Aircraft Crash at Aberdeen

Discussion in 'Burma & India' started by Skoyen89, Apr 20, 2020.

  1. Skoyen89

    Skoyen89 Senior Member

    Hi

    I am trying to find out more about a Royal Signals casualty which I think may have occurred at 'White City'. He is Signalman AH Templeman 10600919 who died on 11 April 1944. He was buried at Sahmaw and his grave concentrated in to Taukkyan where he now lies.
    Casualty

    The Casualty Report gives his unit as 'Special Force Tng Sigs' but the family have a letter from his officer at the time ( I can't make out the name) who describes that he was fatally injured when the aircraft he was in crashed near the airstrip. The officer signs as i/c 3 (WA) Brigade Signals - but in October 1944.

    According to Redding in 'War in the Wilderness' Brigadier Gillmour of 3 (West African) Brigade, with his 2 i/c Lt Col Degg, took over command of the White City block on 10 April and his Brigade were there for a while. Could Templeman have been part of 3 (WA) Brigade Headquarters which was flown in to White City at that time?

    I have looked for info on aircraft losses/crashes on 11 April 1944 or just before but without any success. Can anyone help with adding detail to Templeman's death?
     

    Attached Files:

  2. bamboo43

    bamboo43 Very Senior Member

    Had a good look through the Nigerian Regiment war diaries for Operation Thursday and cannot find mention of Templeman within these. However, in the 6th Nigerian's war diary for April 12th, there is an entry stating that a Dakota overshot the runway at Aberdeen stronghold and crashed into the paddy field to one side. I do not think this is the incident you are looking for, but it does widen the scope for his place of death.
     
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  3. Skoyen89

    Skoyen89 Senior Member

    Thanks for looking Steve. I have Carfrae's book and will have a look in that. The date of the crash in the war diary is a day too late as according to the CWGC and the Casualty Report the date of Templeman's death was 11th - but we all know that a day or two out in the circs is not uncommon.

    Is it possible that the 3 (WA) Brigade flew in to Aberdeen and then marched to White City?

    There is a Dakota III loss for 11 April 1944 at Aberdeen - FL540 was 'damaged beyond repair'. Shores has the following info on it: 'At Aberdeen Dakota FL540 of 194 Squadron flown by Fig Off R.G. Mellsop crashed into a hillside north-west of the strip as it was going in to land, and burst into flames. All the crew and 16 army personnel on board were killed, 12 more soldiers being injured, four of them seriously.'
    The crew of Mellsop, Bridges and Scott are all on the Singapore Memorial but there are no others for that date.
     
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  4. bamboo43

    bamboo43 Very Senior Member

    I'll keep my eyes peeled as I dip into other war diaries. This is the sort of things that might get a mention in another units paperwork.
     
  5. Glenflo

    Glenflo Member

    Hello everyone,
    do we have anything in writing or photo's off any discription of
    the plane crash 11th April 1944 Aberdeen airstrip. 69th Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Artillery (TA) which was coverted 69th Light Anti-Aircraft /Anti-Tank Regiment RA (TA) in Burma 1944. If this was the case the plane burst into flames after crashing into the hillside, I do have the names off around 12 men who passed away on the 11th April 1944.
     

    Attached Files:

  6. Skoyen89

    Skoyen89 Senior Member

    Hi Glen

    Yes I have details of the crash but the Army casualties and other passengers are not named.
     
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  7. Tricky Dicky

    Tricky Dicky Don'tre member

    Flight Lieutenant R G MELLSOP (413449), Royal New Zealand Air Force) [Royal Air Force WW2 Casualty ]

    https://www.aucklandmuseum.com/war-memorial/online-cenotaph/record/C18419

    Again no mention of others just the crew


    ASN Aircraft accident Douglas Dakota III (DC-3) FL540 Aberdeen Airstrip


    USAF Serial Number Search Results
    24353 (MSN 10215) to RAF as Dakota III FL540. Flew into hill while overshooting, Aberdeen Airstrip, Burma Apr 11, 1944

    Second World War Books Review
    Tuesday, 11 April 1944
    A trio of Spitfires from 136 Squadron set off early to escort six Dakotas over the Aberdeen strip, their pilots seeing three Ki 43s east of the Chindwin river. Whilst investigating these, Sqn Ldr Watson was attacked by others and his aircraft received a single bullet through the wing, while Fig Off G.J. Moorhouse claimed damage to one. It is believed that these were four 50th Sentai aircraft led by Lt Fukui, the pilots of which reported meeting Spitfires; they all returned safely.
    At Aberdeen Dakota FL540 of 194 Squadron flown by Fig Off R.G. Mellsop crashed into a hillside north-west of the strip as it was going in to land, and burst into flames. All the crew and 16 army personnel on board were killed, 12 more soldiers being injured, four of them seriously.

