Sergeant FRANKLIN, FORD JOHN Service Number 412219 Died 18/12/1942 Aged 20 46 Sqdn. Royal New Zealand Air Force Son of Albert and Winifred Emily Franklin, of Bay View, Hawke's Bay, New Zealand. Casualty Commemorated at MALTA MEMORIAL Location: Malta Number of casualties: 2297 Cemetery/memorial reference: Panel 5, Column 2.
18 December 1942 - Malta Four Beaufighters of 227(sic) squadron were sent out in the early morning to escort a convoy approaching Malta. The four aircraft were vectored on to four SM82s. Three of the Italian aircraft were hit but none seemed to go down. Sgt Franklin's aircraft was seen to be smoking and descending, the Beaufighter hit the sea and one man was seen to get out. A dinghy was dropped and the airman was seen to get into it. A SM82 was then seen to be in the water, still afloat. fourteen men were seen sitting on the wings. The RAF men paddled over to the SM82 but they were pushed away. The outcome of this is not known but both Franklin and his Navigator P/O. Colin C. MacColl lost their lives. Taken in part from 'The Armed Rovers' - Roy C. Nesbit
I looked up the December 1942 ORBs for 46 Sqdn and there's no mention of a Sgt Franklin or this event. I thought I must be missing something, but I couldn't see what... However, following on from Peter's find above I checked the ORBs for 227 Sqdn and the action is recorded. The detail of the downed airmen and the floating SM82 isn't given, but Sgt Franklin and his observer F/Sgt McColl are named as 'missing'. So it looks like Roy Nesbitt is right in saying they were 227 Sqdn men. Cheers, Pat.