Eric Charles GREGORY

Hi Everyone,
I am researching this R.A.F. Sergeant, but cannot find anything out about his family, his wife Freda Ann and her family I have found and she obviously was living in Mancot Royal when the CWGC contacted her for details, but I wonder how they met, as I cannot find anything out about Eric Charles's birth or his family.
SERGEANT
ERIC CHARLES GREGORY
Service Number: 531027
Regiment & Unit/Ship - Royal Air Force - 23 Sqdn.
Date of Death -Died 29 July 1942
Age 24 years old

Buried or commemorated at UDEN WAR CEMETERY
4. H. 2.

Netherlands

Country of Service -United Kingdom

Additional Info - Son of Charles and Elizabeth Gregory; husband of Freda Ann Gregory, of Mancot Royal, Flintshire.

I found some details of the crash on
RAF CWGC War Dead Query 1942=

and
Mossie crash Haps NL

Also I have the 23 Squadron Operations Record for the 29th July 1942, it's his family details that would be great to add to his story.


Any help would be appreciated, Regards, Mavis Williams

 

You mean this birth

Staffordshire, England, Birth, Marriage and Death Indexes, 1837-2017
Name: Eric Charles Gregory
Record Type: Birth
Birth Date: 16 Mar 1918
Birth Place: Staffordshire, England
Mother: Elizabeth Ethel Waldron

His mothers forename matches that from the CWGC details and also died in 1942 aged 24 would make him born in around 1918

TD

England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1916-2007
Name: Eric C Gregory
Registration Date: Apr 1918
[May 1918]
[Jun 1918]
Registration Quarter: Apr-May-Jun
Registration District: Lichfield
Inferred County: Staffordshire
Mother's Maiden Name: Waldren
Volume Number: 6b
Page Number: 725^261

 

Seems he had a sister

England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1916-2007
Name: Margaret E Gregory
Registration Date: Jan 1920
[Feb 1920]
[Mar 1920]
Registration Quarter: Jan-Feb-Mar
Registration District: Lichfield
Inferred County: Staffordshire
Mother's Maiden Name: Waldron
Volume Number: 6b
Page Number: 1080

Now you can start those investigative juices of yours working

TD

This could be her marriage
England & Wales, Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1916-2005
Name: Margaret E Gregory
Registration Date: Jan 1945
[Feb 1945]
[Mar 1945]
Registration Quarter: Jan-Feb-Mar
Registration District: Ilkeston
Inferred County: Derbyshire
Spouse: Davehall
Volume Number: 7b
Page Number: 1195

She would be around 25 at the time which sort of fits

 

WOW TD that was quick!. I didn't know that there were so many Charles GREGORYS', it was hard to make out the right one, but I think your right, I will be having a go, so thank you so much. Regards, Mavis

 

But theres not that many Eric Charles Gregory's, especially born in or around 1918

TD

Sergeant E C GREGORY (531027), Royal Air Force) [Royal Air Force WW2 Casualty ]

Eric Charles Gregory - DFC and bar

 

Thanks again TD, your a star. He was so unlucky, his parachute not opening and he was awarded the DFC and Bar. Such good information, thanks again, Mavis

 

Possible marriage
First name(s) Eric C
Last name Gregory
Marriage quarter 1
Marriage year 1940
Freda A Davies
District Chester
District number -
County Cheshire
Country England
Volume 8A
Page number 1336

Possible 1939 Dicksons Drive, Chester


Also

 

Another possible
Lichfield Mercury, Friday, June 5, 1942

 

Hello Mavis, Just reading your entry about 23 Sqdn Mosquito NF MkII, DD677, YP-J. I have done some research on this a/c Nov 1999
and talked to a witnesses who still lived near the spot where the mosquito crashed. I have also tried to get in touch with the relatives of F/Sgt K.J.O.Hawkins and Navigator Sgt E.C.Gregory but failed to do so. Also I have the 23 Sqdn ORB's.

Regards,
Adrian

 

How stupid can I be - if he died in 1942 how could he have married - as per my earlier post - in 1945 - Mavis p;lease scrap that possible from the list

TD

 

Thank you all so much, Tony56 for the newspaper cuttings and also the photograph, how handsome he was! Adrian thanks so much for getting in touch, I have the ORB for 23 squadron thank you, but anything you can add to the story re the witnesses would be great. TD, the marriage you mention was for his possible sister? If I have read it right, don't be hard on yourself, I have senior moments all the time!!

I have a problem in that Freda and Eric married in Chester, which was where she lived, but she ended up living in Mancot Royal, near Hawarden, Flintshire and that made me wonder if he was at Sealand Camp, near Hawarden/Chester, so was that how they met?