    Perhaps there is more detail in the ORB for 194 Squadron ??
     
    Last edited: Dec 4, 2021
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  8. Glenflo

    Glenflo Member

    Good morning.all,
    I did find this out about the plane crash.

    Sometime about then Ray's squadron was detailed to assist in supplying Brigadie Wingate's force in Burma, which was operating in the dense jungle forest behind the Japanese line. That was a type of guerrilla warfare dependent entirely on the Air Force for their supplies including personnel. Landing strips, I doubt they would have merited the title aerodrome, were made in clearings in the jungle by dropping machines and men by parachute to clear and level a strip sufficiently to enable the supply planes to land and take off. I believe that those supply missions were all flown at night. We do not know what caused Ray's plane to crash when going in to land at the airstrip on 11 April 1944 but later we were given some information by one or two of his air force friends, who were serving with him in India, which had reached them from eye witnesses at the landing strip. The information seemed to indicate that a fault had developed in the mechanical parts of the aircraft because while circling the strip preparatory to landing, the plane instead of continuing to circle suddenly went in a straight line into a hill to one side of the strip.

    All the crew of the aircraft were killed but twenty or so soldiers who were being ferried into the strip survived. The crew were buried on the spot and the graves marked, but some years later when War Graves Commission staff were frying to locate the graves in order to mark them permanently or remove then to an established War Graves Cemetery they could not be found, such was the growth in the jungle in the intervening years. Ray had been promoted to the rank of Flight- Lieutenant but did not know of his promotion because the Official notice, while dated a day or two before his death, had not reached his superiors.
     
  9. Glenflo

    Glenflo Member

    The information seemed to indicate that a fault had developed in the mechanical parts of the aircraft because while circling the strip preparatory to landing, the plane instead of continuing to circle suddenly went in a straight line into a hill to one side of the strip.
     
  10. Skoyen89

    Skoyen89 Senior Member

    Working through the CWGC site and Casualty Lists this is the likely Army casualties from the crash of Dakota FL540 (in addition to the crew):

    GOLDING W G 10/04/1944 Gunner 51 Bty., 69 Regt. '1729753' Rangoon Mml - Attd 2 Bn Leics Regt according to CWGC
    ASHWORTH C 11/04/1944 Gunner 267 Bty., 69 Lt. A.A. Regt. '1800200' Rangoon Mml
    SMITH J 11/04/1944 Gunner 267 Bty., 69 Lt. A.A. Regt. '1803401' Rangoon Mml
    TOMKINS A H S 11/04/1944 Gunner 267 Bty., 69 Lt. A.A. Regt. '6085872' Rangoon Mml
    SCHOFIELD V 11/04/1944 Gunner 267 Bty., 69 Lt. A.A. Regt. '1803399' Rangoon Mml
    CHAPMAN W J 11/04/1944 Gunner 51 Bty., 69 Anti-Tank Regt. '1837474' Rangoon Mml - CL says Presumed KIA 6/5/1944
    OULD F E 11/04/1944 Gunner 267 Bty., 69 Lt. A.A. Regt. '6090816' Rangoon Mml
    HAYES C 11/04/1944 Bombardier 267 Bty., 69 Lt. A.A. Regt. '1690823' Rangoon Mml
    SCOBIE J 11/04/1944 Gunner 267 Bty., 69 Lt. A.A. Regt. '1820271' Rangoon Mml
    KERR J M 11/04/1944 Gunner 267 Bty., 69 Lt. A.A. Regt. '1820178' Rangoon Mml
    EASTELL G H 11/04/1944 Gunner 267 Bty., 69 Lt. A.A. Regt. '1809971' Rangoon Mml
    DOOGAN N 11/04/1944 Serjeant 267 Bty., 69 Lt. A.A. Regt. '1451606' Rangoon Mml
    MASTERSON W J 12/04/1944 Gunner 267 Bty., 69 Lt. A.A. Regt. '1803542' Rangoon Mml
    MURFIN L W 12/04/1944 Bombardier 267 Bty., 69 Lt. A.A. Regt. '1801531' Rangoon Mml
    WARD J L 13/04/1944 Gunner 51 Bty., 69 Lt. A.A. Regt. '14222008' Rangoon Mml
    HAMPSON J H 13/04/1944 Gunner 51 Bty., 69 Regt. '916086' Rangoon Mml - 'Accidentally Killed'

