400830 - Unaccounted airmen - 30-8-1940

[Henk Welting]

Looking for cause of death and places of death registration:

A - Killed on active service:
AC2 Archibald C.G. BURTON - 1255083 - 610 Sqn (Gravesend, Kent)
F/Sgt Richard F. STICKLAND - 350903 - (probably 53 Sqn Detling, Kent)
AC2 Barrie STONE - 639515 - 53 Sqn (Detling, Kent)
F/O Peter D.L. YORKE - 31255 - (probably killed in air raid Biggin Hill; look out for confirmation).

B - Not listed Flight archives:
F/Lt (Pilot) Francis B. HARRIS - 39231

C - Missing believed killed on active service (while engaged on non-operational flying duties or on the ground through enemy action):
AC1 John J. JACKSON - 810029 - 610 Sqn (Gravesend, Kent).

D - Proposed aircraft losses for this day if any of them involved in an aircraft accident:
Hurricane I - L2063 - 6 OTU - crashed in forced landing Holbeach, Lincolnshire
Tiger Moth II - N6472 - 7 EFTS - crashed in forced landing Oakley
Tiger Moth II - R4857 - 13 EFTS - spun into ground near Twyford, Berkshire.

E - BoB website for 30-8-1940 has "NIL RAF Personnel killed" in the BoB Campaign Diary - Casualties on Ground by Enemy Action, however I've following names killed in air raid at Biggin Hill for this day:
Cpl Alfred BAKER - 624349
AC2 James BARNETT - 1352118
LAC (Meteo) Thomas C.J. BRUNNING - 753567
LAC (Meteo) Edwin H.F. BUTTFIELD - 753562
ACW1 Edna L. BUTTON - 886553 (Source Errol Martyn: "For Your Tomorrow" Vol.2, page 426: She had got all her patients from the sick bay to shelter and was following them in when a bomb fell near and caught her in the blast)
LAC Deric H.M. CARTER - 511653
Cpl Percy C. CLARK - 343849
AC1 Herbert CRANE - 920940
LAC Richard M. CROSS - 65781
LAC James J.Q. DYNING - 940164
AC2 Douglas A. EMERY - 958357
AC1 John A. GEORGE - 907585
AC2 Arthur HUDSON - 1103399
Cpl Bertram A.G. IMESON - 514385
AC2 Leonard MOORS - 1011146
Cpl Walter H.R. MUMFORD - 85081
AC2 Dennis W. MURTON - 961737
AC2 Joseph MUSGROVE - 958359
LAC George E. RIGGS - 743719
AC2 W. SNADDON - 995153
AC2 Eric H. STOPHER - 964873
AC2 Edward T. VEAL - 813038
Cpl Richard W. WHITE - 744489
AC2 John L. WHITFORD - 1256603
AC1 Victor A.L. WREN - age 42 - 113797
and also a civilian Meteo-man Mr Norman E. ROBERTS - age 39, buried Orpington Urban District Cemetery.

Regards and thanks for your help.
Henk.

[Lyffe]

Henk,

Reference your E.

Brunning, Buttfield and Mr Roberts (ex RAF) were all killed when a bomb released by a Ju88 went through the entrance of the air-raid shelter in which they were sheltering. (All were met personnel, but only Roberts was on duty.) My understanding is that there were 39 fatalities in the shelter - no survivors. I think all those on your list were almost certainly in the shelter.

So far as Roberts is concerned there is no Orpington Urban District Cemetery (as I found having spent ages looking for it), he is buried in St Mary's Cray Cemetery. I have a photo should you be interested.

Brian

[Amrit]

RE: Stickland

"ISLE OF WIGHT COUNTY PRESS Saturday Sept 7th 1940, page 6.

LOCAL AIRMAN KILLED IN AIR RAID

Sincere sympathy is felt with Mrs. F. STICKLAND and family, of 13 Abingdon-road, in the death, during an air raid over a mainland town, of her son, Flight-Sergt. Richard Francis STICKLAND, R.A.F., aged 36, on Friday week. He was living with his wife and son in a house opposite which a bomb fell and was killed. His wife is suffering severely from shock, and their young son was seriously wounded in the leg. Deceased had served in the R.A.F. for 16 years, and was previously employed by Messrs. J. Samuel WHITE and Co., Ltd., at Cowes. He attended the Upper Grade School. His wife was formerly Miss Alice TURNER, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. H. TURNER, of Arthur-street. The funeral took place at Holy Trinity Church on Wednesday, and the Rev. S. J. CORNISH officiated. The mourners were Miss I. STICKLAND (sister), Mrs. S. CHAPPELL (sister), Mrs. TURNER (mother-in-law), Mrs. CRABB (sister-in-law), Mr. L. TURNER (brother-in-law), Mrs. WAY (aunt), Mr. B. WAY (cousin), Miss STICKLAND(aunt), and two R.A.F. sergeants. The floral tributes included those from the commanding officer and airmen of engine repair section No 30 M.U.; the officers mess and sergeants mess; the officers and men, No 30 M.U.; and neighbours in Abingdon-road"

http://www.rydecemetery.org.uk/grave_record.asp?graveid=1029

A

[Henk Welting]

Thanks Brian for info on burial location Mr Roberts. Amended my files. Found a 'St.Mary's Cray Cemetery' at Orpington (CWGC code UK.4038). No need for a picture of the grave; nevetheless thanks for your offer.

Regards,
Henk.

[Henk Welting]

Thanks Amrit for your info on (ex RAF F/Sgt) Stickland.
Regards,
Henk.

[Dick]

Hi Henk
As I have just found out, CWGC do not give Cemeteries for Civilian Casualties, they give the Administrative district in which they died. Orpongton would be consistent with a death at Biggin.
From the A list I can find Burton registered at Bromley,Stickland at Hawarden, and Stone at Hollingbourne(?Detling)
From the C list registered at Bromley (?Biggin Hill)are,Baker,33,Barnet,31,Carter,31,Clark.40, Dyning,21, Emery,22,Hudson,20,Mumford,40,Murton,28, Stopher,26,White,50,Whitford,28and Wren,42.
There is also a W SNEDDON,25. I haven't found the others but will look again later
I have now found Moors,26, at Bromley
Regards
Dick

[Dick]

Hi Again
For Stickland, Hawarden would be consistent with a death at ,or near ,Sealand which was the home of 30 MU mentioned in Amrit's post. The airfield was just across the River Dee and close to the town and airfield at Hawarden..
Regards
Dick

[Henk Welting]

Thanks Dick. Look forward to hear from you again on the remaining names.
Regards,
Henk.

[Dick]

Hi Henk
Sorry, but so far I have still not found on Ancestry any entries for Peter Yorke, Francis Harris or John Jackson. In your E list I can't find Edna Button, John George, Bertram Imeson or Joseph Musgrove but I note that CWGC has them all buried at Orpington which was used for Biggin Hill Casualties. I didn't find Edward Veal but see that he is buried at Biggin Hill Cemetery.Riggs is the odd one as he is shown as buried in Luton(?his home town) but there is no registration that I could find so nothing to place him at Biggin. I should point that the lists I consult on Ancestry are the national registers and they are filed in 3 Monthly periods and in Alphabetical order by surname , in addition they give first name and some other initials plus age and registration office, so if they are entered in the right place they should show up but ommissions are not unknown and the books from which Ancestry takes it's downloads have been going since 1837
Regards
Dick

[Henk Welting]

No problem if info on death registration is absent. The King looseth his right where nought is to be had ! A registration place probably could have been a link to the aircraft lost same day (L2063 - N6472 - R4857).
Regards,
Henk.