In Memoriam - Those Air Force Pilots/Crews who died on this day in WW2.

Ah, thank you. I'll contact them......

 

Keith Bartram Chiazzari was my uncle, I was named after him. I have attached a photo of his grave and also one of him in uniform. I have a few other photos which I am not sure you will be interested in like one taken just seconds before his accident?

 

Interested in any photos Keith.
Now you have a photo of both of them and their headstones. A Hi-Res photo of Dirleton Cemetery if you do not have one!

Cheer
Geoff

 

Photos of memorial at Whittinghame farm school, Alan Bishop and seconds before the accident.

 

Two more photos

 

The previous post did not upload the photos, hope it works this time

 

75 years ago today!
460 SQUADRON RAAF, WORLD WAR 2 FATALITIES

Date of Death: 27 July 1942

Source:
AWM 64 (1/293) AWM 64 (1/294) Appendix B 37 AWM 237 (63) (64)
NAA : A705, 163/132/192

Aircraft Type: Wellington
Serial number: Z 1483
Radio call sign: UV – D
Unit: 460 Sqn RAAF

Summary:
Wellington Z 1483 of 460 Sqn RAAF took off from RAF Breighton at 2255 hours on the night of 26/27th July 1942 detailed to attack Hamburg, Germany. Bomb load 9 x 30 x 4lb incendiaries. Nothing was heard from the aircraft after take-off and it did not return to base. Z 1483 was one of twelve aircraft from the Squadron to take part in the raid.

Crew:
RAAF 406359 Flt Lt Vernon Frank Keyser, Captain (Pilot)
RAAF 400974 PO Keith McDowell Ferguson, (Observer)
RAF 1166451 Sgt William Edward Horsfall, (Air Bomber)
RAAF 402947 Sgt Garth Richard Gower, (Wireless Operator Air Gunner)
RAAF 408143 Flt Sgt Max James Foley, (Air Gunner)

Following post war inquiries
it was established that the aircraft was hit by ack-ack fire over the town of Uthlede approximately 20 miles north west of Bremen, Germany. The aircraft fell into a field about 1.5 miles south west of Uthlede and exploded on impact.
All the crew are interred at Becklingen War Cemetery, Soltau, Germany.

RAAF 406359 Flt Lt Vernon Frank Keyser. Aged 24, Son of Frank and Charlotte Ann Keyser, of Perth, Western Australia.

RAAF 400974 PO Keith McDowell Ferguson. Aged 26, Son of Albert Edwin James Ferguson and Myrtle Ferguson, of Echuca, Victoria, Australia.

RAF 1166451 Sgt William Edward Horsfall. Aged 26, Son of Walker and Polly Horsfall; husband of Margery Ellen Horsfall, of Southall, Middlesex.

RAAF 402947 Sgt Garth Richard Gower. Aged 28, Son of Thomas and Alexandrina Grace Gower; husband of Beatrice Isabel Gower, of Stockton, New South Wales, Australia.

RAAF 408143 Flt Sgt Max James Foley. Aged 20, Son of Mr. and Mrs. J. H. Foley, of Launceston, Tasmania, Australia.

(RAAF 406359 Flt Lt Vernon Frank Keyser, Captain (Pilot))

 

Originally Posted Spidge - Headstone photos added)

"5th/6th June 1944 - 149sqn RAF - St. Manvieu War Cemetery, Calvados, France.

RAAF FATALITIES IN SECOND WORLD WAR AMONG
RAAF PERSONNEL SERVING ON ATTACHMENT
IN ROYAL AIR FORCE SQUADRONS AND SUPPORT UNITS

Source :

AWM 237 (65) NAA : A705, 166/28/321 Micro Film No 463 OAFH
Commonwealth War Graves records W R Chorley : RAF Bomber Command Losses of
the Second World War, Page 256, Volume 1944.
Aircraft Type: Stirling
Serial number: LK 385
Radio call sign: OJ – C
Unit: ATTD 149 SQN RAF
Op: Special Duties

Summary:

Stirling LK385 took off from RAF Methwold at 2209 hours on the night of 5/6th June
1944, detailed to carry out a special duties patrol as a D Day support. Nothing was heard
from the aircraft after take off and it failed to return to base.

