Leading Aircraftman 1683525 Robert Trewhitt

Hi All,

I'm hoping someone might be able to help me find out about an airman who I think may be connected to my Scout Group.

His details are as in the title and on the CWGC site:

http://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2810911/TREWHITT,%20ROBERT

I'm actually wondering if it was him or his father that was involved but the Hull address is throwing me a bit. He is buried in my local cemetery and it is in the right location for where the Trewhitt I'm interested in lived.

Could anyone suggest a way I can find a little more about this man?

I'm also wondering if one of the photos below from our website could be him.

I'm not very good when it comes to RAF records.

Thanks a lot,

Michael

 

Not a lot to offer apart from Flight Global of 3 March 1944 has your chap as Killed On Active Service.

 

From Ancestry - marriage of parents:
England & Wales, Marriage Index, 1916-2005 about Robert Trewhitt
Name: Robert Trewhitt
Spouse Surname: Vickers
Date of Registration: Apr-May-Jun 1922
Registration district: Tynemouth
Inferred County: Northumberland
Volume Number: 10b
Page Number: 444
Find Spouse: Find Spouse


England & Wales, Marriage Index, 1916-2005 about Louisa M Vickers
Name: Louisa M Vickers
Spouse Surname: Trewhitt
Date of Registration: Apr-May-Jun 1922
Registration district: Tynemouth
Inferred County: Northumberland
Volume Number: 10b
Page Number: 444
Find Spouse: Find Spouse

Probable birth cert for his father:

England & Wales, FreeBMD Birth Index, 1837-1915 about Robert Trewhitt
Name: Robert Trewhitt
Registration Year: 1897
Registration Quarter: Apr-May-Jun
Registration district: Tynemouth
Parishes for this Registration District: View Ecclesiastical Parishes associated with this Registration District
Inferred County: Northumberland
Volume: 10b
Page: 225

Roberts birth cert (1923)

England & Wales, Birth Index, 1916-2005 about Robert Trewhitt
Name: Robert Trewhitt
Mother's Maiden Surname: Vickers
Date of Registration: Jan-Feb-Mar 1923
Registration district: Tynemouth
Inferred County: Cumberland
Volume Number: 10b
Page Number: 467


It seems that in 1936 he travelled with his mother from England to Singapore to meet up with his father who was presumably already there - their UK address is given as:
43 Cartington Road, North Shields


and in January 1939, father, mother and son returned to the UK (his father is noted as an engineer)

There address given for their return would be Robert Snrs fathers :
C/O Mr G W Trewhitt
123 Queen Alexandra Road West
North Shields

Roberts death cert is recorded as:

England & Wales, Death Index, 1916-2007 about Robert Trewhitt
Name: Robert Trewhitt
Birth Date: abt 1923
Date of Registration: Mar 1944
Age at Death: 21
Registration district: Sleaford
Inferred County: Lincolnshire
Volume: 7a
Page: 516


Hope that helps
TD

 

Peter,

Thank you so much for your help. I had never heard of Flight Global so would never have found it, now I've seen it I don't know how you found his name.

Do you know of anywhere I might be able to find out what happened?


Tricky Dicky,

Wow! so much information, thank you very much.

I think from what you have found it must be his father who was one of our very early leaders, but if that is the case then Robert Junior must have been one of our early scouts.

I am a bit confused about the last bit where it says registration district Sleaford and inferred county Lincolnshire, his grave is in Preston cemetery which actually backs on to Queen Alexander Road West.

Another interesting thing is that our group was formed by George Greenacre who was an ARP warden (it's his photo I'm using). He and a brother were both married to Trewhitt ladies but George's address was also 123 Queen Alexander Road West, it's on his death certificate in 1941.

I'm also guessing if they were in Singapore then one of the two men on the horses could be Robert senior and the posed photo could be Robert junior - maybe.


Thank you both for all your help.

Hopefully I might find a bit more about him now.

Michael

 

Hi Shiny

Your confusion re his death cert info maybe that he probably died in or around Sleaford, ie the site of the accident perhaps, and that his body was then transported to his home town for burial. Other member on here may be able to tell you if there was a training field near Sleaford. If you contact Sleaford registrars office then you should be able (if you want) to obtain a copy of his death cert for a nominal fee, using the info in my post.

TD

 

TREWHITT, Robert - LAC (Pilot U/T)- possibly killed whilst flying in Master II, DL192 of the RAFC, which spun into the ground near Ruskington whilst practicing aerobatics.

http://www.rafcommands.com/forum/showthread.php?15695-440129-Unaccounted-Airmen-29-1-1944


http://www.bcar.org.uk/1944-incident-logs

 

The knowledge and kindness of people on these forums never ceases to amaze me. Thank you both so much for your help.

Tricky Dicky,

A quick google search has shown me RAF Digby is a few miles from Sleaford which seems to have been a training base and then changed to a Canadian base (mostly).

I suspect you are right about them bringing him home for burial although it does seem to be a few months after the crash.

CL1,

Thank you for the help, I suppose the bit after his rank (Pilot U/T) means he was a pilot under training? and that aerobatics would have been part of learning to control the aircraft?

