I received this mail. Partly form my website and partly from this person. On Wednesday 20 October 1943, a member of the 90 Sqdn, Sergeant K W Pollitt, took off from an unknown RAF station in the United Kingdom. His mission is mentioned elsewhere on Back to Normandy. You can find the other details of this mission by searching here. Training and cargo flights are not seperately mentioned as a mission. The plane left at an unknown time . He flew with a Short Stirling (type III, serial EF497, code WP-L). But when I click on the hyper link here I'm presented with the Advanced Search Form and get no further information. I maybe entering the wrong search criteria. I would appreciate some help because my Dad's Brother Leslie was the Flight Engineer on EF497 which crashed landed on Woodhouse Farm, Ipsden, Oxford killing all 7 crew 20th October 1943. As a family we never knew what the 'Air Test' mission was about & the website seams to suggest "Training and cargo flights are not seperately mentioned as a mission" there is more to this story. I have attached details about Sergeant Kenneth William Pollitt I have just entered the Description [Training and cargo flights] and the date [1943-10-20] and can see http://www.backtonormandy.org/the-history.html?sort=-link_featured&link_name=&cf28=&mj_rs_ref_lat=0&mj_rs_ref_lng=0&mjradius=¢erpoint=&mj_rs_radius_selector=1&link_desc=Training+and+cargo+flights&address=&city=&country=&cf29=&cf30=1&cf30_2=1943-10-20&cf30_3=&cf30_4=&option=com_mtree&task=listall&cat_id=0&Itemid=1459 Clearly there were 4 Squadrons involved (Squadrons 78 & 102 flying Handley Page Halifax bombers and Squadrons 90 & 620 Short Stirlings). Why are 3 of the Squadrons flying from UKKNOWN Bases? Any help would be appreciated, as the family were not told. I would dearly like to understand what this Air Test mission was about 72 years later Secrets can be revealed.
Hi Fred Cannot answer the question as such, but some more details http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=56892675&ref=acom Birth: unknown (1921 from details below) Death: Oct. 20, 1943 Oxford Oxfordshire, England Sergeant R/173896 Pollitt, air gunner, RCAF, was the son of Frank and Elsie, Pollitt, of Hamiliton, Ontario, Canada. He was killed on active service on the 20th October 1943, while serving with 90 Squadron, RAF Wratting. The squadron was equipped with the Short Sterling Bomber. Sergeant Pollitt was killed while on board Stirling EF 497 which crashed while carrying out an air test. The aircraft struck trees at Woodhouse Farm, Ipsden, near RAF Benson Oxfordshire. He was 22. Burial: Botley Cemetery Botley Vale of White Horse District Oxfordshire, England Plot: Plot I/2 grave 89 Interesting as he appears to be Canadian how he ends up with a burial registration in UK records?? Kenneth W Pollitt in the England & Wales, Death Index, 1916-2007 Name: Kenneth W Pollitt Birth Date: abt 1921 Date of Registration: Dec 1943 Age at Death: 22 Registration district: Henley Inferred County: Oxfordshire Volume: 3a Page: 1946 He also appears in this register (but am unable to access) Ontario, Canada, Deaths, 1869-1938 and Deaths Overseas, 1939-1947 Kenneth William Pollitt I guess that RAF Wratting would have been his base, especially as he is mentioned on their Roll of Honour http://www.wcnhistory.org.uk/rollofhonour-90.html for 90 Squadron. TD
Crew of Stirling III EF497 WP-L lost as described above..... Sgt. W E. Jones + Sgt. L T. Macswayne + Sgt. T. Edwards + Sgt. H O. Spence RCAF + Sgt. G A. Yates + Sgt. K W. Pollitt RCAF + Sgt. E E. Spencer RCAF + On 13th October 1943 No.90 Squadron went to Tuddenham, Suffolk.
