Hello everyone, I am searching for information, hopefully a picture or relatives from these 3 airmen .Buried in Venray Netherlands ,so hoping to give these airmen a foto on there war grave. Pilot Officer John TOY (196992) of the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve Wireless Op./Air Gunner Circumstances of Death: Lost in aircraft Lancaster DV298 IBCC Death of Death 1945-03-14 Age : 19 years. Served in 101 Sqdn Burial/Commemoration Details : VII. F. 8. at Venray Squadron Leader Ian MACLEOD-SELKIRK (40549) of the Royal Air Force Pilot Circumstances of Death: Lost in aircraft Lancaster DV298 IBCC Death of Death 1945-03-14 Served in 101 Sqdn Burial/Commemoration Details : VII. F. 11. at Venray Sergeant Frank MILTON (1586947) of the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve Flight Engineer Circumstances of Death: Lost in aircraft Lancaster DV298 IBCC Death of Death 1945-03-14 Served in 101 Sqdn Burial/Commemoration Details : VII. F. 10. at Venray
I found it by checking out Ancestry where I am a member - there are no other photos I could find of the other 2 men Maybe one will turn up on the internet or as mentioned try some official RAF associations, or the Squadron Association etc TD
Hello, 3050105 Sgt John Toy was commissioned Pilot Officer 3 March 1945. Toy was born Market Drayton, Shropshire in the June 1925 Qtr. He was the son of Elijah, a policeman and Hilda Ann, nee France, Toy of Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire. An older sister, Joan, was born in the June 1923 Qtr. Hilda died, aged 53, in the September 1942 Qtr. Elijah, born 27 June 1893, died in the December 1969 Qtr., both at Newcastle under Lyme, Staffordshire. 40549 S/Ldr Ian MacLeod-Selkirk was born in India circa 1916, or perhaps Lancashire. The double-barrelled name is a bit difficult to follow. His early days were spent on ships between Bombay and England with his mother, Annie Florence MacLeod - Selkirk. He had enlisted in the RAF before the war being granted a short service commission as an Acting Pilot Officer wef 19 February 1938. He was graded as a Pilot Officer on probation 29 November 1938. As a Pilot Officer he was granted the acting rank of Flight Lieutenant on 14 August 1939. You can follow his promotions by searching the London Gazette using his service number to search. No entry in the LG offers any previous squadron. He married Evelyn M. Robinson at Edmonton (London) in the March 1940 Qtr. At the time of the loss of this crew Evelyn lived at "Severn House, Mount Shrewsbury" and his mother lived at "Broome House, Hagley Road, Oldwinsford, Stourbridge, Worcs". No children from this marriage. 1586947 Sgt Frank Milton was born at Crediton, Devon in the June 1924 Qtr, the youngest child of William and Jessie, nee Dallorzo, Milton of Crediton. He had two older sisters, Monica J Milton, born Aston, Warwickshire in the December 1919 Qtr and Audrey L. Milton, born Crediton in the June 1922 Qtr. Upon his loss, Monica was listed as one of his next of kin. Jessie Milton died at Exeter in the March 1928 Qtr. aged 34, William passed away, aged 38 in the June 1930 Qtr at Crediton. This resulted in Frank living with his grandmother, Mrs A. Milton, "No. 2 Manns Court, Crediton, Devon". She was the other family member notified when the aircraft failed to return. Although you don't mention the Air Bomber on this crew, C10436 F/O Geoffrey Winslow Hess, RCAF his wife, Eleanor, remarried. Unfortunately she passed in 1997 and their daughter passed in 2017. Eleanor Kaiser (1915-1997) - Find A Grave... Obituary for Pamela 'Pam' Rosacker Regards, Dave
Here is a picture of the Lancaster. My Dads cousin Raymond Pitman was also one of the casualties Avro Lancaster III (DV298 SR-J) on a mission to Dahlbruch, Hilchenbach on 1945-03-13 (backtonormandy.org)
Sadly, it isn't. That site uses stock photos of various types of aircraft. If you look to the right of the RAF roundel you'll see its serial number was DS704. If this was the right aircraft, it would have "DV298" where DS704 sits. It also would have had ABC aerials on its spine. Regards, Dave
Robert, I regret to say, for the benefit of all, that images on the Back to Normandy site are in fact not of the individual aircraft of the entries listed. In this case, the aircraft lost was DV298 Lancaster III, with Packard-built Merlin engines. The Lancaster on the Back to Normandy site is in fact DS704 Lancaster Mark II (all Mark IIs having the Bristol Hercules engine. Serial visible in the image. That image and one other, also Mark II, are used to illustrate numerous Lancaster losses. Same applies to most other aircraft listed on the site: one (or perhaps two) selected images used for all cases of the type. Despite the general worth and good intent of the site and its author, this is at least the second posted occasion where his method has given rise to confusion. All very unfortunate, though looking a bit further at the entries shows the problem at once. See this earlier post of mine on RAF Commands: 101 Squadron
Hi alieneyes and Observer39, thankyou for correcting me, ahh thats a disappointment and apologies for posting incorrect info - Rob