Crew :

RAF 175703 PO Wilfred Haydn Mayo Captain (Pilot)



RAF 1892084 Sgt Henry James Mather, (Flight Engineer)



RAF 1550897 Flt Sgt James MacFarlane (Navigator)



RAAF 418864 PO Harvey Francis Munday (Navigator)



RAF 1466283 Flt Sgt Raymond Parker (Navigator)



RAF Sgt F C Heal, (Air Bomber) (POW)
RAF 1281476 WO Geoffrey Charles Christie Holmes, (Wireless Air Gunner)
RCAF Sgt John Arthur William Nind, (Air Gunner) (EVADED)
RAF Sgt B Wynne-Cole, (Air Gunner) (POW)

The aircraft crashed at Marcelett (Calvados). Six of the crew were killed and Sgt’s Heal
and Wynne-Cole were POW’s, while Sgt Nind evaded capture.

Those killed are buried in the St-Manvieu War Cemetery at Cheux, France. Cheux is a
village 10kms west of Caen, France.

RAF 175703 PO Wilfred Haydn Mayo Captain (Pilot)
Aged 23, Son of Edwin and Violet Mayo, of Dowlais, Glamorgan.

RAF 1892084 Sgt Henry James Mather, (Flight Engineer)
Aged 29, Son of Henry James Mather and Florence Mather; husband of Kathleen Doris Mather, of Tooting, Surrey.

RAF 1550897 Flt Sgt James MacFarlane (Navigator)
Aged 23, Son of Andrew and Helen Macfarlane, of Alloa, Clackmannanshire.

RAAF 418864 PO Harvey Francis Munday (Navigator)
Aged 24, Son of William Henry and Mary Ellen Munday, of Geelong, Victoria, Australia.

RAF 1466283 Flt Sgt Raymond Parker (Navigator)
Aged 22, Son of Thomas Henry and Ethel E. Parker, of Moseley, Birmingham.

RAF 1281476 WO Geoffrey Charles Christie Holmes, (Wireless Air Gunner)
Aged 22, Son of George Christie Holmes and of Esther Margaret Hutcheon Holmes (nee Henderson), of Leatherhead, Surrey."

 

Forwarded by new member RememberThem - Thank you.
I joined because I was reading previous posts on Died on this Day and saw a mention of a lad who took his own life in the RAAF in Perth in 1940 I think it was...

So I joined up but now I seem to be seeing different type face and if I click on it I only get access to the current listing for this day and I can't find how to get back to all the previous listings

I think Spidge? may have listed it? He said it was sad and he had no more details

Percy Francis Parbutt shot himself with a .22 rifle on his favorite WA beach He had been staying overnight with his brother, both sleeping on the verandah of a boarding house His brother woke up to find him gone with his car and thought he'd look for him at the beach

He had shot himself in the temple and had bled for a while, perhaps unconscious and then walked away from the pool of blood and had dropped his rifle and taken off his pyjama pants and dressing town and very neatly folded them and then walked on where he was found by an architect who had seen him sunbaking many times and saw him sitting with just the pyjama top on and wounded

He died days later I think Maybe from infection as at that point there were no antibiotics

He had seemed worried about something in his previous job where he was a mechanic for weighing scales and I think had only been in his RAAF job for 2 weeks He was obsessively neat with his clothes which is why the coroner or equiv thought he had gone to the trouble of carefully folding his clothes and there was talk that he had referred to his innoculations as not quite right and the RAAF doctor was called in to testify

He had been giving his clothes away, saying he wouldnt be needing them

In truth, it felt a bit spooky and sad and unsettling to read about it

Its very sad and odd and all this info is available on TROVE if you just type in Percy Francis Parbutt I think he was 34 and he seemed a loner but I don't think any real reason was ever given or at least published

But I am contacting you because now I've joined I no longer seem to be able to look at all the entries on Died on this Day

I'd appreciate it if you pass on the details to... Spidge? I cant even return to the original entry to check the name of the poster

 

A photo of P/O Patrick Gordon Thomas Hoolihan supplied by a family member. Thank you!

 

(No Air Force Loss and Not on this Day)
From: https://uboat.net/allies/aircraft/raaf.htm
The Bullet With Your Name On It. U-461 Sunk by 461/U RAAF!
30 July 1943.
Features the wonderful painting by Robert Taylor.
This strange co-incidence occurred during a classic anti-submarine engagement involving combined forces on both sides. It illustrates the intensity of the fighting during Doenitz's 'group sailing' experiments in 1943, when groups of U-boats travelled together on the surface to provide mutual anti-aircraft defence.

