Joan Marjorie Easton W.A.A.F. Mentioned in Dispatches and Eric John Easton Royal Air Force

Discussion in 'War Grave Photographs' started by CL1, Jun 14, 2018.

  1. CL1

    CL1 116th LAA and 92nd (Loyals) LAA,Royal Artillery

    Section Officer EASTON, JOAN MARJORIE
    Service Number 2986

    Died 08/09/1943

    Women's Auxiliary Air Force
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    Sergeant (Pilot) EASTON, ERIC JOHN
    Service Number 1253064

    Died 30/04/1941

    Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve

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  2. Tricky Dicky

    Tricky Dicky Don'tre member

    From - Service women's War Grave Photos for reference (previously entitled FAO Tonym)

    Joan was born in Woolwich in 1917-she is buried with her brother who died in 1941 whilst on active service.
    Joan was killed at Sutton, Surrey whilst going to the rescue of the crew of a Stirling III BK809/T bomber which crashed on take-off striking a petrol bowser and burst into flames.The captain and RAF air bomber lost their lives in the crash, while three of the other five crew were injured, including the flight engineer, who later died also. An RNZAF navigator of the Squadron, helping out with harvesting on a nearby farm while on leave, also rushed to the scene to assist, but he and Joan died in the blast when some of the bombs exploded. Two civilians also died, while others were injured. The two New Zealanders are buried at Cambridge.

    TD
     
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  3. Tony56

    Tony56 Member Patron

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  4. Tricky Dicky

    Tricky Dicky Don'tre member

    PETER GERALD DOBSON
    [including notes transcribed, 30 December 2005, by Elliot Dawson
    from visit to the National Library of New Zealand, Wellington]
    1. Excerpt from: By Such Deeds. Honours and Awards in the Royal New Zealand Air Force 1923-1999, by Colin M. Hanson. Christchurch [New Zealand]: Volpane Press, 2001. 608p. .
    Page 163: “DOBSON, Flight Sergeant Peter Gerald, Mid. NZ 439022; Born Blenheim, 29 December 1914; TAF Jan 1939; RNZAF 5 Sept 1939 (to kaa) 8 Sept 1943; Navigator. Citation Mentioned in Dispatches (14 Jan 1944): For bravery in action and meritorious fulfilment of duty. Navigator in Fg Off W.D. Whiteheads’s crew. He had flown 29 sorties in his first tour including Frankfurt, Duisburg. Dortmund (2), Dusseldorf (2), Wuppertal, Elberfeld, Gelsenkirchen, Cologne, Hamburg (2), Essen, Nuremburg, Münchengladbach (2), Berlin, Mannheim, Turin and mine-laying operations in the Frisland islands, the Skaggerak and Bordeaux. Killed as a result of an aircraft accident at RAF Mepal, England, when a Stirling of 75 (NZ) Sqd, fully laden with fuel and bombs for a sortie to Boulogne swung on take-off and crashed into a house off the end of the runway. F/S Dobson was killed by exploding bombs and fallen debris as he went to the assistance of the crew and the occupants of the house. Buried Cambridge City Cemetery, Cambridgeshire, England.”
    Page 510: F/S P. G. Dobson, Navigator with crew of F/O Walter Donald Whitehead, DFM 1943, born 1922, 9 Oct 1943, 75 (NZ) Sqdn RAF (Stirling), 23 May, hit by flak over Dortmund, 300 mile journey on 3 engines.
    2. Excerpt from: For Your Tomorrow. A record of New Zealanders who have died while serving with the RNZAF and Allied Air Services since 1915. Volume One: Fates 1915-1942, by Errol W. Martin, 1998. Christchurch [New Zealand]: Volpane Press, 1998. 304 p.
    [Vol. Two: fates 1943-1998, 448p, published in 1999.]
    Page 140 (Vol. Two): 8/9 September 1943. “Raid on long-range gun battery at Boulogne, France (by 257 aircraft – 3 lost) 75 (NZ) Squadron RAF (Mepal, Cambridgeshire – 3 Group) Stirling III BK 809/T – while taking off at 2155 swung in the slight cross wind, veered sharply to starboard when overcorrected, struck a petrol bowser and finally came to rest on the far side of the perimeter track between two houses in the residential area of Sutton, where it burst into flames. The captain and the RAF air bomber lost their lives in the crash, while three of the other five crew members were injured, including the flight engineer, who later died also. An RNZAF navigator of the Squadron, helping out with harvesting on a nearby farm while on leave, and a WAAF section officer rushed to the scene to assist, but they died in the blast when some of the bombs exploded. Two civilians also died, while others were injured. The two New Zealanders are buried at Cambridge. All three of Bomber Command’s aircraft lost on this raid were written off as the result of accidents on take-off. Captain: NZ 415002 Fg Off Ian Robert Menzies RNZAF – Age 21. 802 hrs (45 solo on Stirling) 6th op. (Navigator) NZ 439022 Flt Sgt Peter Gerald Dobson, mid. RNZAF – Age 28, 411 hrs. 28 ops.”
    Angela Mellors, granddaughter, of Albert Leslie Mellors, flight engineer, of the Stirling, is seeking information about her grandfather since his family was given a different account of his death. I’ve sent her all I know about Peter’s involvement.
    The pilot of the Stirling was 415002 Flying Officer Ian Robert Menzies RNZAF, aged 21, son of Douglas and Violet Menzies of Gisborne, New Zealand. He is buried in the Cambridge city cemetery (Grave 13940). Unfortunately, Grace & Elliot were not aware of this at the time they visited Peter’s grave in 2004.
    The other members of the crew were: 943914 Sergeant (Flt Engineer) Albert Leslie Mellor RAF. who died from wounds; 151013 Flying Officer (Air Bomber) Norman Hathway Gale (killed in the accident); Pilot Officer D. Cordery (injured); Sergeant R. Barker (injured); Sergeant G. Bullivant (injured); Sergeant G. Muir (injured; a note at p. 140 of For Your Tomorrow states that the rear gunner, Sgt “S.D.” Muir RNZAF, died on 16 June 1944 while flying with 7 Squadron RAF). The other RAF person killed on the ground with Peter Dobson was Section Officer Joan Marjorie Easton WAAF, Service No. 2986, MID, born Woolwich 1917, buried Charlton Cemetery, Greenwich, Section C, 1st Gen., Joint Grave 793 (with her brother Sgt [Pilot of Hurricanes] Eric John Easton, RAFVR, Service No. 1253064, born Woolwich 1921, died 30 April 1941.
    The civilians killed were: Albert Edward Kirby, aged 50, Fireman NFS, 10 Ely Road, Sutton, husband of Lillian Kirby; and John Randall, aged 58, of Ely Road, Sutton, husband of Jessie I. Randall of Portland House, High Street, Sutton.

    [​IMG]

    DOBSON, Peter Gerald, Map of Mepal
    8 September 1943
    Mepal and Sutton, Cambridgeshire.
    Current OS Map showing the old airfield in the centre - and how an aircraft, taking off on the south westerly runway that swung on take-off, could easily end up in the outskirts of Sutton.

    My thanks to Ancestry member FHGent who provided all of the above
    TD
     
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  5. Tony56

    Tony56 Member Patron

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  6. Tricky Dicky

    Tricky Dicky Don'tre member

    Thats the details on Find a Grave and there is no way to contact them to correct unless you register - does any member have such a membership??

    TD
     
    Last edited: Jun 15, 2018

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