Wellington Z1321 (142 Squadron)

Discussion in 'The War In The Air' started by Pieter F, Apr 19, 2010.

  1. Pieter F

    Pieter F Very Senior Member

    Thanks for the info Peter!
     
  2. Pieter F

    Pieter F Very Senior Member

    A picture of A/Obs. Andrew Lennox (RCAF). He was the first Innisfail (Can.) man who lost his life in the Second World War. If you ask me, he shows similarity with the person second on the left, back row, right group on the squadronpicture.



    Descendants of Andrew Lennox have confirmed the person second on the left, back row, right group on the squadronpicture, is indeed Andrew Lennox.
     
  3. Pieter F

    Pieter F Very Senior Member

    William Melville Pipher
    Born: 9 June 1917, Newmarket, Ontario

    William grew up in Newmarket, Ontario and educated there. He was an excellent pianist and worked at the Guild of All Arts in Scarborough, Ontario prior to World War Two and for the first part of the war. He joined the Royal Canadian Air Force in the summer of 1940. He was trained as a bomber pilot and was posted to No.23 OTU in august 1941, where he was part of a crew which also included Lennox, Jelly and Barrie.

    My thanks to the descendants of William Pipher, who provided me this information.
     
  4. Pieter F

    Pieter F Very Senior Member

    [​IMG]

    Eric Charles Groves

    Eric grew up in Ilford and had two sisters. He volunteerd for the RAF at Euston. After his training he was posted to 27 OTU. Here he was assigned to the crew of Sergeant Vandersteen. The men moved to 142 Squadron in October and flew two operational missions together. At 25 March 1942 the crew of the Z1321 needed an WO/AG. Eric volunteerd for the task.
     
  5. englandphil

    englandphil Very Senior Member

    Eric Groves was a VERY tricky one, and I was only 50 : 50 that I had the right family line, but passed the info to Pieter, and his letter to the family came up trumps.

    Well that is contact made with 5 families of the 6 crew members, but sadly I have not been able to trace anything on the Pilot David White. Does anyone else have any other ideas of how this mans family could be traced. If there is away of finding out where in the UK he was born I would be able to revisit the details I have.

    Would the CWGC have any info on him ?

    P
     
  6. Pieter F

    Pieter F Very Senior Member

    Helpfull hands from the muncipality Bronckhorts provided me the registers of the buried airmen at Wichmond general cemetery. No sign that Eric Groves may have been buried here..
     
  7. Pieter F

    Pieter F Very Senior Member

    Can somebody help us finding a new lead in our search for descendants of David White. This is the info we have on him so far:

    David John White
    Age: 20, so must be born around 1921-1922
    Son of Thomas and Jennie White, and he had a sister (headstone mentiones 'our only son and brother')
    Signed up at Cardington (Bedfordshire) in April 1940
    Posted to 142 Squadron on 10 August 1941. Unknown from where.
     
  8. Pieter F

    Pieter F Very Senior Member

    The man on the left might be David White. It is a picture of William Pipher (right) with his pilot. The original pilot of William's crew was Stuart Innes, but they never flew a operational mission together. A nephew of William told me this picture was taken before one of his missions.
     
  9. Pieter F

    Pieter F Very Senior Member

    4 May is remembrance day in Holland. Before we celebrate our liberation at 5 May we commemorate the war dead the day before. This evening, the crew of the Wellington Z1321 will be mentioned for the first time during the local remembrance ceremony in Vlaardingen. One of my pupils will tell the people what happened during the night of 25-26 March 1942. After that he will read a poem. It is a Dutch translation of one of the poems send home by William Pipher, the co-pilot of the Z1321.
     
  10. Pieter F

    Pieter F Very Senior Member

    Yesterday I had an interview with a local radio station. They were impressed by the poem en asked me if I could tell more about it in their programme.
     
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  11. englandphil

    englandphil Very Senior Member

    Keep up the good work Pieter
     
  12. Pieter F

    Pieter F Very Senior Member

    Will do Phil! I am busy on the Service Records of pilot White.
     
  13. englandphil

    englandphil Very Senior Member

    Following a lead from Pieter on the birth location of Sgt David John White, I ordered his birth Certificate so now have the following Information

    David John White
    Born 21st July 1921
    "White House2
    Palmyra Road
    Elson
    Gosport

    Father : Thomas Patrick Joseph White
    Storehouse Assistant
    Royal Naval Armanents Supply Depot

    Mother : Jennie White (Formerley Jones)

    Now to trace the rest of the family.....
     
    Pieter F likes this.
  14. Buteman

    Buteman 336/102 LAA Regiment (7 Lincolns), RA

    Nice work Pieter & Phil.

    I will be trying to find some additional stuff for Pieter tomorrow at Kew.
     
  15. englandphil

    englandphil Very Senior Member

    Nice work Pieter & Phil.

    I will be trying to find some additional stuff for Pieter tomorrow at Kew.

    Cheers Rob, Sgt White is the last remaining member of the crew whose family Pieter does not have contact with, so hopefully I will be able to find something...
     
  16. Peter Clare

    Peter Clare Very Senior Member

    Some great detective work going on here, look forward to the end result.

    Regards
    Peter
     
  17. Pieter F

    Pieter F Very Senior Member

    Thank you very much all, for helping me with my research.

    The only White-link in Gosport I found so far are two Great War burials at the Gosport (Ann's Hill) Cemetery. One was a Leading Stoker with the Royal Navy (HMS Glatton). The other one was Lance Corporal Thomas White, 4th Signal Co., Royal Engineers. Son of Thomas and Emily Kate White, of the Elm Tree, Forton Rd., Gosport, Hants. He died while on leave.
     
  18. englandphil

    englandphil Very Senior Member

    It looks as if Thomas and Jennie White only moved to Gosport as a result of Thomas's Naval work, and it is possible that the family lived abroad at some point, so not a straight forward search.

    However, it does look as if both Thomas and Jennie remained in Gosport, as I have found the following two death records.

    Name: Thomas P J White
    Birth Date: abt 1876
    Date of Registration: Jan-Feb-Mar 1934
    Age at Death: 58
    Registration district: Gosport
    Registration County: Hampshire

    Name: Jennie White
    Birth Date: abt 1882
    Date of Registration: Jan-Feb-Mar 1944
    Age at Death: 62
    Registration district: Gosport
    Registration County: Hampshire

    I have ordered the two death certs in the hope that it will give some more clues, as todate I cant find any records of birth for any siblings that I can be 100% sure of, or a marriage registration for Thomas and Jennie
     
  19. Pieter F

    Pieter F Very Senior Member

    While his headstone mentions 'our only son and brother'. So that would suggest he must have had a sister.

    Many thanks again for your efforts Phil!
     
    Deacs likes this.
  20. englandphil

    englandphil Very Senior Member

    Pieter, it might be an idea to email Elson Library to see if they can help with any info on David John White, his parents or Siblings

    Elson Library
     

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