although, probably, not in 1940). Peterborough still managed to run two local newspapers. The Advertiser dealt with the town and surrounding areas. The Standard was the more ‘parochial’ publication.
Does anybody know why the death of Sqn Ldr(Rtd) N W Wadham should appear in a Peterborough newspaper when only the most important stuff (in the view of the sub/Editor) got printed?
Is there more to this than meets the eye?
TIA
Peter Davies

[paulmcmillan]

“Died Suddenly” seems to be a common code for suicide

[jonheyworth]

“Died Suddenly” seems to be a common code for suicide


How right was your guess ,

Nicholas Wyndham Wadham 03092 , died of self inflicted gun shot wounds in the Officer’s Mess at RAF Exning .

Another sad tale of many such sad tales

[jonheyworth]

Nicholas Wyndham Wadham 03092 died in the Officer’s Mess at RAF Exning , of self inflicted gun shot wounds