Two strategically valuable 'milk-cow' U-tankers (U-461 and U-462) and a Type IX (U-504), were travelling together outbound through the Bay of Biscay. The group of boats was spotted by RAF Liberator 53/O, which homed in two Halifaxes from RAF 502 Squadron, a USN 19th Squadron Liberator and an RAAF Sunderland, 461/U, flown by Flight Lieutenant Dudley Marrows. Nearby British Naval units were also alerted and gave chase.

All of the aircraft circled the U-boat group, which stayed on the surface at top speed in calm sea conditions and good visibility. One of the Halifaxes made an ineffective attack. It was damaged by the boats' accurate defensive fire and had to run for home. Halifax 502/S then attacked out of the sun and dropped three 600-pound bombs which damaged U-462. Other approaches from the aircraft were beaten off by the flak, until Liberator 53/O succeeded in bravely diving through the barrage. It was heavily hit and was unable to make an accurate attack.

However, this diversion allowed Marrows in Sunderland 461/U to approach closely before he was noticed by the defence. Machine-gun fire from the Sunderland silenced the gunners of U-461. Marrows skimmed in so low over the wave-tops that the other two boats did not have a clear shot past U-461. Marrows released his depth-charges and zoomed over the conning tower of U-461, sinking the large U-tanker. (This moment is depicted in the Robert Taylor painting shown here.)

Soon afterwards, not lacking in courage, Marrows made a further determined attack on U-504. Halifax 502/S then succeeded in sinking the other milch-cow, U-462. The remaining Type IX, U-504, continued to fight on alone but had to submerge once the Naval guns of the pursuing 2nd Support Group came within range. It was then hunted with sonar and sunk by depth-charges from the ships.

Marrows returned to the site of the U-461 sinking and dropped a life raft to the 25-30 swimmers seen amongst the wreckage, but only 15 of these men were eventually picked up by HMS Woodpecker. As if Marrows' crew had not had enough excitement for the day, on the way home they spotted another U-boat. Marrows decided to attack it. The attack was unsuccessful and their Sunderland was further damaged by return fire. Having now expended their last depth-charges and being low on fuel, they no doubt gladly turned for home. Their robust Sunderland was subsequently written-off due to the damage from these battles.

Marrows was later able to obtain some souvenirs of U-461 from the Royal Navy, the captain's life preserver and keys. He donated these to the Australian War Memorial.

(Action photos taken during the battle; AWM Keyword: U-461 )
(Ten photos of U-461 in less stressful circumstances AWM Keyword: u461 )
(Two months later, Marrows and his crew were very lucky to survive a running battle with six Ju88 twin-engined fighter aircraft. Their Sunderland was critically damaged and they had to ditch.

U461 Kapitan Wolf Stiebler

 

(Not on this Date) The fates of the previous Post #1032 and their fate.

PEMBROKE DOCK, WALES, 1943-10. THE CREW OF SUNDERLAND AIRCRAFT (EK578) "E" OF NO 461 SQUADRON RAAF, WHO WERE SHOT DOWN OVER THE BAY OF BISCAY ON 1943-09-16 BY SIX JUNKERS 88 AIRCRAFT OF 5 GROUP KG40. THEY ARE PICTURED WITH THE LIFE RAFT FROM WHICH THEY WERE RESCUED, AFTER 17 HOURS IN THE OPEN SEA, BY HMS STARLING, HAVING BEEN FOUND BY AN AIRCRAFT OF NO. 210 (CATALINA) SQUADRON RAF, CAPTAINED BY JOHN CRUICKSHANK, LATER VC.

REAR, FROM LEFT:
SERGEANT ALLAN NEALE (BUBBLES) PEARCE 400656 (DFM) (FITTER); From Yass NSW, Enlisted 15/04/1940,
Discharged 20/12/1945, (461sq) Rank FLYING OFFICER Aged 31

FLIGHT LIEUTENANT DUDLEY MARROWS 400656 (DSO, DFC) (CAPTAIN); From Bendigo Victoria, Enlisted 12/10/1940, Discharged 17/04/1946 (40sq) Aged 28.

FLYING OFFICER IVOR VIVIAN ROSS PEATTY 402805 (SECOND PILOT). From Sydney, NSW, Enlisted 14/10/1940,
Discharged 5/03/1946, Rank FLIGHT LIEUTENANT (461sq) Aged 31.

CENTRE, FROM LEFT:

FLIGHT SERGEANT DAVID CHARLES SIDNEY 402617 (AIR GUNNER); From Lewisham NSW. Enlisted 16/09/1940,
Discharged 26/10/1945, (131 OTU) Rank FLYING OFFICER Aged 34

PILOT OFFICER WILLIAM GEORGE DONE 425619 (NAVIGATOR); From Brisbane Queensland, Enlisted 25/04/1942,
Discharged 11/12/1945, RAF Station Beccles, Rank Flight Lieutenant Aged 22.

