Flight Lieut J.R.Talbot Test Pilot R.A.F.O

Flight Lieut J.R.Talbot Test Pilot R.A.F.O 2/12/45

White Waltham Churchyard,Berkshire

 

As a matter of interest, are posts like this a request for more info, or just an FYI?

I always get the urge to look them up to see the details of the incident that took their life, but is this info already known and I would be wasting my time posting anything I found on here??


I like looking up requests for help as a diversion from my other research, and sometimes I find an otherwise unknown link to something I'm interested in.

 

Dave more info please

I always add them hoping forum members will assist (as you and other forum members usually do)
so anything would be appreciated

not showing on CWGC

 

Thanks - how about this extract from an article covering the crash that took his life -

colombo | 1945 | 2419 | Flight Archive


plus what I assume is an article concerning his flying the same aircraft in November 1945 (last paragraph on the page) -


public appear | aircraft establishment | halifax viii | 1945 | 2220 | Flight Archive


and a letter to the editor in 1946 -

light aircraft | tudor | 1946 | 0219 | Flight Archive


However, no mention of him as a service death in the magazine for 1945 or 1946 .....

 

As Clive says not showing on the CWCG roll of honour and as Dave says no mention of service death. I also have no details of his loss related to an aircraft, but it may be explained as RAFO = Royal Air Force of Oman.

Just a thought.

Regards

Peter

 

thank you

it was interesting when i visited the Churchyard and asked the Church Warden where the CWGC graves were located she pointed this particular grave out and stated that whenever people come for the War Graves they always miss this (Talbot's) headstone.

again thank you for your input and guidance

ASN Aircraft accident Handley Page HP.68 Hermes 1 G-AGSS Radlett Airfield
Handley Page Hermes

 

I have seen the term R.A.F.O. in relation to RAF officers a few times, and it seems to be a Reservist term (Reserve of Air Force Officers ??). As he wasn't on RAF duties at the time of his death (or related to his previous service) and the war was over, he wouldn't normally be eligible for CWGC coverage (if I understand their terms correctly)

As can be seen from this London Gazette (& Flight Global) page it seemed interchangeable with RAF & RAFVR while the war was underway.

http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/37407/pages/86/page.pdf

martin | 1945 | 0086 | Flight Archive

 

I have seen the term R.A.F.O. in relation to RAF officers a few times, and it seems to be a Reservist term (Reserve of Air Force Officers ??). As he wasn't on RAF duties at the time of his death (or related to his previous service) and the war was over, he wouldn't normally be eligible for CWGC coverage (if I understand their terms correctly)

As can be seen from this London Gazette (& Flight Global) page it seemed interchangeable with RAF & RAFVR while the war was underway.

http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/37407/pages/86/page.pdf

martin | 1945 | 0086 | Flight Archive

In my database, I only have one referred to as RAFO:

ROBERTSON, COLIN GRAHAM (DFC)
Flight Lieutenant
41210
278sq
6/03/1945
27
Royal Air Force (RAFO)
UK Panel 266.
RUNNYMEDE MEMORIAL
UK Surrey

Flight Lieutenant Colin Graham Robertson was awarded a Distinguished Flying Cross for his service with No 95 Squadron Royal Air Force (The London Gazette, 26-06-1942). The citation states that between November 1939 and March 1941, he completed 2000 hours of flying on Sunderland aircraft, including 1780 hours on operational flights. “Flight Lieutenant Robertson has displayed outstanding qualities of leadership and reliability. He has completed his missions cheerfully under adverse weather conditions. On one occasion he located three lifeboats containing 75 survivors from a merchant vessel that was torpedoed in the Atlantic. He alighted, transhipped the survivors to the aircraft and despite confused ocean swell, succeeded in taking off and bringing them back without any damage to the aircraft.”

Source: Office of Air Force History: Tuggeranong.

Next of Kin: Eric and Phyllis CHILTON ROBERTSON of KALAMUNDA (later LESMURDIE), WA

Service no 41210

Date of death 05/03/1945. On this day, SQN 278 was flying Walrus aircraft over the English Channel.

The Walrus was an amphibious biplane flying boat that was used for the air/sea rescue role (landing on water to rescue airmen and sailors).

Source Office of Air Force History, TUGGERANONG.

Casualty type:

Grave/Memorial Panel 266 RUNNYMEDE MEMORIAL, Surrey, United Kingdom.

MEMORIAL: RUNNYMEDE, SURREY, ENGLAND.

ROLL OF HONOUR: KALAMUNDA WA

Kalamunda’s Robertson Road, Gooseberry Hill, honours this man.

