13-FEB-1944 RAF Douglas Dakota III (DC-3) FL505 Comilla airstrip collision with Douglas Dakota III (DC-3) 42-100699 USAAF. Has anybody more details on this , especially casualties please. Gunner Service No: 1111891 - SWANN, FREDERICK CECIL Royal Artillery 160 Field Regt. believed onboard a sully drop to Burma.
it ws with 62 Sqn per the Air Britain FA-FZ registers so, have a look at the ORB online, see what it says Search results: "Squadron Number: 62" | The National Archives Here is some guidelines how to use the files http://www.ww2irishaviation.com/TNA_AIR27_viewer_guidelines.pdf
If Swann was aboard the aircraft then I would expect to see more than him shown as died that day Is there anything in the War Dairy for the regiment? TD
The ORB I posted above contains the answer, Noggin can transcribe it out for us. There were three aircrew casualties and two army.
The pilot of the RAF Dakota was 416003 P/O Frederick Henry William Kingswood, RAAF As such there is a file, as yet undigitized, at the NAA in Canberra. https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/Sea...eports/ItemDetail.aspx?Barcode=1071472&isAv=N Summary heading KINGSWOOD, Frederick Henry William - (Pilot Officer); Service Number - 416003 Descriptive note In addition to the file subject, the following servicemen are mentioned in this record: WRIGHT – (Flight Sergeant); Service Number – 1118992 CUNNINGHAM – (Sergeant); Service Number – 1062701 COOK L – Service Number – 1797629 Army? SWANN F – Service Number – 1111891 WILDSMITH B – (Flight Sergeant); Service Number – 112441 SKINNER H G – (Sergeant); Service Number - 1865003 Regards, Dave
Thank you all. Added the details to his entry SWANN, FREDERICK CECIL Rank: Gunner Service No: 1111891 Date of Death: 13/02/1944 Age: 39 Regiment/Service: Royal Artillery 160 Field Regt. Grave Reference: 1. B. 4. Cemetery: MAYNAMATI WAR CEMETERY Additional Information: Born in Farndon son of Thomas William and Mary Swann, from Pleasley Hill Mansfield. He had 7 brothers and 1 sister, two of his brothers died as children. The family moved from Farndon to East Stoke in 1911 and to Kelham 1913. His father died in 1934 in Rolleston. His mother remarried in 1935 and lived at Burton Joyce. RAF Comilla 62 Sqn C-47 Dakota FL505 collision with C-47 Skytrain 42-100699 USAAF. Take off 23.00 , load of 7,500lbs for a supply dropping sortie. On becoming airborne the aircraft appeared to swing to port and its mainplane struck the USAAF Skytrain parked on the fair weather strip in close proximity to the actual runway, FL505 then swung onto two further C-47's ( 42-100701 and 42-100706 ) and the three aircraft were set on fire. P/O F Kingswood RAAF , Sgt R Cunningham RAFVR , F/Sgt C Wright RAFVR , Gnr F Swann 160 Regt RA , Gnr L Cook 52 HAA Regt RA all killed. F/Sgt Wildsmith and Sgt Skinner admitted to hospital with shock. 2 USAAF personnel are believed to have been killed on the ground while either sleeping or working in one of the C-47's. Gnr F Swann's eldest brother L/Cpl Thomas Humphrey Swann was KIA 29/9/1918 Battle of Bellenglise France during WW1. His younger brother Pvt William Swann was KIA 11/7/1944 in Burma during operations with the Chindits. All 5 C-47's condemned 15/2/1944. Interested in info on Private SWANN, WILLIAM Service Number 4982297 Died 11/07/1944 , Aged 30 , 2nd Bn. Duke of Wellington's (West Riding Regiment) IMPHAL WAR CEMETERY 3. H. 13.
noggin, All I have are the pages for July 1944 from the battalion war diary. On closer inspection, this only covers the activities of Chindit Column No. 76 and their final ambush work against the Japanese before withdrawal from action. 2DWR were part of 23rd Brigade who fought behind Japanese lines during the battles of Imphal and Kohima in India. This Chindit Brigade did not enter Burma at any stage during 1944. It is very possible that William died from illness, disease, wounds etc. and had been evacuated before the date of 11/07/44.
Had a closer look at his CWGC details. The concentration sheets do confirm that he died on the 11th July and was originally buried at a place called Huining near Ukhrul. Halang, Ukhrul - Wikipedia