I'm guessing RAFC means RAF collage and that Master 2 was the type of aircraft.

As I say, RAF things are a bit of a mystery to me, but I'm starting to pick things up - slowly.

Michael

 

It looks as if this Master belonged to No 17 Service Flying Training School (SFTS) based at Cranwell....very close to Sleaford and within the Sleaford Registration District.

Shortly before this incident,the unit was known as the Royal Air Force College FTS.....the RAFC indicated reflects its previous designation.

Incidentally the burial site of known military casualties was left to the descretion of the next of kin.A casualty might be buried close to the airfield or buried in large dedicated military cemeteries or taken home,long distance by rail or short distances by military transport.In each case the appropriate guard of honour was raised by the home unit or the nearest RAF unit close to the burial location.

 

Thanks very much Harry, I suppose Cranwell would make sense as that still is a training place for officers I think?

I hadn't thought about the practicalities of honour guards escorting him home either.

It's amazing this morning all I had was a surname I knew was very relevant to my Scout Group and that this man was probably connected, now I have a bit of a story to tell the Scouts.

I suppose the next thing would be to find out why the family was in Singapore, as I say I think he may be the one who was one of the very early leaders. I'm assuming they have come home because of the war looming but it would be good to know how / why he was there.

 

Additional info from Ancestry

Louisa May Trewhitt - death cert -
England & Wales, Death Index, 1916-2007 about Louisa May Trewhitt
Name: Louisa May Trewhitt
Birth Date: 5 May 1896
Date of Registration: Feb 1988
Age at Death: 91
Registration district: North Tyneside
Inferred County: Tyne and Wear
Volume: 2
Page: 1154

Robert Snr seems a little more complex:
1911 census:

1911 England Census about Robert Trewhitt
Name: Robert Trewhitt
Age in 1911: 13
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1898
Relation to Head: Son
Gender: Male
Birth Place: Chirton North Shields, Northumberland, England
Civil Parish: Tynemouth
County/Island: Northumberland
Country: England
Street address: 5 Queen Alex Rd West North Shields
Registration district: Tynemouth
Registration District Number: 559
Sub-registration district: Tynemouth
ED, institution, or vessel: 33
Piece: 30765
Household Members:
Name Age
Orange William Trewhitt 52 (Should read George not Orange)
Elizabeth Rebecca Trewhitt 47
Richard Trewhitt 17
Robert Trewhitt 13


but on checking his father then this shows him (George) as a Winding Engineman Above Ground


1911 England Census about Orange William Trewhitt (Should read George not Orange)
Name: Orange William Trewhitt (Should read George not Orange)
[George William Trewhitt]
Age in 1911: 52
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1859
Relation to Head: Head
Gender: Male
Birth Place: Birtley, County Durham, England
Civil Parish: Tynemouth
County/Island: Northumberland
Country: England
Street address: 5 Queen Alex Rd West North Shields
Marital Status: Married
Occupation: Winding Engineman Above Ground
Registration district: Tynemouth
Registration District Number: 559
Sub-registration district: Tynemouth
ED, institution, or vessel: 33
Piece: 30765

So we can assume that Robert Snr probably was involved in some way with coal mining and may be why he was out in the Far East - only an assumption on my part. Following this line I have found another 'Outward bound' reference for Robert Snr on 27 May 1939 from Liverpool to Singapore:


UK, Outward Passenger Lists, 1890-1960 about Robert Trewhitt
Name: Robert Trewhitt
Gender: Male
Age: 42
Birth Date: abt 1897
Departure Date: 27 May 1939
Port of Departure: Liverpool, England
Destination Port: Singapore
Ship Name: Memnon
Search Ship Database: Search the 'Memnon' in the 'Passenger Ships and Images' database
Shipping line: Blue Funnel Line
Official Number: 162335
Master: J G Phillips




This shows him travelling 1st Class (?) and giving his home address as :
33 Glendale Ave, North Shields.

The odd part then comes with his probate record

England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations), 1858-1966 about Robert Trewhitt
Name: Robert Trewhitt
Probate Date: 23 Jun 1949
Death Date: 10 Feb 1942
Death Place: North Shields
Registry: Newcastle Upon Tyne

This shows Robert Snrs death recorded as 1942, but in North Shields (his address noted as 12 Windermere Ave North Shields), however when you read the probate it states:
"... died on or since 10 February 1942 at some place unknown.." and later there is a note that states "Resealed Kuala Lumpur 13 June 1949"

So perhaps he was in the Far East as a Mining Engineer in the 1930's, brought his family home in Jan 1939 but returned in May 1939 to the Far East. As he died in 1942 in a place unknown perhaps he was a civilian captured at the fall of Singapore and died in Japanese hands, or ........... the story is looking for your research to continue.

Good luck
TD

edited to add:
Perhaps this is why as yet I cannot find a UK death cert for Robert Snr

 

Thanks very much again,

I haven't got access to ancestory so this is all great. I haven't ever heard the name Orange before, it's pretty unusual.

I know the family all lived in the same street together with the Greenacres and the majority of them did work in Preston Colliery.