Photo of EF497 Lulu nose and also crew here http://www.wcnhistory.org.uk/tags-gallery-2.html (Gallery p2) Also details of the attack 22/23 September described above Website details 90 Squadron amongst others so ties in with info above. Obviously no idea if the photographed crew was the one aboard on 13 October 1943. Air tests surely were conducted to ensure aircraft after attack damage (flak, fighters) or extensive repair were fit for Operations? The final image of page 2 details the circumstances of what happened and subsequent crash landing at Lakenheath. From the damage sustained, I doubt whether it was EF497, but if it were possible to repair with a month, then that might explain the air test, checking the repair, with unfortunate consequences for all aboard. (Strike that, Another Sgt Jones (O N) on WP@A EH944, but the rest may be of interest) also https://623squadron.wordpress.com/flight-lieutenant-david-smith-dfm/ Flight Lieutenant David Smith DFM. No.90 Squadron “B” Flight. Short Stirling Mk.III RAF West Wickham (Wratting Common). 2nd TOUR 03.06.1943. Flew EF497 several times from 27.08.1943: Pilot. EF497 WP-L. Nuremburg. Attacked target at 00.47hrs from 13,000ft with 720 x 4lb – 56 x 30lb incendiaries. Identified built up areas and Red & Greens TI’s. Results good fires 30.08.1943. Pilot. EF497 WP-L. Munchen Gladbach. 2nd pilot F/O Bourk. Attacked target at 02.23hrs from 11,500ft with 1080 x 4lb – 96 x 30lb incendiaries. Identified by Red & Greens TI’s. Results bombing scattered some well short of TI’s what appeared to be dummy or incendiaries well south of A/P. No TI’s seen to south 31.08.1943: Pilot. EF497 WP-L. BERLIN. Attacked target at 23.43hrs from 13,000ft with 2 x 500lb – 450 x 4lb – 40 x 30lb incendiaries. Identified built up areas and Red & Greens TI’s. Results scattered fires 16.09.1943: Pilot. EF497 WP-L. Modane. Attacked target at 00.31hrs from 16,000ft with 540 x 4lb – 56 x 30lb incendiaries. Identified Greens TI’s. Results concentrated glow of fires. He was then transferred back to No.623 Squadron “B” Flight. Short Stirling Mk.III RAF Downham Market. 22.09.1943. It's somewhat confusing trying to work out who is enquiring about what. This seems to be the "Leslie" referred to as the enquirers uncle.. MACSWAYNE, LESLIE THOMAS. Rank: Sergeant. Trade: Flt. Engr. Service No: 1394138. Date of Death: 20/10/1943. Age: 22. Regiment/Service: Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve 90 Sqdn. Grave Reference: Plot D.D. Grave 1242. Cemetery: SPALDING CEMETERY. Additional Information: Son of Frederick Thomas Macswayne and Lilian May Macswayne, of Spalding. I don't understand why there would be any "secret" about an air test, 90 Sqdn were part of Bomber Command and not flying SOE agents or supplies.... the aircraft crashed in the UK, not in France/Germany etc.... I don't see any mystery to be uncovered 72 years on....
Hi Fred The statement ""Training and cargo flights are not seperately mentioned as a mission" there is more to this story." If the assumption is that this flight was an 'Air Test' then presumably it was a test after some repairs or modifications, and was therefore not a training or cargo flight, nor would it be classed as 'operational'. Is it possible to check out where the actual aircraft was on that date and what had been done to it?? - did aircraft have 'service records'? Why would it need a whole crew?? Someone somewhere will have a record of this flight leaving from ?????? presumably enroute back to its original starting point or wherever it was destined for - I cannot believe that flights were allowed and not recorded just because they thought it would be 'fun'. Sorry I can't answer your question, just pose more TD edited to add: I wonder if to much emphasis is being placed on the word 'mission' in that the aircraft was on an 'operational mission' rather than perhaps just an 'air test' ??
From a Remembering Today thread 5 years ago. Sergeant GEORGE ARTHUR YATES 1499051, 90 Sqdn., Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve who died age 21 on 20 October 1943 Nephew of Thomas Brain, of Town Hill, Swansea. Remembered with honour SWANSEA (CWMGELLY) CEMETERY http://ww2talk.com/forums/topic/25047-remembering-today-sergeant-george-arthur-yates-1499051-90-sqdn-royal-air-force-volunteer-reserve/
From the comment he posted, it looks as if David already is satisfied with what happened http://shirehamptonbookofremembrance.webs.com/apps/photos/photo?photoid=127712735
One could alwayas have a look at the Squadron ORB: http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D8455366 http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D8455365 The records are £3.30 each. Mark
The thing that is puzzling to me, is the crash area, Woodhouse Farm. Which is approx 87.13 mls from the planes base RAF Tuddenham. Now if you was air testing from Tuddenham Would you go that far away or even in that direction? If However on the previous mission you had been damaged and on the return home you had lost your way and had landed at RAF Benson. (RAF Benson was used by Spitfire and Mosquito aircraft involved in photo recce.) After a quick patch up, aircraft thought to be airworthy enough to get back to Tuddenham (hence full crew on board) Aircraft takes off, something snaps causing aircraft to veer left and lose height, the trees at Woodhouse farm would be right in the way. So would this be classed as an Air test on the crash report? https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/Woodhouse+Farm/@51.5990203,-1.1025949,6984m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m2!3m1!1s0x487696913c9c5bdf:0xea305203ab3dcd16?hl=en-GB
Yes, designated Air Test on the Form 1180. AiB reported cause as willful disobedience in low flying against orders. Ross
