Are you sure the KS Kirkaldy in post 6 is the same man as in post 14? The latter gives his year of birth as 1899, which means he would have been 16 in 1915, not 19 as quoted in post 6.

One more thought, the newspaper describes him as joining the Army in 1922 – but there’s no reference to his earlier service in the RFC/RAF, which seems rather strange.

And where did he join the Black Watch in 1922 – in India or Scotland? If the latter he did pretty well getting to India, marrying and fathering two children before returning to Dundee in 1923!

The CWGC lists three 248 Sqn fatalities for 11 April 1944; one, F/O Raymond Thomas Woodcraft, is remembered on the Runnymede Memorial so was unlikely to have been involved in this incident.

This leaves Flt/Sgt Peter Hunt (Pilot), SN 655135, who is buried in Mordon Cemetery.
His navigator was Flt/Sgt Wilfred William Murdoch Milne, SN 1324169, who rests in Isleworth Cemetery.

Brian

AA,

She can obtain her father’s service record from the RAF, details are at https://www.gov.uk/requests-for-personal-data-and-service-records#how-to-apply-for-service-personnel-records. There’s a £30 fee (unless it’s changed) and a 20-25 week wait for the documentation, but it will provide a record of all his movements (the units with which he served). Once the squadrons are known (I’m assuming there’s more than one) the Operations Record Books in the Archives might well provide a record of his flights. At least they did during the war but it might be different in peace-time.

Brian

Arise my love (Song of Soloman)

I think the words might be associated with Michael Card’s song “Arise my love (Song of Soloman)” (http://www.songlyrics.com/michael-card/arise-my-love-lyrics/). A possible reference to the current owner saving the airframe?

If you run a Google search on “Arise my love” there are also some (non-aviation) YouTube clips.

Steve,

20 June 1952: Sgt Pilot Atanackovic (Polish) was instructing two un-named pupils. All landed safely by parachute. The Meteor pilot was Flt Sgt C Warner, who also used his parachute (The Times, 21 June, 1952).

Regret the paper did not record the 1948 accident; nor does Flight.

Brian

Adam,

George never returned to the forum after his single contribution, but if you left click on his user name you will find an option to contact him by email.

A bit of Googling led me to http://ww2talk.com/forums/topic/998-lincoln-bomber-re373/ , and answer my own question, although the cause is gven as a lightning strike, rather than the aircraft breaking up. That said there are inconsistencies in the newspaper reports and another pilot recorded that he could avoid clouds by flying at 10000 ft.

Brian