 

Look what I've just found on CWGC:

http://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2073370/TREWHITT,%20ROBERT

Robert senior was in the Local Defence Corps in Malaya!

I wouldn't have been able to confirm that without your information.

 

Hi Shiny

Good news (as such) on the CWGC look up - would also add unless you are joking that Orange is a mistranscription as it should read George - one of the Ancestry search problems when people from Salt Lake City are transcribing old documents from a country they have no idea about. I have altered it in the post.

TD

 

Hi Tricky Dicky,

No I wasn't joking, as I say I haven't got access to Ancestory so I thought that was correct, particularly in this modern age of celebrities calling their children all sorts of things.

This morning I have had a reply from a website I found based on the CWGC information last night. Apparently Robert senior was an engineer at the Jasin Lalang Estate working for Dunlop in Malacca and the CQMS for the LDC.

It never ceases to amaze me how much information can be found once you get a start point.

Thank you again for all of your help.

Michael

 

I'm just wondering now about the individual photo at the top of this post, does anyone know if the uniform is correct for the man in the original subject - LAC Robert Trewhitt (Robert Junior) - could this be him before he was promoted and started his pilot training?

 

Fascinating how one little item develops into a much larger story!
Well done lads!

FWIW, there are 12 records in CWGC for the Local Defence Corps (Malaya) and 2 of them have the entire CWGC applicable period for their Date of Death - i.e. nothing known of them after the start of the War, but presumably only after Japan attacked Pearl Harbor in December 1941 would they technically have been likely to have lost their lives in the invasion of Malaya and the retreat to Singapore..... No one seems to know what became of O'Neill and Watson.

 

Hi Shiny

Just googling around and came across : http://www.cofepow.org.uk/pages/armedforces_r_malayan_volunteers.htm and specifically:

"A. The Crown Colony of the Straits Settlements (S.S.)

The Straits Settlements were administered by a British Governor (Sir Shenton Thomas) who was also High Commissioner for the eleven Malay States.
The Straits Settlements consisted of Singapore, Penang and the Province Wellesley,
and Malacca (and Labuan and Christmas Island). Volunteers were organised into 4
Battalions:-

Singapore - 1st and 2nd Battalion S.S.V.F [1250 men]
Penang & Province Wellesley - 3rd Battalion S.S.V.F. [916 men]
Malacca - 4th Battalion S.S.V.F.[675 men]"

It also seems most of those 'captrured' by the Japanese were made to work on the Burma - Siam railway - so its highly likely that is where Robert Snr died, although I have nothing to back that up, perhaps others have. I do not know of the existence of any 'official' documents for the above 'volunteer forces' but there may be other members on here who have some knowledge of this forgotten aspect of WW2.

I have also just come across this site which may have more info - http://www.malayanvolunteersgroup.org.uk/node/58

Happy hunting

TD

 

TD,

I don't suppose you have a clear picture of the book in the 3rd post do you?

I have printed parts of this off to go in a file and I can't make out dates or names on that particular document.

I have been looking up the battle of Singapore, I think from the dates and the dates of Robert's death he may have been one of the "lucky" ones who died during the battle rather than one of those captured. Either way I don't think he'll have had a very good time of it.


KevinBattle,

Thanks for the information, I'll have a look at that on CWGC.

Michael

 

Hi Shiny,

Have sent you a PM but I have also cropped and resized the image I think you are after - as below





Let me know what you think and if it is the correct image you were after

TD

 

Here are the 12
O'NEILL FOC 55 - 03/09/1939 - - 31/12/1947 LOCAL DEFENCE CORPS (MALAYA)
OH TENG ENG - 219 - 30/01/1942 LOCAL DEFENCE CORPS (MALAYA)
PASCOE SA 446 - 12/02/1942 LOCAL DEFENCE CORPS (MALAYA)
SALEH BIN KHALIFA - 903 - 26/12/1941 LOCAL DEFENCE CORPS (MALAYA)
SANDYS JA - - 01/02/1942 - - 28/02/1942 LOCAL DEFENCE CORPS (MALAYA)
SAYID ABDULLAH BIN HASAN - - - 15/01/1942 LOCAL DEFENCE CORPS (MALAYA)
SHARPLES CN - - 17/09/1945 LOCAL DEFENCE CORPS (MALAYA)
SHEPTON HM - - 30/12/1941 LOCAL DEFENCE CORPS (MALAYA)
TREWHITT R - - 10/02/1942 LOCAL DEFENCE CORPS (MALAYA)
VELAYATHAM K 579 - 10/01/1942 LOCAL DEFENCE CORPS (MALAYA)
WATSON GC - - 03/09/1939 - - 31/12/1947 LOCAL DEFENCE CORPS (MALAYA)
WILSON JMB 56 - 01/01/1942 - - 31/12/1942 LOCAL DEFENCE CORPS (MALAYA)

These dates in the main predate the fall of Singapore and perhaps indicate the desperate retreat from the oncoming tide of unstoppable Japanese.

I've just never before seen anyone with a Date of Death that is the entire CWGC period - then two!