420929 - Unaccounted airmen - 29-9-1942

[Henk Welting]

What were the places of death registration for:

A - Died on active service:
S/Ldr Russel A. BELL-SYER - 76490 - age 56;
W/O Walter HUCKVALE - 358388 - age 37, and
AC1 Laurence W. ROSS - 1234189.

B - Killed on active service:
Sgt (Pilot) Jean M. ERICKSON - 605382 (from USA).

C - Not found in Flight archives:
AC2 George E. HUNTER - 1012340 - age 29.

D - Proposed aircraft losses:
Blenheim V - BA142 - 60 OTU - dived into ground Howmuir Farm, near East Linton, East Lothian.
Defiant I - AA283 - 2 (O)AFU - crashed on take-off ½ mile SE of Millom.

Regards and thanks for your help.
Henk.

[dennis_burke]

A - Died on active service:
S/Ldr Russel A. BELL-SYER - 76490 - age 56; Welton district, Lincolnshire
W/O Walter HUCKVALE - 358388 - age 37, Aylesbury district, Buckinghamshire
AC1 Laurence W. ROSS - 1234189. Essex S W District, Essex

B - Killed on active service:
Sgt (Pilot) Jean M. ERICKSON - 605382 (from USA). Not in EngWales. Name and age matches a record in Dunbar district of East Lothian Scotland, so perhaps he a man on Blenheim V - BA142.

C - Not found in Flight archives:
AC2 George E. HUNTER - 1012340 - age 29. Cardiff district. I cannot find him in Flight archives either but I would assume DOAS

[Martyn A Critchlow]

Warner on BA142 does show 'Sgt J Erickson (American, RAFVR) killed, crewman injured'.

Martyn

[Henk Welting]

Thanks Martyn and Dennis.
Dennis: Do hope the lasagne was tasty !

Henk.

[wwrsimon]

Hello

S/Ldr Russel A. BELL-SYER - 76490 - his death was reported in several newspapers at the time. This is from the Nottingham Evening Post of October 2nd 1942:

DIED IN PLANE
Airman Who Was Flying As Passenger
Squadron Leader Russell Alfred Bell-Syer, R.A.F., collapsed and died recently while flying as a passenger between two Lincolnshire R.A.F. stations. He was 56.
Squadron Leader Bell-Syer, a retired Lieutenant-Commander in the Navy, which he joined at the age of 13, became adjutant at the R.A.F. School of Navigation after the outbreak of war, and at the time of his death was officer commanding at a Lincolnshire station.
The pilot of his plane wirelessed for a doctor an ambulance, and landed at the nearest station, but Squadron Leader Bell-Syer was already dead.

W/O Walter HUCKVALE - 358388 - the Bedfordshire Times and Independent of October 16th 1942 reported the following:

Military Funeral - Warrant Officer Walter Huckvale, aged thirty-seven, who died ina hospital after eighteen years' service in the R.A.F., was buried with military honours at Bedford Cemetery recently.

Regards

Simon

[jonheyworth]

George Etion Hunter 1012340 , a medically discharged airman, died at 30A Cowbridge Road, Cardiff of pulmonary tuberculosis

[jonheyworth]

Henry William James Johnson 1181715 , became seriously ill on 27 September and was admitted to Number 55 General hospital where he died of a combination of meningitis and acute lobar pneumonia

[jonheyworth]

Walter Huckvale 358388 | attached to RAF Chelveston | was admitted to the Aeronautics hospital at Halton on 26 May, becoming dangerously ill on 28 September, dying at 02:35 Hours of carcinoma of the bladder

[jonheyworth]

Laurence William Ross 1234189 | attached to RAF Holme Upon Spalding Moor | was admitted dangerously ill to the Essex County hospital, Wanstead on 8 August, where he died of pulmonary tuberculosis