400920 - Unaccounted airmen - 20-9-1940

[Henk Welting]

What caused the death of and/or what were the places of death registration for:

A - Killed on active service:
AC2 Ernest J.W. BOND - 846519 - 4 BC/909 Sqn Eastham
LAC (Pilot) Daniel MORRISON - 968334
Sgt Neville Murphy - 905357
ac1 Abraham MYERS - 1161139 - 4 BC/909 Sqn Eastham
AC2 Ronald PYCROFT - 940529
AC1 Walter E. WEBB - 846574 - 4 BC/909 Sqn Eastham

B - Died of wounds or injuries received on active service:
Cpl Ronald BRODLEY - 567215
Sgt (WOp/Ag u/t) Frederick C. GOSS - 903781
Sgt (Obs) Cyril HENDERSON - 901353 - buried Benson (St.Helen) Churchyard Ext./Oxfordshire (UK2963)

C - Not listed Flight Global archives:
Sgt (WOp/Obs u/t) Nicholas W. CANTWELL - 581320 - buried same churchyard as Sgt Henderson mentioned under 'B'.
Sgt (Pilot) Frederick S. JENKINSON - 565394.
F/Sgt George MERRILL - 523089

It's known that the Luftwaffe attacked London and aerodromes Biggin Hill, Kenley, Hornchurch and Heston (6 killed on Heston).

Proposed aircraft losses for this day:
Anson I - N5318 - 12 FTS - involved in a collission but location unknown.
Anson I - N9821 - 6 FTS - probably collided with Oxford P9039 and crashed 3 miles S of Little Rissington (already as casualties on N9821: Sgt T.H. Sturgis - 968378 and LAC [Pilot u/t] Malcolm A.R. SUTHERLAND - 903457)
Master I - N7987 - 55 OTU - broke up in air over Cherrington, Shropshire (already as casualty on N7987: P/O J.F. Stepien - PAF P.0531)
Oxford I - P9039 - 2 FTS - probably collided with Anson N9821 and crashed near Little Rissington (already as casualty on P9039: LAC [Pilot u/t] Robert B. HUGH - 967883).

Regards and thanks for your help.
Henk.

[thorne83]

Henk Master N7987 didnt crash at Cherrington in Shropshire, but Cherington in Gloucestershire. You've got the right pilot though and he was sole occupant.

Cheers, Tom

[davew]

Henk

In Group A
Morrison at Bourne, probably with the 12 FTS Anson N5318
Murphy at Pancras

Group B
All three at Pancras

Group C
Cantwell at Pancras
Jenkinson at Bourne (also on the Anson?)
Merrill is not listed in England Wales or Scotland.

regards

DaveW

[Dick]

Hi Henk
Bond,28, Myers,38 and Webb,35 are all registered at Poplar in E London which is consistent with 909 Balloon Sqn(CWGC) which was based in east of London
Regards
Dick

[Henk Welting]

Thanks Tom and Dave for your info.
For which unit could Pancras be the registration office ?

Regards,
Henk.

[Dick]

Hi Henk
Pancras is in N Central London and covers a fairly large area of that part of the capital. It is likely to have been used as an accomodation area in one of the many hotels there around St Pancras, Euston and Kings Cross mainline railway stations which are close together. The stations would also have been a likely target for bombing. The railways from there fed the NE,NW of England and on into Scotland and Wales, likely places for personnel to use in transit on leave or going to new postings
Regards
Dick

[davew]

Henk

Pycroft does not appear in the mainland death registers either, possibly he died in Ireland.

DaveW

[allan125]

Hi Henk

Bit more background information for you.

No. 4 Balloon Centre - Chigwell, Essex - 2 August 1938/1 April 1943.

909 (County of Essex) Squadron - 5 flights of 9 Balloons at West Ham and East Ham (not Eastham)

this link should help with any further Balloon Command requests http://www.rafweb.org/Sqn900.htm

Hope this helps fill in a few blanks for you.

cheers

Allan

[Henk Welting]

Thanks Dave and Dick for your help. Couldn't find Pancras but now with this distinct definition everything is getting more and more clear about the circumstances. Those registered at Pancras likely were all killed in air raids.
Good weekend,
Henk.

[Henk Welting]

Thanks Allan for your info on Balloon Squadron. Meanwhile also discovered the helpful website http://www.bbrclub.org/1940%20Status.htm. Thanks as well for the correction on Eastham vs East Ham. Will amend my files.
Regards,
Henk.