Icare9Hi, not sure if it helps or is a red herring, but Sgt Lewis is buried in UK, presumably near his parents home.
Name: LEWIS, GEOFFREY WILLIAM
Initials: G W
Nationality: United Kingdom
Rank: Flying Officer (Pilot)
Regiment/Service: Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
Unit Text: 139 Sqdn.
Age: 23
Date of Death: 11/05/1944
Additional information: Son of Harold Constable Lewis and Dorothy Myatt Lewis; husband of Dorothy Mary Lewis, of Mountsorrel, Leicestershire.
Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead
Grave/Memorial Reference: Grave 300.
Cemetery: OVERSEAL (ST. MATTHEW) CHURCHYARD
Either his Navigator successfully baled or he may have died subsequently from injuries. I found one, near in date and also UK burial, so may have been involved:-
Name: MEADOWS, ALBERT EDWARDS
Initials: A E
Nationality: United Kingdom
Rank: Flight Lieutenant (Nav.)
Regiment/Service: Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
Unit Text: 139 Sqdn.
Age: 31
Date of Death: 20/05/1944
Service No: 69435
Additional information: Son of William John and Clara Meadows; husband of Ethel May Meadows, of Cheltenham.
Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead
Grave/Memorial Reference: Sec. D. 1. Grave 517.
Cemetery: CHELTENHAM CEMETERY
If that gives you another Name which might solve your puzzle?
Icare9I think GB Replicas have won themselves a lot of fans simply by being honest.
There are a good many of us who didn’t know much about A and B schemes, so all credit for them in fronting up and accepting “blame” . Perfectly understandable mistake, I’m sure we’ve all done something similar when making Airfix kits, this is 1:1!!
A great many businesses (and politicians) could learn a lot about “proper” PR from that letter.
As I hope they will get more commissions, I’m sure if they post up what they have been asked, the experts here could ensure they get it right first time.
Good on you, Stuart, and best wishes for your business to go from strength to strength!
Icare9Thanks for the explanation, Nick!
I was just thinking of the old Billy Connolly joke about having life jackets on an overland flight – “Hey, if we’re crashing, head for a puddle”!!!
Icare9Perhaps the pond came about because of the Mustangs sudden arrival?
From the ATA Casualties website: http://www.raf-lichfield.co.uk/ATA%20Casualties.htm
Fairman Albert Edward Roy T/O UK 15/02/1945 Greenwich 14 FPP KH838 Mustang 1V crashed at Wrightington Lancs when pilot thrown out of aircraft during roll – Kirkbride to Meir (formerly Flying Officer)
To clarify the reference to Greenwich:
Name: FAIRMAN, ALBERT EDWARD ROY. Initials: A E R. Nationality: United Kingdom
Rank: Third Officer. Regiment/Service: Air Transport Auxiliary
Secondary Regiment: Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
Secondary Unit Text: formerly Flying Offr.
Age: 23. Date of Death: 15/02/1945
Additional information: Son of Albert Francis and Lily Mildred Fairman, of Greenwich; husband of Grace Fairman, of Clerkenwell.
Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead
Grave/Memorial Reference: 1st Cons. Grave 972. Cemetery: GREENWICH CEMETERY
Icare9Looking at the link, both have the “serial code” TFH – “Their Finest Hour” perhaps?
Fits in with the BoB theme.
And very nicely painted too!!
Icare9The EE138 website: http://www.ee138.net/
460 Squadron Lancaster Mark III. Serial Number: EE138. Coded: AR-E2. Operation: Berlin. 3rd /4th September 1943
and see: http://www.flensted.eu.com/19430089.shtml
Airborne 19:58 3rd Sept 1943 from Binbrook. On the return flight from Berlin EE138 was attacked by a German JU 88C-6 night fighter piloted by Leutnant Rechberger of 12. / NJG 3. It is believed that the JU 88C-6 was coded D5+AX and carried the Werknummer 750500. The Lancaster caught fire and at 02:33 it fell to the ground in a field belonging to Ingeman Halkjær, Stadil exploding on impact. The field was marshy and most of the aircraft disappeared in a water filled hole. They are all commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial.
S/L C.R. Kelaher RAAF KIA; F/O S.M. Forrester (P2) RAAF KIA; Sgt H.F. Jowett KIA; W/O E.G. Garthew KIA; W/O C.A. Walsh RAAF KIA; Sgt J.C. Combes KIA; Sgt E.A.C. Thirkettle KIA; Sgt A. Rolfe KIA
Yet another instance of a family and community caring for the graves of aircrew lost in the struggle for their freedom, often totally unknown and unmarked to us all until some research turns up the heart warming details.
Icare9err… see post #18 and follow the link……
Icare9From 1st Jan 43 to 8th May1945 there are 1,658 casualties on the CWGC database with a first name initial of “K”!!
There are 63 with a “K” and surname beginning with “F”, however none of them are “Fergus” or “Fergus(s)on”. Apart from a 10 year old being certain the brevet was an “N” and that his name was Ken, is it possible that she could be mistaken about the surname, given the similarity to where he was supposedly from, Carrickfergus? Incidentally only one came up with “Carrickfergus” and that wasn’t any match to our quest.
