Cpl Basil Arthur Kidd - 600 sqdn May 1940 Waalhaven

Discussion in 'Searching for Someone & Military Genealogy' started by kiddy1, Sep 20, 2011.

  1. kiddy1

    kiddy1 Junior Member

    Greetings all,

    This is my first post on the forum, so thanks in advance for any replies... good or bad!

    Basically, I have been researching my family tree and I am related to Corporal Basil Arthur Kidd and this is the information I know so far:

    Name: KIDD, BASIL ARTHUR
    Initials: B A
    Nationality: United Kingdom
    Rank: Corporal (Air Gnr.)
    Regiment/Service: Royal Air Force (Auxiliary Air Force)
    Unit Text: 600 Sqdn. Age: 30
    Date of Death: 10/05/1940
    Service No: 800235
    Additional information: Son of Arthur Septimus and Sybil Rosa Kidd, of Dulwich Village, London. Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead
    Grave/Memorial Reference: Plot LL. Row 2. Grave 2.
    Cemetery: ROTTERDAM (CROOSWIJK) GENERAL CEMETERY

    I am just wondering if anyone would be able to provide me with some more information or even a squadron photograph. I have read the flight stories from Google but I can't find anything else.

    Thanks
     
  2. Mike L

    Mike L Very Senior Member

    Hi Kiddy1 and welcome to the forum.
    We have a fair few RAF experts here (Peter Clare springs to mind) and also the date of death being May 1940 might attract some of our BEF/1940 buffs as well.
    I think you have come to the right place. Good luck,

    Mike
     
  3. kiddy1

    kiddy1 Junior Member

    Hi Kiddy1 and welcome to the forum.
    We have a fair few RAF experts here (Peter Clare springs to mind) and also the date of death being May 1940 might attract some of our BEF/1940 buffs as well.
    I think you have come to the right place. Good luck,

    Mike


    Thanks for that Mike. If you type his name in Google it's quite an interesting story.

    Hopefully someone will be able to help me :)
     
  4. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    Hello and welcome to the forum.

    The 10th May was the day it all kicked off in Europe-Germany invaded Holland and Belgium.

    Peter has a copy of ATB's The Battle of France so I'll leave him to do the honours, if I go upstairs to get mine I'll go to bed :)
     
  5. kiddy1

    kiddy1 Junior Member

    Hello and welcome to the forum.

    The 10th May was the day it all kicked off in Europe-Germany invaded Holland and Belgium.

    Peter has a copy of ATB's The Battle of France so I'll leave him to do the honours, if I go upstairs to get mine I'll go to bed :)

    Yeah, I believe that is why Basil and the others were sent over there but on their flight over there they were intercepted by some Mescherschmitts and 5 of the 6 Bristols' were shot down :(

    Bed is for those wierd people who sleep, who really does that? :lol:
     
  6. Mike L

    Mike L Very Senior Member

    Hi Kiddy, I did a google search and found a few entries about Basil - 5 out of 6 lost - tragic.
    I take it you have seen the link to this thread:
    http://www.ww2talk.com/forum/war-air/29868-600-squadron-waalhaven-raid.html

    I will ask a Moderator to add 'May 1940 Waalhaven' in the thread title to interest the 1940 buffs here - might attract more interest, but I see Andy has already picked up on it.
     
  7. kiddy1

    kiddy1 Junior Member

    Hi Kiddy, I did a google search and found a few entries about Basil - 5 out of 6 lost - tragic.
    I take it you have seen the link to this thread:
    http://www.ww2talk.com/forum/war-air/29868-600-squadron-waalhaven-raid.html

    I will ask a Moderator to add 'May 1940 Waalhaven' in the thread title to interest the 1940 buffs here - might attract more interest, but I see Andy has already picked up on it.

    Yes I have read that thanks and have the photograph of his grave stone. I have emailed someone at the RAF and hopefully they have a photograph of the squadron.... You would think they will have?

    1 month before Basil was born his father, a succesful stock broker committed suicide by jumping in front of a train!
     
  8. Mike L

    Mike L Very Senior Member

    Double tragedy in the family, how sad.
    600 Sqdn still exists:

    RAF Reserves - 600 (City of London)

    Worth getting in touch with them.
    As to whether a photo exists from 1940 era - difficult to say. Have you tried RAF Museum Hendon?
     
  9. kiddy1

    kiddy1 Junior Member

    Yeah that's the page where I emailed from, via the freedom of information tab along the bottom. Yeah I am kind of doubting finding a photograph in all honesty, I am hopeful though as everyone else in my family tree is 'boring' if you will :P

    I have had some trouble finding ANYTHING about my great grandfather who served in WW1.
     