    DOUGHERTY M 13/04/1944 Gunner 206 Bty., 69 Lt. A.A. Regt. '3601509' Taukkyan War Cemy - 'Died Of Wounds' on CL
    FOLEY J 11/04/1944 Gunner 51 Bty., 69 Field Regt. '1837903' Taukkyan War Cemy
    NICHOLSON H 12/04/1944 Gunner 267 Bty., 69 Lt. A.A. Regt. '11050904' Taukkyan War Cemy - Died as result of accident' on CL
    TEMPLEMAN A H 11/04/1944 Signalman Royal Corps of Signals '10600919' Taukkyan War Cemy
    - DOW shortly after crash

    DAVEY RE 12/04/1944 Gunner 51 Bty/69 Lt AA Regt 1797636 Wounded - Attd 2 Bn Leics Regt
    FOSTER J 12/04/1944 Gunner 267 Bty/69 Lt AA Regt 1803449 Wounded
    IRVING DR 12/04/1944 Gunner 267 Bty/69 Lt AA Regt 1800185 Wounded
    JONES F 12/04/1944 Gunner 267 Bty/69 Lt AA Regt 1803597 Wounded

    That makes :
    16 who were probably buried on the battlefield (although they appeared as Missing on the Casualty List) but whose bodies were not subsequently recovered hence they are commemorated on the Rangoon Memorial
    4 who appear to have Died of Wounds and whose buried bodies were found and moved to Sahmaw and then on to Taukkyan War Cemetery.
    4 wounded

    from a total of 28 Passengers. There is a A/Sgt JT Chandler 4861085 of 2 Leicesters who was wounded on 12 April and so was possibly another on the plane.

    The dates are all over the place and one (Chapman) has a date of 6 May 1944 on the Casualty List and 11 April 1944 on the CWGC information!!
     
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  11. Skoyen89

    Skoyen89 Senior Member

    Dakota FL540 Description of Crash.JPG
     
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  12. Skoyen89

    Skoyen89 Senior Member

    ORB for 194 Sqn

    FL540 Dakota 194 Sqn ORB page for 12 April.JPG
     
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  13. Glenflo

    Glenflo Member

    thanks very much for this information. Brilliant source. Well done.
     
  14. bamboo43

    bamboo43 Very Senior Member

    Hi Glen,

    I hope that you did receive my reply I sent by email in response to your enquiry to the Chindit Society last week. As I mentioned, it looks like Skoyen89 has given you some more excellent information above. The Society does not have any further details in regards to the crash on 11th April 1944 I'm afraid. However, there is a very good thread on the forum about all of the Chindit strongholds including Aberdeen which may assist you in some way going forward. One of the maps of the Aberdeen stronghold shows the location of the block cemetery, to the east of the airstrip.

    Chindit 2 General maps, including Strongholds and Landing Grounds.

    I'm not sure if you have seen your grandfather's name on the Rangoon Memorial, so I obtained a copy from another of our forum members for you.

    Best wishes

    Steve


    DOOGAN N., Face 2, Rangoon Memorial, Myanmar-Burma © asiawargraves.com 2.jpg
     
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  15. Glenflo

    Glenflo Member

    Hello Steve,

    thanks for the information. I think I have found the location in Burma with Aberdeen airstrip in Burma on google earth last week. I'm also trying to get in contact with local residents close by and see if evidence of old photos or land marks from 1944. I have uploaded screen shots from google earth.
     

    Attached Files:

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  16. Glenflo

    Glenflo Member

    Thanks Steve, that's my grandfather name on the wall, cheers.
     
  17. bamboo43

    bamboo43 Very Senior Member

    That's brilliant Glen. Good luck with your attempts with the locals in Burma. I visited Burma in 2008 and travelled to the White City stronghold location at Henu, the terrain there looked very similar to that of 1944, let's hope it will be something similar at Aberdeen. Please let us know how you get on.
     
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  18. Skoyen89

    Skoyen89 Senior Member

    Hi Glen

    Lets hope your attempt to contact the locals at Aberdeen delivers results - we have seen that it can at Imphal. One thought is that the casualties who died in the plane may well have been buried close to the location of the crash rather than in the 'Aberdeen' Cemetery.

    If you look at my post there are four whose graves were recovered and are buried at Taukkyan, having been moved to Sahmaw first where the Chindit graves were concentrated. Two of them are recorded as dying of wounds. I suggest they were removed from the crash site and taken to a hospital where they died. There are pages of those who died at Aberdeen and whose graves were recovered.

    Those who died straight away have not been recovered which suggests to me that they were not buried in the main cemetery. If that is the case it is likley that they were buried near the crash site which accords to pratcice, especially in an active battlefield.
     
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  19. Skoyen89

    Skoyen89 Senior Member

    Have edited the title to better reflect the content
     
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