Crew member search

Hi Robert,

Yes any info you have regarding relatives would be greatly appreciated.

As you may have gathered Drem is my collegue and if you could pm me or Drem that would be great.

Obviously pictures of the crew is the thing most of us here strive to find as it puts a face to the name sort of thing.

As Drem said Acklington was where 141 sqn was based at the time and East Fortune was simply the closest air base with a mortuary.

Probably the nearest airfield to the crash site too.

Me again,
141 were based at RAF Acklington at the time.

Hullo all,
Any info re families would be of great help to me (us).
Am looking for pics of the three crew involved or some way to get in contact with any rellies who may still be living.
All help would be greatly appreciated.

Paul,

the death register states that the time of death was 3h 40min PM which would be 15.40 PM to us. Given that it was during may it would have been light until evening. So the only other visibility factor would have been bad weather.

Hi Scott
It may be that the time relates to when the bodies were examined by a Doctor? However the time of death is quite precise. Note the informant was Flight Lt at East Fortune so he should have had accurate information. On reflection East Fortune may just have been the nearest station and the flight may have not been from there. I cant remember but was 141 based at Ayr at that time?

If you are interested I have some information on the parents of Bodfish and Crouse.

[QUOTE=Merlin3945;1715823]Paul,
I have just downloaded the Death Register entry and it clearly states 1942 [QUOTE]

Yes sorry Typo… I mean’t 1942

Also you state that the aircraft crashed into the ground at night. _ My reference is the Air Britain Crash Lists… which has FHGN

which means Flew (into) High Ground the N means Night..

Hi Peter

I knew there was no dual type of this aircraft and understand it would be common practice for the accompaning pilot to stand either behind or between the seats.

I gather it would have been the same in this situation.

There was no dual version of the Beaufighter and ISTR that a pilot being converted to type would have a trip with an experienced pilot and stand behind the pilots seat to gain experience. The situation could be reversed prior to the U/T pilot going solo.

Paul,

You mention that the deaths are registered at Cockburnspath in 1944. Is that just a typo or do you have the record. I have just downloaded the Death Register entry and it clearly states 1942 which is correct for the date of the accident. Also you state that the aircraft crashed into the ground at night. Again the death register states that the time of death was 3h 40min PM which would be 15.40 PM to us. Given that it was during may it would have been light until evening. So the only other visibility factor would have been bad weather.

Where did you read that it was at night. Can you state your reference.

Not trying to bring anyone down or snipe at anyone. Thanks for all your hard work. We just want to get the details right thats all.

As far as I am aware one of the pilots was hitching a lift back to England. I believe it was quite common practice to do this. Not sure how practical this was in a Beaufighter but presuming they were going from East Fortune to Acklington its only about a 30min flight isnt it?

There have been many lives lost while catching a lift to another base. I know of a few but these are mainly bombers.

Anyone know of any other incident with Beaufighters where there was someone catching a lift?

All 3 deaths are registered : Cockburnspath Berwick in 1944

so how do we get 3 people on 1 Beaufighter unless more than 1 or crammed in

Pilot was?

CROUSE, HAROLD BANFORD
141 Squadron
Aircraft was from Acklington.
Although the bodies were recovered to East Fortune.
08/05/1942

Appears to have been Crouse that was driving or at least thats what I have spoken to people about and unless the crash card tells us something different then thats the story I am going with.

Perhaps Charles Furbank trained on Defiants at East Fortune then converted to Beaufighters with 141?

Not the person you were asking about but I wonder if you have seen this page that mentions 10 Beaufighter course East Fortune. The use of Beaufighters at East Fortune is why I hope that I live long enough to see a completed machine in the Museum there.

http://users.cyberone.com.au/clardo/mjc_haakenson.html

Pilot ?

FRANK WILLIAM BODFISH

Beaufighter X7568

141 Sqn

Flew into High Ground at Night

Bowshiel Farm, Ecclaw, Berwickshire

Pilot was ?

As far as I can make out, Nick Furbank is still alive and living in north London.

He had a brother Philip N Furbank born 1920 in Hambleton, Surrey who is this person. He was alive at least up to 2006. His father came from Cambridge, England and was called William Percival Furbank 1878-1945, Mother was Grace Turner 1891-1980
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P._N._Furbank

Dictionary of Literary Biography on P(hilip) N(icholas) Furbank

P. N. Furbank has written three literary biographies: lives of Italo Svevo, E. M. Forster, and Denis Diderot. The first has made a neglected Italian writer more widely known; the last has clarified the myriad complexities of a famous French writer of the Enlightenment. But it is his life of the quintessentially English Forster that is Furbank’s chief claim to fame and one of the major literary biographies of the twentieth century.

Philip Nicholas “Nick” Furbank was born in Cranleigh, Surrey, on 23 May 1920, the second son of William Percival Furbank, a local bank manager, and his wife Grace Furbank, of Brockham Green, Surrey. He attended Reigate Grammar School in his home county before entering Cambridge University to read English, achieving a First in both parts of the Tripos. His elder brother, who wrote short stories, was killed in a flying accident in 1941. At the time of this tragedy, Furbank himself had already joined the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, staying in the army until the end of World War II in 1945: he eventually ended up serving in Italy, rising to the rank of corporal.

Also photo of Gravestone here http://www.scottishwargraves.phpbbweb.com/scottishwargraves-ftopic1225-0.html but as you are local you will have seen it.

If of any interest I can supply a bit more background to his Uncles and Aunts.
I do research as a hobby, I am not related to them.

Happy to help,

Jack

Jack, Thanks very much, this is the man I am looking for.
Canadian Records messed up, greatly appreciated.
Thanks.

Could you have his surname slightly wrong? Is this possibly him?

FURBANK, CHARLES ALEXANDER
Initials: C A
Nationality: United Kingdom
Rank: Sergeant (Obs./Radar)
Regiment/Service: Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
Unit Text: 141 Sqdn.
Age: 23
Date of Death: 08/05/1942
Service No: 1318172
Additional information: Son of William Percival and Grace Furbank, of Merstham, Surrey.
Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead
Grave/Memorial Reference: Sec. E. Grave 897.
Cemetery: HADDINGTON (ST. MARTIN’S) NEW BURIAL GROUND

Jack