Perhaps the best way now is to go back and ask the lady why she thinks this “Ken Ferguson” is related? What family connections take her from her family to his? It might trigger a memory that “it was Nellie and Joes boy, what was her name? She was a Smith but she married Joe Brown, not Ferguson, that was their neighbour” kind of moment….
All I can come up with so far is that the Navigator was the safest place to be if your name was Kenneth F….. !!
Icare9Wel…..
Killed in a flying accident 15th February 1951
seems unambiguous! 😀
However, could he have simply been a passenger on an airliner that crashed, or as already said, a light aircraft, not whilst “working” in a test pilot role?
Anything in York local newspaper archives?
Icare9I believe so. I doubt the AWM would not make such an easily spotted “mistake”.
It seems to have been a “perk” for Group Captains etc to have their aircraft “personalised” as they were not on any specific Squadron strength and therefore didn’t carry their codes.
I think Bader and Stanford Tuck for example had their own “Coded” aircraft.
Regular Squadron aircraft carried a 2 letter code plus an individual letter for the specific aircraft.
You will see instances, especially in Bomber Command, of an aircraft carrying the 2 letter/numeral squadron code plus an individual aircraft code of “A2” for example. That’s usually where that aircraft had been under lengthy repair or maintenance and another replacement aircraft had been allocated the original letter. It may have been regarded as a lucky aircraft so, when back on strength, the numeral “2” was added to differentiate from the other aircraft.
Icare9Presumably the 6th worker survived?
Name: BAKER, THOMAS ARTHUR
Initials: T A
Nationality: United Kingdom
Rank: Civilian
Regiment/Service: Civilian War Dead
Age: 31
Date of Death: 12/06/1941
Additional information: of 49 Litchfield Road, Sheffield. Son of H. Baker. Died at Messrs. Bates’ premises, Hospital Street.
Casualty Type: Civilian War Dead
Reporting Authority: WALSALL, COUNTY BOROUGH
Name: GEE, RAYMOND
Initials: R
Nationality: United Kingdom
Rank: Civilian
Regiment/Service: Civilian War Dead
Age: 30
Date of Death: 12/06/1941
Additional information: Firewatcher. Son of the late Charles William and Caroline Gee; husband of Lily Gee, of 106 Goscote Lodge Crescent. Died at Messrs. Bates’ premises, Hospital Street.
Casualty Type: Civilian War Dead
Reporting Authority: WALSALL, COUNTY BOROUGH
Name: SMITH, WILLIAM MILES
Initials: W M
Nationality: United Kingdom
Rank: Civilian
Regiment/Service: Civilian War Dead
Age: 17
Date of Death: 12/06/1941
Additional information: Son of Charles Henry Smith, of 78 Hospital Street. Died at Messrs. Bates’ premises, Hospital Street.
Casualty Type: Civilian War Dead
Reporting Authority: WALSALL, COUNTY BOROUGH
Name: EDWARDS, RICHARD
Initials: R
Nationality: United Kingdom
Rank: Civilian
Regiment/Service: Civilian War Dead
Age: 35
Date of Death: 12/06/1941
Additional information: Firewatcher. Husband of Lilian Edwards, of 62 Burrows Street. Injured at Messrs. Bates’ premises, Hospital Street; died same day on way to General Hospital.
Casualty Type: Civilian War Dead
Reporting Authority: WALSALL, COUNTY BOROUGH
Name: PARTRIDGE, RALPH CHARLES
Initials: R C
Nationality: United Kingdom
Rank: Civilian
Regiment/Service: Civilian War Dead
Age: 17
Date of Death: 12/06/1941
Additional information: Firewatcher. Son of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Partridge, of 40 Oak Crescent, Leamore. Injured at Messrs. Bates’ premises, Hospital Street; died same day at Manor Hospital.
Casualty Type: Civilian War Dead
Reporting Authority: WALSALL, COUNTY BOROUGH
The “typical” blast bomb was the 1000kg parachute or “land” mine, or the Herman (see: http://www.warbirdsresourcegroup.org/LRG/bombs.html. The He111 certainly could carry these, I think up to 2 externally. Even the Fw190 could carry one, but don’t think they were involved!
It certainly seems that a lot less than the normal damage from a bomb that size…. Perhaps there is one more…. ever wondered what is at the bottom of that pond in your garden?
Icare9You’re sure it’s not just patches over shrapnel holes?
Icare9Jules: Would you not be able to obtain Hupperts RCAF files, if not already done?
Have you seen: http://www.vac-acc.gc.ca/remembers/sub.cfm?source=collections/virtualmem/Detail&casualty=1800814 ?
As a respected author, might they be able to contact any surviving family on your behalf?
Icare9Would this be your chap?
Name: HUPPERT, STANLEY BYRON
Initials: S B
Nationality: Canadian
Rank: Flight Lieutenant (Pilot)
Regiment/Service: Royal Canadian Air Force
Unit Text: 410 Sqdn.
Date of Death: 08/07/1944
Service No: J/18426
Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead
Grave/Memorial Reference: Panel 244.
Memorial: RUNNYMEDE MEMORIAL
Icare9but I would have expected aircrew killed in action to be buried near there station or taken to a cemetary in thier home town
and your problem with that is what?
You come up with a range of dates and when you get responses, you question them?
YOU were the one stating OTU, so why question the response? You NOW post MORE information which might have helped if included with the initial posting.
Sorry, chum, I’m outa here…………
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