WW2 Lost Airmen Now Found

[PeteS]

Is there a thread on the forum regularly updated for stories such as this one "RAF airmans remains found 76 years later"
Typhoon pilot, 175 Squadron, Netherlands. F/Sgt William Hurrell.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...World-War.html


cheers
PeteS
https://630squadron.wordpress.com/

[PeteS]

Another one:
Warrant Officer John Henry “Harry” Coates - 111 Sqdn Spitfire PT410 - March 1945 Italy

https://www.raf.mod.uk/news/articles...litary-burial/

cheers
PeteS
https://630squadron.wordpress.com/

[PeteS]

Another one:
Pilot Officer Charles George Fox - Vancouver Island, Canada, October 30, 1942

https://www.manchestereveningnews.co...emains-7404849

cheers
PeteS
https://630squadron.wordpress.com/

[PeteS]

Another one:
Pilot Officer George Smith - Lancaster Bomber - 26 Nov 1943

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPDHzhpL9rk

cheers
PeteS
https://630squadron.wordpress.com/

[PeteS]

Newark Advertiser - 20 Oct 2015
RAF funeral for missing airman shot down over Germany 72 years ago
The funeral of a wartime airman from Newark whose Lancaster bomber lay undiscovered in a field in Germany for decades is due to take place on Wednesday.

Three years ago a witness to the plane’s crash in 1943 led a team of German aviation archaeologists to the site of Lancaster ED427 in a field near the village of Laumersheim, south-west of Frankfurt. Sergeant Ronald Cope, 23, from Newark, was the mid-upper gunner in a crew of seven.

Along with Flying Officer Alex Bone (pilot), Sergeant Cyril Yelland (navigator), Pilot Officer Bruce Watt (rear gunner), Sergeant Norman Foster (flight engineer), Sergeant Raymond White (wireless operator) and Sergeant RJ Rooney (bomb aimer) he is due to be buried at the Durnbach War Cemetery in southern Germany, 72 years after the plane went down.

An RAF padre will conduct the church and burial services, which the British Embassy’s defence attaché is attending.

The coffins are to be carried by members of the RAF’s Queen’s Colour Squadron. Lancaster ED427 belonged to 49 Squadron and took off from RAF Fiskerton, Lincolnshire, at 9.14pm on April 16, 1943. It was originally thought the plane crashed into the sea after being shot down by anti-aircraft fire. Wreckage and hundreds of fragments of bone were unearthed by veteran researcher and aviation archaeologist Mr Uwe Benkel and his team. They specialise in finding missing wartime aircraft of any nationality so the families of casualties can know what happened and bury their relatives. Mr Benkel and his wife were attending the funerals.

Never met his son
Sergeant Cope enlisted in the RAF Volunteer Reserve in 1941. He was the only son of Mr Thomas Cope and his wife, Mary, of Newark. Sergeant Cope married Miss Ruby Davidson, of Belfast, a year earlier and they lived at Hillvue Gardens, Newark. They had a son, Thomas John Ronald Cope, but Sergeant Cope did not have the chance to meet him because his plane was shot down while Miss Davidson was pregnant. She later married Mr Alan Sayers, of Newark, and they moved to Scunthorpe.

Mr Thomas Cope, known as Ron, died several years ago without knowing what happened to his father. His five sons — Gary, Dean, Jason, Wayne and Paul *— were traced to Scunthorpe following an appeal in the Advertiser. They had no idea their grandfather’s remains had been found until the appeal, and the Advertiser put them in touch with the RAF.

Mrs Kathleen Clawson, of Hillvue Gardens, whose late husband, Dennis, was Mr Ron Cope’s nephew, said: “I would have loved to have gone (to the funeral) to represent him, but sadly I’m not well enough. “It was wonderful that they found Ron after all these years, but it has taken a long time from finding the remains to burying them.