 

Hi new here. I believe I may have a set of artefacts belonging to James Talbot which were found in my barn. I live in a house once owned by Gerrard Fane or Fane aviation, and in a drawer in the barn was a box containing RAF dress buttons, some names ages with Talbots name on, and what looks like a tag for a dog called Samry, giving an address of mablethirpe in Lincs. Does anyone know any more about him?

 

James Richard Talbot
1909–1945
BIRTH 31 DEC 1909 • Portarlington, Ireland
DEATH 2 DEC 1945 • Radlett, Herts

James Richard Talbot
Birth: 31 Dec 1909 - Ireland
Death: 2 Dec 1945 - Radlett, Herts (Hertfordshire)
Marriage: 17 Sep 1938 - Maidenhead, Berkshire
Spouse: Barbara Frances Dafforn

Mablethorpe, which is probably the town your mention in Lincs was close to a WW2 airbase, it was used as a bombing range "One of the ranges used was offshore near Mablethorpe"
Manby
RAF-lincolnshire.info :: Manby

TD

 

That's amazing - thank you so much!

I am intrigued to know how his items came to be in Gerard Fanes barn! Gerard won the DSO in the Royal naval Air Force in WW1. We bought the house from his elderly second wife (40 year age gap). Before she left we catalogued his old gear - including bits of a Zeppelin he shot down over Yarmouth in 1917. His artefacts are now all at the Royal Navy Air Force museum in Honiton in Devon. I am an Irishman myself so delighted to hear that mr Talbot was from a town not far from my own!

 

Do you mean Gerrard Fane??

Great Britain, Royal Aero Club Aviators’ Certificates, 1910-1950
Name: Gerrard William Reginald Fane
Birth Date: 7 Aug 1898
Birth Location: London



I would suggest that they were probably bothe test pilots and worked closely together or one under the others wing (so to speak) and therefore became exceedingly good friends.

TD

 

Seems G Fane won the DSC for knocking out a Zepplin

UK, Naval Medal and Award Rolls, 1793-1972
Name: Gararie W R Fane
Medal or Award: Distinguished Service Cross
Service Year: 1914-1919
Service Location: Europe
Campaign or Service: World War I


TD

added:

Genard W R Fane Dsc in the UK, Naval Medal and Award Rolls, 1793-1972
Name: Genard W R Fane Dsc
Medal or Award: Honour Sheets
Service Year: 1914-1919
Service Location: Europe
Campaign or Service: World War I
Ship Name: R.N.Air Station Great Yarmouth

 

Handley Page H.P.81 Hermes - civil transport

 

Interesting - just found the Zepplin he shot down

LZ 61 (L 21) - Wikipedia
Destruction of the LZ 61[edit]
On November 27, 1916, the LZ 61 began its last raid on England in the company of nine other Zeppelins. Crossing the coast north of Atwick, the LZ 61 initially attacked Leeds, but was repelled by anti-aircraft fire.
After bombing Shafton, Dodworth, Kidsgrove, Goldenhill, Tunstall, Chesterton, Fenton and Trentham, it made out into the North Sea near Great Yarmouth. It was intercepted by three RNAS pilots: Flight Sub–Lieutenant Edward Laston Pulling, Flight–Lieutenant Egbert Cadbury, and Flight Sub–Lieutenant Gerard William Reginald Fane, flying B.E. 2C aircraft. After exchanging fire with the three aircraft, the LZ 61 burst into flames and crashed into the sea about eight miles (13 km) east of Lowestoft. There were no survivors


TD

added:
Accident Zeppelin LZ.61 L.21, 28 Nov 1916

 

Thanks very much TD. Yes sorry for the spelling, that's our man. He lived until 1977 and was quite the character by all accounts. He was interviewed by the BBC in 1972 where he talked about shooting it down....I managed to get the dvd of it from the BBC to give to his widow - the first time she had heard his voice in 40 years! Quite something!

 

A Wikipedia page includes a statement regarding the RAFO, in the first para of the 'History' section.

Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve - Wikipedia

 

I am new on this site and was purely looking for some information about my grandfather's brother, James Talbot. I knew he was a test pilot and died during the testing of a plane. He wasn't someone I can remember my grand father talking about but my mother mentioned him. I was researching him because I am a teacher educator at the University of Hertfordshire and work on the De Havilland Campus. We have just had aircraft engine installed in front of the library and I was going to share the information I had about him with the trainee science teachers. When teaching it is always interesting to have a human story to go with it.

If you still have these artefacts I would be happy to share them with my mother's family and see if we can find out any more information. I can be contacted on dom.shibli AT gmail.com

 

Hi Dom

Welcome

Its not really a good idea to include your email address on a public in the way you have - hopefully a moderator will adjust it - it is better to change the symbol @ to the letters AT - this stops Bots that search sites from picking up your email address.

To business - do you have more details of your relative - also you should obtain his WW2 service records from the MOD and the link is Request records of deceased service personnel

TD