Also on the Page commemorating Eric;-
Sergeant E C GREGORY (531027), Royal Air Force) [Royal Air Force WW2 Casualty ] he is said to have been awarded in the London Gazette the DFC - https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/36661/data.pdf and the DFC & Bar - https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/37182/data.pdf - but his Service Number and his squadron are different - he was in the 35 Squadron in the London Gazzette. So I wrote this afternoon to the RAF Commands Forum, but the story is years old, so I don't know if I will get a reply, this is what I wrote:-

Hi everyone, I am mystified about Eric Charles GREGORY's Service No., He is 531027 - 23 Squadron on the CWGC Citation and 170209 35 Squadron on the London Gazzette and Taff-S has his number as 1316463, can anyone explain please? I am hoping to tell his story, so I would appreciate any help. Regards, Mavis

I hope you can understand my ramblings but I hope so. Thank you all so much for your very valuable input. Regards, Mavis

 

Isn't the answer as your post in the other forum?
23 Sqd Aircrew Casualties - 29/7/43 (rafcommands.com)

Why is that a problem, they are only a few miles apart. To ensure you get everything correct I think you should get some documentary evidence in the form of certificates.

 

Thanks Tony56, I will have a look, the problem is that I am self funding my research and have been for 11 years, and have researched about 500 men from WW1 & WW2 and cannot afford to buy certificates, I have to try my hardest before I do. Thanks so much for your help. Regards, Mavis

 

Sealand was obviously a major training airfield in the UK and a test airfield for Vickers - so lots of people coming and going and all needing some form of looking after

History of Hawarden Airfield | Aviation Park Group

There was also a hospital at Mancot for both civilian and military personnel, so perhaps she was a nurse and moved there to follow her vocation

As a local you would know of what other industries were prevalent in that area which would need employees pulled in from surrounding local areas, so I would guess there were various ways of men and women meeting up

TD

 

Thanks TD for the link, I haven't seen that, I was hoping that perhaps if he was in 35 Squadron they were stationed there, or even 23 Squadron, but I don't think they were there. Thanks again, every little helps. Regards, Mavis

 

Oh dear - was the airfield not used for training aircrew - wasnt Eric aircrew who would need training ?? irrespective of his squadron to which he would be assigned after he was trained

TD

 

Sorry for the delay in replying TD, of course, I was looking at the squadrons, but of course they would have had to train, thank you for that. Much appreciated. Mavis

 

I think I have found another Eric Charles GREGORY, no the one I was researching and he was also in the R.A.F.V.R. I am uploading 2 articles that I would like your opinion of please. This Eric Charles GREGORY was the one who won the DFC & Bar and it might explain the differenc in the Service number and the squadron.

 

OK so it seems there could be a difference/problem here

Flying Officer Eric Charles Gregory was born in Margate, Kent and enlisted May 1941, trained in the USA and became a pilot, it is he who probably has the service number 170209 and is the man who won the DFC and bar, he also flew for 35 Squadron

Eric Charles Gregory
Birth 31 May 1922 Margate, Kent, England
Marriage Jan 1952 Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England
Death 1 Jan 2000 Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England
Father Percy Dorman Gregory (1898-1951)
Mother Mabel Gwendoline Beatrice Chandler (1900-1986)
Spouse Hetty Endrige Daniels (1915-1999)


Sgt Eric Charles Gregory was born in Staffordshire 1918 as trained and was an Observer in 23 Squadron
Name: Eric C Gregory
Registration Date: Apr 1918
[May 1918]
[Jun 1918]
Registration Quarter: Apr-May-Jun
Registration District: Lichfield
Inferred County: Staffordshire

Now if you loom at this link Sergeant E C GREGORY (531027), Royal Air Force) [Royal Air Force WW2 Casualty ] then I think the confusion is clear

Awards for Eric Charles GREGORY 531027
Date Award Rank Name (Number) Unit Ribbon
1944-08-18 DFC Plt Offr Eric Charles GREGORY (170209) 35 Sqdn
Notification Only London Gazette No. 36661, Dated 1944-08-18
1945-07-17 DFCBarI Fg Offr Eric Charles GREGORY (170209) 35 Sqdn

Sergeant Eric Charles GREGORY (531027) Observer Mosquito II DD677 Forum PostRAF 1942-07-29 23 Sqdn AIR27 Netherlands Uden War CemeteryRef : 4. H. 2.
Flight Sergeant Kenneth John Owen HAWKINS (1255935) Pilot Mosquito II DD677 Forum PostRAF 1942-07-29 23 Sqdn AIR27 Netherlands Uden War Cemetery


So I think this shows that there were 2 x Eric Charles Gregory, one was a Pilot in 35 Sqdn who was awarded 2 x DFC's and the other that Mavis is after was a Sgt Observer in 23 Sqdn

What do people think - may RAF Commands need to verify this record linked above

TD


Something else to add is that Gregory (170209) was awarded his DFC's in 1944 and 1945, Gregory (531027) died in 1942

 

Thanks TD for spelling it all out. See what everyone else says? Regards, Mavis