“I am pleased the crew will remain together.”


https://www.telegraph.co.uk/history/...War-found.html

Pilot FO Alex Bone, PO Bruce Watt, Sgt Cyril Yelland, Sgt Norman Foster, Sgt Raymond White and Sgt Ronald Cope Photo: BNPS

[Resmoroh]

Your expert of the accident to Anson I, L7056, of 32 OTU, on 30 Oct 1942 near Port Renfrew (NOT actually at Port Renfrew - but somewhere near GE 48.621745 -124.458279) is Rob Stitt (of this forum). He was very closely involved in the recovery of the remains, and their subsequent re-interment. He, and I, did a lot of work on the planned NAVEX route, the probable actual route, and the weather. Unfortunately, I lost a lot of the detail in a disc crash, but I am fairly certain that my failing memory tells me that a lot of work was done - both in Canada and UK - to find rellies of the casualties. Rob will know more than I.
HTH
Peter Davies

[PeteS]

And another:

https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/n...-35212330.html

The seven crew were F/O Holman Gordon Stanley Kerr, Sgt. William Marsden, F/Sgt. Sidney Smith, F/O Frank Clarke, F/Sgt. Allan Olsen, Sgt. Christopher George Hogg and Sgt. Herbert Percival Thomas. 514 Sqdn. 5 March 1945.

[PeteS]

I think this is the last one I'd noted (2013) - Italy, 21 Apr 1945, 18 Sqdn, Boston BZ590, crew Sergeant David Raikes, Flight Sergeant David Perkins, Flight Sergeant Alexander Bostock and Warrant Officer John Hunt

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/l...y-laid-to-rest

[PeteS]

It looks as if I fibbed, there was another one in my folder. Does anybody else have any more ?

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/b...ony-in-albania

Published 24 October 2018

Wreckage positively identified as being from a Halifax was found recently following wild fires in Albania. Subsequent research by the air historical branch and the JCCC could conclude these were from Halifax JP 244.

Seven crew members of the 148 (special duties) squadron RAF who were onboard the RAF Halifax JP244 aircraft have been laid to rest almost 75 years after they were killed carrying out a supply mission over Albania.

Flying Officer Edwin John Stubley RAFVR Pilot Born 11 June 1921 in Bromley, Kent Enlisted 8 January 1942, Commissioned on 11 June 1943, Trained as a pilot in Canada, Occupation prior to service: Maintenance Hand.

Sergeant Charles Mabbs RAFVR Navigator Born 21 July 1913 in Liverpool Enlisted 23 May 1942, Married Helena Maud Hughes on 25 June 1938, Two daughters Angela and Kath, Occupation prior to service: Pharmacist.

Sergeant Alfred Coote RAFVR Engineer Born 20 December 1905 in Battersea, London Enlisted on 30 April 1943, Married Lilian Catherine on 25 June 1931, Occupation prior to enlistment: HGV Driver.

Flight Sergeant John Thompson RAF Gunner Born 18 September 1921 in Matlock, Derbyshire Enlisted 4 May 1939, Married Ruby Joyce on 17 June 1944, Occupation prior to enlistment: Railway Porter.

Flight Sergeant Ernest Logan Brown RAFVR Despatcher/Bomber Born 18 December 1916 in Edinburgh Enlisted 6 November 1941, Previously served with Grenadier Guards, Occupation prior to enlistment: Police Constable.

Flight Sergeant Austin Donnelly RAFVR Gunner Born 27 February 1920 in St Helens, Lancashire Enlisted 16 December 1939, Occupation prior to enlistment: Glass Carrier.

Sergeant Richard Charles Knee RAFVR Wireless Operator Born 1 December 1922 in Ranchi, India Enlisted 15 January 1941, Occupation prior to enlistment: Clerk.

also

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-a...0M51P120150309

https://www.matlockmercury.co.uk/new...e-crash-235756

https://www.theguardian.com/world/20...rld-war-airman

[Jagan]

Great thread, PeteS, how far we going back?

I recently made this entry in the DB - with help from Jonathan Hayworth.

BELLERT MORRIS AMBROSE M A 27 18-10-44 Flying Officer Royal Australian Air Force 82 Sqdn RAAF Papua New Guinea 404001 LAE WAR CEMETERY NN. C. 14.
http://www.rafcommands.com/database/....php?qnum=3158

A29-641 Ditched in bad weather 55 miles short of Noemfoor. Found still in cockpit by a fisherman in 1999
https://www.pacificwrecks.com/aircra...0/A29-641.html


There seemed to have been similar examples from the PNG sector..