400808 - Unaccounted airmen - 8-8-1940

**Henk Welting** · 22nd February 2008, 18:05

What caused the death of following airmen whose name I can't find in the Flight Global archives:

Sgt John P.D.'A. MITCHELL - 550746 - buried Thorpe Bassett (All Saints) Churchyard, Yorkshire (UK1555), and

AC1 Raymond C. WHEELER - 553650 - buried Fawley (All Saints) Churchyard, Hampshire (UK4819).

Proposed aircraft serials (in case killed on active service):

Leopard Moth - X9384 - 6 AACU - crashed on take-off Conisborough, Yorkshire
Oxford I - R6245 - 3 FTS - crashed on take-off at night, Bibury.

Regards and thanks for your help.
Henk.

**alclark** · 22nd February 2008, 20:28

I dont' have anything on either accident, my records for 6 AACU start in November 1940 and I only have a couple of very early accidents for 3 FTS.

**davew** · 22nd February 2008, 20:29

Henk

Mitchell's death (aged 20, is that the right one?) registered at Warfedale, Yorks, which is in the wrong admininstration for Conisborough, so I would provisionally rule out the Moth.

Wheeler's death registered at Gosport, Hants. No suggestion.

regards

DaveW

**Henk Welting** · 23rd February 2008, 14:24

Dave,
Thanks for info.
Dont know Mitchell's age; his first names were John Patrick D'Arley.

Regards,
Henk.

**Rich Allenby** · 5th February 2011, 17:52

Henk, Just checked J P D Mitchell's gravestone this afternoon, unfortunately no extra information is on it, he's got the standard CWGC stone. I will check the local paper archives in Malton next time I'm in.

regards Rich

**paulmcmillan** · 5th February 2011, 18:25

Impressements Log has for the Leopard Moth

C/n 7067 G-ACSH X9384 27.3.40. Birkett Air Services Ltd. Delivered to No.6 A.A.C.U. on the 27th and later became X9384. While on a ferry flight from Ringway to No. 264 Sqn. at Kirton-in-Lindsey on 8.8.40. X9384 F/L at Conisborough, near Doncaster. While taking off again, it struck a hedge and caught fire on impact with the Ground Cat.W

**dennis_burke** · 6th February 2011, 00:43

Wheeler is listed as KOAS in Flight magazine.

**Rich Allenby** · 25th November 2014, 19:40

John Mitchell's death is listed in the Malton Gazette newspaper as "the young airman who died on Thursday at Ilkley of illness contracted on active service." So not anything to do with a flying accident.
Rich

**Martyn A Critchlow** · 4th February 2015, 16:01

AIR 81/1293 1940 Jan 01 – 1940 Dec 31
Aircraftman R C Wheeler:
report of death. Sergeant W G Vosper: injured in an enemy air attack, 8 August 1940

Martyn