Ghost squadron 428 - Granddaughter looking for history of crew

Your welcome. If you need any other help on this, just let me know. True Grit has everything I have found on her behalf, so you are now in contact with a great source of the information your looking for

Cheers

 

Hello...I am a teacher and my students and I recently did an interview with Hugh McGeach (he's 101 now!)...wondering if you ever found anything out. Hugh did not have any photos. We are making a DVD for him and could add those for him and his family.

 

Hello SM65…….I’m the one who helped True Grit with all of the research (we did a LOT off line from this site). True Grit has put together a lot of the information that she has compiled on the Crew and the crash of the flight that Hugh was on. If you wish, I can contact True Grit (I have her e-mail address) and see if she would share her info with you and your students.

Also, when Hugh turned 100, all the family members of the flight (True Grit had contacted all of them) made a video to Hugh and sent it to him with well wishes from all of them (including Squadron Leader Bowden’s daughter, who we found).

Let me know and I’ll get on it, I will need your e-mail address (so she can share the information off line to you)…..BUT, I would wait until I’ve contact True Grit and if she would like to help (which I am sure she would be willing).

Cheers

EDIT: I have just sent an message to True Grit, I’ll advise when I get her response.

 

I have quite a bit of material from 428 Squadron, September 1944-May 1945, depending upon his years of service.

Edit: I see the request is for an earlier period. Apologies.

Jim

 

Asked a friend a year ago to keep an eye open for clues of JWN Hurst in Gainsborough area - nothing specific found. Gainsborough does have a small hospital - the John Coupland - and he may have died there, which widens the search area, not just in that part of Lincolnshire, but also across into nearby Nottinghamshire. Sorry not more helpful; still on the list.

 

JC hospital has the Scotter Ward which cares for the local terminally ill and has done so for a number of years. It's a good cottage hospital in addition and hosts a number of clinics for out patients.

(It is an asset to the local community and the threat of closure was soon dismissed by local opposition groups. It has a Great War background in that it was a military hospital with its role displayed on a dedicated information board, an interesting account)

As regards the registration of Sgt Hurst death at Gainsborough, it could have occurred at the John Coupland or it could have been at home. After 1974, Gainsborough which had been a Sub Registration District of Lincoln lost that status from the enacted Local Government Act legislation. From that I would think that Gainsborough Births, Deaths and Marriage records are now held at Lincoln but still taken from the local office in Richmond Park. Gainsborough. The other point is that I cannot recollect the surname Hurst being recorded or mentioned in the area which brings me to think that the children are not living in this part of Lincolnshire..

Just picked it up via a WLDC Planning Application that the local office is designated as the Register Office.