PILOT OFFICER PERCY CLIFFORD LEIGH 401976 (FIRST PILOT); From Yarraville, Victoria. Enlisted 26/05/1941,
Discharged 4/10/1945, (461sq) Rank FLIGHT LIEUTENANT, Aged 25.

?? PETER THEODORE JENSEN 403592 (FIRST WIRELESS OPERATOR); From Ryde NSW. Enlisted 3/02/1941,
Discharged 11/09/1945, (1 W&GS) Rank Squadron Leader, Aged 24.

UNKNOWN.

FRONT, FROM LEFT:

FLT/SGT ROBERT LANCE WEBSTER 410797 (SECOND WIRELESS OPERATOR); From Devonport Tasmania. Enlisted 31/01/1942, Discharged 12/09/1945, (4 OTU) Rank Flying Officer, Aged 24.

RAF 185304 SGT JOHN THEODORE ESHELBY (ENGINEER); killed 3/01/1945 aged 36. Listed as Pilot Officer, Flight Engineer, Son of Edgar Boulton Eshelby and Alma Eshelby, husband of Yvonne Eshelby, of Maida Vale, London.

WARRANT OFFICER PERCIVAL RICHARD CRIDDLE 417621 (THIRD WIRELESS OPERATOR); From Naracoorte, South Australia. Enlisted 20/06/1942, Killed with 461sq, 1/10/1944. Runnymede Memorial, Aged 21, Son of William Percival Cleaver Criddle and Olive Vera Criddle, of Kingston, South Australia.

THE UNKNOWN MAN WAS NOT A MEMBER OF THE CREW BUT WAS ASKED TO STAND IN FOR THE RIGGER, WHO WAS WOUNDED AND IN HOSPITAL. (COPIED FROM 461 SQUADRON ALBUM) (FORMERLY Y001/03/03)

WARRANT OFFICER FRED (PIERRE) BAMBER 10530, (RIGGER) Born Preston, England, From Malvern Victoria, Australia. Enlisted 10/06/1940, Discharged 29/08/1945, (6 RAAF Hospital) Heidelberg, Melbourne, Australia.

H.M.S. Starling, Royal Navy
Captain Frederick John (Johnny) Walker, RN (CB) (DSO***) (MID)3.
Born 3 June 1896 Plymouth, Devon, England Died 9 July 1944 (aged 48) Naval Hospital, Seaforth, Liverpool.

Captain WALKER, FREDERIC JOHN
Aged 48, Son of Frederic John and Lucy Selina Walker; husband of Jessica Eilleen Ryder Walker, of Buckfast, Devon. Died in hospital in Liverpool, buried at sea from a Western Approaches destroyer.

Captain Walker sunk the 2nd highest number of U-Boats during the war.

 

Hi Geoff,

Same man. AIR78/52/2 shows his NCO number was 1382067, commissioned P/O 7 November 1944. Gazetted 14 November 1944.

He was a Flight Engineer, not "First". Killed when Sunderland ML738 from No. 4 (C) OTU crashed on takeoff from Alness and sank.

Cheers,

Dave

 

Thanks for that Dave. Your lead led me home. Usual detail was listed under 40 Operational Trg - Should have been 4 (C) OTU
My normal source has him as Flight Engineer. The writer at the AWM likes to use "First" for some reason. Sunderlands often carrying two Flight Engineers.??

Crew:
RAF Flt Lt Johnston, F N Captain (Pilot Instructor) Killed
RAAF 416005 PO Pfeiffer, P G (Navigator) Died of Injuries
RAAF 410797 WO R L Webster, (Wireless Air Gunner) Injured
RAF PO Zita, J (Wireless Air Gunner- Instructor) Died of injuries
RAF PO Elshelby, (Flight Engineer) Killed
RAF 1197225 Flt Sgt Johns, (Flight Engineer) Killed
RAF LAC Scott (Photographer) Survived ???

Seems F/S Johns was killed. Unable to confirm unit however meets detail in all other areas.
Flight Sergeant (Flight Engineer)JOHNS, WILLIAM HORACE
Service Number 1197225

Died 03/01/1945

Aged 33

Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve

Son of Horace and Lucy Ann Johns, of Wollaton.

No LAC Scott registered for that day so assuming he survived however not definitive (Could have died later however with no "Initial" hard to determine.