  10. Mike L

    Mike L Very Senior Member

    Don't lose hope Kiddy. I can say from experience a photo might turn up from a most unexpected source. Now you have started this thread members and guests worldwide can view it and amazing results are not unknown here.
    Re Great GF, we don't do too much WW1 stuff here for obvious reasons but it does crop up occasionally.
    Have you tied GWF (Great War Forum)? Some members here are also members of GWF and if you ask a question (nicely) with as much as you know about him they might pass it on.
     
  11. kiddy1

    kiddy1 Junior Member

    Thanks Mike. It would be interesting if someone knows of something/anything, about Basil.
    Well funnily enough he also served in WW2 I believe, family say he died as Corporal Francis Henry Kidd but his WW2 service was on a voluntary basis... or so I am led to believe. Someone has kindly sent me a PM to see if he can help in this search.
     
  12. kiddy1

    kiddy1 Junior Member

    Well, made quite an exciting break through.... Basil was shot down by one of the best the Luftwaffe had, Brigadegeneral (the highest rank possible) Werner Streib as seen here: Werner Streib - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

    I know Wikipedia is a massivley unreliable source but on this occasion it has proven to be quite useful.

    I thought I would share this with you all :)
     
  13. Peter Clare

    Peter Clare Very Senior Member

    Name: KIDD, BASIL ARTHUR
    Initials: B A
    Nationality: United Kingdom
    Rank: Corporal (Air Gnr.)
    Regiment/Service: Royal Air Force (Auxiliary Air Force)
    Unit Text: 600 Sqdn. Age: 30
    Date of Death: 10/05/1940
    Service No: 800235
    Additional information: Son of Arthur Septimus and Sybil Rosa Kidd, of Dulwich Village, London. Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead
    Grave/Memorial Reference: Plot LL. Row 2. Grave 2.
    Cemetery: ROTTERDAM (CROOSWIJK) GENERAL CEMETERY



    Hello and welcome to the forum. have the following details regarding the above loss......

    10 May 1940

    No.600 Squadron Blenheim IF L6616 was shot down by Bf110s of I./ZG1 making an attack on Waalhaven airfield. S/L. J M. Wells CO of No.600 Squadron, and Cpl. B A. Kidd were killed. Sgt. Davis baled out, evaded capture and returned to England.

    Hope this is a help.
     
    Drew5233 likes this.
  14. Marks

    Marks Senior Member

    Hi,

    Cpl Kidd must have enlisted in the Auxilary Air Force prior to 1935.

    800387 Sgt Larballestier enlisted 600 Sqn March 1935 !
    He flew during the Battle of Britain as an Air Gunner !

    Mark
     
  15. kiddy1

    kiddy1 Junior Member

    Hi,

    Cpl Kidd must have enlisted in the Auxilary Air Force prior to 1935.

    800387 Sgt Larballestier enlisted 600 Sqn March 1935 !
    He flew during the Battle of Britain as an Air Gunner !

    Mark

    Where did you get that info from fella?

    Thanks
     
  16. Smudger Jnr

    Smudger Jnr Our Man in Berlin

    Kiddy1,

    Hello and welcome to the forum.

    I wish you luck with your research.

    Regards
    Tom
     
  17. Marks

    Marks Senior Member

    Hi,

    The details on Larbalestier came from the book 'Men of the Battle of Britain' by Kenneth G WYNN.

    Mark
     
  18. Oldman

    Oldman Very Senior Member

    Kiddy1

    Welcome to the forum
    I am interested to know if he was actually classified as an Air Gunner by specailty or did he just fly as an extra duty.

    In those early days of WWII a lot of Air Gunners where just the usual Fitters, Mechanics Etc who actually went along as gunners there being few proper ranked Air Gunners to fill the crews.
     
  19. Harry Ree

    Harry Ree Very Senior Member

    Kiddy1

    Welcome to the forum
    I am interested to know if he was actually classified as an Air Gunner by specailty or did he just fly as an extra duty.

    In those early days of WWII a lot of Air Gunners where just the usual Fitters, Mechanics Etc who actually went along as gunners there being few proper ranked Air Gunners to fill the crews.

    Yes, but that was before the days before the gunnery schools were set up and RAF recruits went through the assessment of aircrew selection.Before then,air gunners were trained in situ on the squadron and picked up their expertise from others.

    Know of an airman who joined the RAF as a Musician in 1935 then volunteered for air gunner duties when he was based on a new opening B.C station and newly formed squadrons were being worked up.By 1940 he was a WO/Air Gunner and was mentoring new WO/Air Gunners posted on to his squadron.

    After being awarded the DFM and being married for a mere 6 weeks, he was lost on returning from an air operation over Germany in the summer of 1940.
     
  20. Oldman

    Oldman Very Senior Member

    Harry
    Thanks for the info my friends father was an extra bod air gunner in 1939/1940 did a few trips then went onto pilot training and spent the remaining years of the war in costal command also involved with the leigh light project at some stage.
     

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