421214 - Unaccounted airmen - 14-12-1942

**Henk Welting** · 20th January 2010, 10:53

Looking for info on following airmen, killed on active service:

Sgt Bernard A. HARTLEY - 901037, and
Cpl Charles E.H. STRUDWICK - 847118,
death of both registered Northumberland South.

Sgt (Pilot) Kenneth W. JOYNER - 1551622, death registered Cirencester, Gloucestershire.
(May have been with 52 OTU and involved in an accident with a Spitfire forcelanding at Elkstone near Birdlip, Gloucestershire).

Can't find any matching aircraft serial for above mentioned airmen.

Regards and thanks for your help.
Henk.

**dennis_burke** · 20th January 2010, 10:56

The other men listed with no unit for this date:

If henk has not asked, then he has a reason for the deaths but any comments are welcome.

BAILEY, THOMAS 20 GRO Unit: FE POW
BURROUGHS, HARRY 29 GRO Unit : 41 Air School KOAS
CLULEE, LEIGH WALTER DENIS GRO Unit: No unit listed Missing
ELLIS, FREDERICK 22 AC1 "Wortley Yorkshire West Riding" DOAS
EVANS, BRYNMORE HUGH GRO Mali, Unit: ADU (ME) DOAS
FRENCH, THOMAS LENNOX 24 F/O pilot Boroughmuirhead district, Edinburgh City KOAS
HANSON, DENIS WILLIAM JOSEPH Nil Runn Unit: 10 OpTU Missing
HARPER, JOHN ROBERT 29 Fsgt WOPAG Boroughmuirhead district, Edinburgh City KOAS
HARTLEY, BERNARD ASHTON Nil Sgt Northumberland South Northumberland age 24 KOAS
HARVEY, JOHN ROWLAND GRO Unit 26 EFTS KOAS
HATCHARD, EDWARD JOHN CHARLES GRO Unit: AD Salvage Unit KOAS
HIGGINBOTTOM, FRANK SMITH Runn Unit: 10 OpTU Det Missing
JOYNER, KENNETH WILLIAM 21 Sgt Pilot "Cirencester district Gloucestershire" KOAS
McFADYEN, ANDREW 26 WO Obs Cannot find in Scottish registers but same crash as French, Harper, McGregor KOAS
McGREGOR, CHARLES 23 Fsgt WOPAG Boroughmuirhead district, Edinburgh City KOAS
MILLER, RAYMOND HERBERT 18 PO BA Stratford-Upon-Avon Warwickshire KOAS
NEWTON, THOMAS GRO Unit : 27 WU DOAS
PATTON, JOHN Runn Unit: 10 OpTU Missing
PURRETT, RONALD ALBERT GRO UNIT: 5 BFTS KOAS
SMITH, ROBIN RUSSELL GRO Unit 26 EFTS Not same list as Harvey, not found
STEVENS, ROBERT PLOWDEN WESTON 30 GRO Unit : 42 AS KOAS
STRUDWICK, CHARLES EDWARD HUGH Nil Cpl Northumberland South Northumberland age 30 KOAS
SWALLOW, SYDNEY ERNEST 20 Sgt WOPAG Stratford-Upon-Avon Warwickshire KOAS
THOMSON, GORDON TEMPLE 19 PO nav Scotland ? Part of 10 OpTu crew., same missing list Missing/reported KIA
WATSON, JOHN EDWIN Nil Sgt AB Scotland ? Part of 10 OpTu crew., same missing list Missing/reported KIA

**davew** · 21st January 2010, 12:55

Henk

The Spitfire at Elkstone was AR227, confirm Joyner as the pilot.

(Wings over Glos)

regards

DaveW

**Henk Welting** · 21st January 2010, 15:58

Thanks DaveW and Dennis.
The reason that I couldn't find a matching Spitfire serial was because in AB AA-100 - AZ999 (latest edition) is listed for AR227:
52 OTU

**Henk Welting** · 21st January 2010, 16:01

Don't know what happend but probably hit wrong button:
AB AA100 - AZ999: 52 OTU - Damaged 22.9.42; SOC 14.12.42.

**dennis_burke** · 24th October 2012, 08:44

I was just bumping this thread to see if Hartley and Strudwicks names appeared under any likely crash, Northumberland South District.

**AL90** · 24th October 2012, 19:53

French, Harper, McFadyen and McGregor were all killed in when Wellington X3707 of TFU crashed into allotments at Craiglockheart view in the centre of Edinburgh. Also killed was a US Army signaller 1st Lt. S Kaulis. From memory they were testing some new radio equipment.
National Archives has a report AVIA 5/21 W1397.

Alan.

**dennis_burke** · 24th September 2018, 21:30

I have had a query by email asking about Hartley and Strudwick, both KOAS in same district on adjacent pages of the death register.
CWGC grave registration doesn't list a unit, sometimes the non-squadron ones can be found.
With both having no trade listed either, makes me think some thing like a crash from a Maintenance Unit aircraft, or a headquarters aircraft of some sort.

**COL BRUGGY** · 25th September 2018, 06:22

Originally Posted by dennis_burke

I have had a query by email asking about Hartley and Strudwick, both KOAS in same district on adjacent pages of the death register.
CWGC grave registration doesn't list a unit, sometimes the non-squadron ones can be found.
With both having no trade listed either, makes me think some thing like a crash from a Maintenance Unit aircraft, or a headquarters aircraft of some sort.

Hello,

I have a listing of "Aircraft Losses during World War II". compiled by the North East Aircraft Museum. I downloaded this listing in 2011, so it is a bit ancient. The only incident listed for December 1942, is for a 57 OTU Spitfire IIa P7529, that crashed at Eshott on 11-12-1942.

I feel sure if there was an aviation incident involving the deaths of two airmen it would have been recorded in the above listing. Two members of this Forum who could possibly help with this query are; Jim Corbett (+ co-members of his group), or Chris Davies. Both gentlemen have published works on aviation losses in the North East area of the England.

Col.