Cheers

Geoff

 

a quick look on Geoffs search engine

a couple of LAC with surname Scott
Leading AircraftmanSCOTT, DONALD
Service Number 1551181

Died 18/02/1946
Buried at ALVAH PARISH CHURCHYARD

Location: Banffshire, United Kingdom
Number of casualties: 3

Cemetery/memorial reference: Sec. 3. Grave 333.

Leading AircraftmanSCOTT, JOHN HERBERT
Service Number 1666918

Died 08/04/1945
Buried at BIRMINGHAM (QUINTON) CEMETERY, WARLEY

Location: Worcestershire, United Kingdom
Number of casualties: 32

Cemetery/memorial reference: Grave 5789. FC.

 

Thanks Clive,

Hopefully somebody will see this and give us a lead.

Cheers
Geoff

 

F/Sgt Johns was part of this crew.

Unfortunately, LAC Scott, a photographer, doesn't even rate an initial or service number in the Form 765 or the original Air Ministry telegram. The rest of the report is in the service file of 416005 P/O PG Pfeiffer, RAAF.

1666918 LAC JH Scott, as offered by Clive, was on strength at No. 85 OTU at the time of his death in April 1945.

Dave

 

Thanks for the detail Dave,

The report by Alan Storr (AWM) was unusually "light" on detail and now I can see why.
Really makes me a bit sad when we are unable to bring these losses to a conclusion with certainty.

At least we have a few options here.

LAC Scott was either of those two killed as described or survived the war - Hopefully the latter.

Cheers

Geoff

 

460 SQUADRON RAAF, WORLD WAR 2 FATALITIES
Date of Death: 4 January 1943
Source:
AWM 64 (1/293) AWM 64 (1/294) AWM 237 (63)
NAA: A705, 166/6/7
Aircraft Type: Lancaster
Serial number: W 4274
Radio call sign: UV – B
Unit: 460 Sqn RAAF

Summary:
Lancaster W 4274 took off from RAF Breighton at 1726 hours on 4 January 1943 to attack Essen, Germany. Bomb load was 1 x 4000lb bomb and 10 SBC. The aircraft failed to return to base. Ten aircraft from the Squadron took part in the raid.

Crew:
RAAF 405156 Flt Sgt Hiram George Brooks, Captain (Pilot)
RAAF 411327 Flt Sgt Francis Ebsworth Hutchinson, (Navigator)
RAAF 405443 Flt Sgt Herbert Peace Gray, (Bomb Aimer)
RAAF 403273 Flt Sgt Ronald Thomas Lonsdale, (Wireless Operator Air Gunner)
RAF 546010 Sgt Jack Hill Watson, (Flight Engineer)
RAAF 405547 Flt Sgt Eric John Benjamin Fletcher, (Mid Upper Gunner)
RAAF 408163 Sgt Kennington John Hythe Harris, (Rear Gunner)

Post war it was established that the aircraft was shot down by a night fighter and crashed at 2022 hours on 4 January near Nijmegen, (Gelderland), Holland. All the crew were killed and they are interred in the Uden War Cemetery, North Brabant, Holland.

RAAF 405156 Flt Sgt Hiram George Brooks. Aged 25, Son of Joseph Henry and Annie Brooks, of Annerley, Queensland, Australia. Pharmaceutical Chemist.

RAAF 411327 Flt Sgt Francis Ebsworth Hutchinson. Aged 25, Son of Arthur Shields Hutchinson and Mary Wilson Hutchinson, of North Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

RAAF 405443 Flt Sgt Herbert Peace Gray. Aged 24, Son of Charles Abbott Gray and Ivy May Gray, of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.

RAAF 403273 Flt Sgt Ronald Thomas Lonsdale. Aged 27, Son of Thomas Petie Lonsdale and Minnie Lonsdale; husband of Marjorie Mary Lonsdale, of Ashfield, New South Wales, Australia.

RAF 546010 Sgt Jack Hill Watson. Aged 24, Son of Willie and Ethel Watson, of Halifax, Yorkshire; husband of May Watson, of King Cross, Halifax.

RAAF 405547 Flt Sgt Eric John Benjamin Fletcher. Aged 29, Son of Frank White Fletcher and Jessie Henderson Fletcher; husband of Yvonne Esme Fletcher, of Gympie, Queensland, Australia.

RAAF 408163 Sgt Kennington John Hythe Harris. Aged 21, Son of Leonard Ernest Hythe Harris and Marjorie Heather Harris, of Scottsdale, Tasmania, Australia.