Looking for Loss Information on Australian - P/O 80208 Wilfred Aidan Walsh 237 Sqdn RAF DoD 2/2/1942

Any information appreciated.

WALSH, WILFRED AIDAN

Rank: Pilot
OfficerTrade: Pilot
Service No: 80208
Date of Death: 02/02/1942
Regiment/Service: Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
237 Sqdn.
Grave Reference: 1. B. 10.
Cemetery: ALEXANDRIA (HADRA) WAR MEMORIAL CEMETERY

Additional Information:

Of Australia.

 

Hi Geoff,

Hurricane Z4799

Form 1180 - Copyright Credit RAF Museum Hendon

http://www.rafcommands.com/February_1942/2_2_1942/Z4799.pdf

Scroll down for both sides of the F1180

Regards
Ross

 

Seems like an odd service number series -

80200 was used by an officer KIA later in 1942 - 778516 Roy Maxwell QUARENDON (80200)


9th July 1941 - 778525 Ian Ralph Arthur MILLS (80201)

9th July 1941 - 778510 Arthur Alexander MCLAREN (80202)

16th Sept. 1942 - F. M. FURBER (80203)

14th Oct. 1941 - 778624 Cyril Aubrey Hudson BECK (80204) / 778604 John Victor Gordon DONALD (80205) // 5th Nov. 1941 - 777618 Keith Frederick Daniel ATTWELL (80206)

9th Dec. 1941 - 778242 Patrick Arthur DOREHILL (80207)


THE LONDON GAZETTE, 20 JANUARY, 1942

778719 Wilfred Aiden WALSH (112557) / 778698 Ian Campbell MEIKLE (112368) 17th Oct. 1941

(Note the variation in the spelling of his middle name)

(Walsh ended up with 80208 as per the CWGC, but I can’t find him anywhere else in the Gazette changing numbers again. Meikle ended up with 80209 and seems to have kept it for the rest of the war – but I don’t know how he got that number either)



PS - I can't find any hint of an Aussie connection

PPS - all of these members' old service numbers from when they were airmen were in the series
777600 to 778999 Jun 1940 Enlistments in Rhodesia

 

Hi Geoff,

Hurricane Z4799

Form 1180 - Copyright Credit RAF Museum Hendon

http://www.rafcommands.com/February_1942/2_2_1942/Z4799.pdf

Scroll down for both sides of the F1180

Regards
Ross

Thanks Ross.

Much appreciated.

Now for the Australian connection!

Cheers

Geoff

 

Thanks Dave.

Like he did not exist out of the above.

No notices etc.

Cheers

Geoff

 

PPS - all of these members' old service numbers from when they were airmen were in the series 777600 to 778999 Jun 1940 Enlistments in Rhodesia


The CWGC doesn't have any NoK details for Roy Maxwell QUARENDON - but he appears to have been an old Miltonian (Milton High School Selbourne Ave, Bulawayo), giving credence to the Rhodesian hint.




Walsh & Quarendon also appear on here:


ORAFs - Old Rhodesian Air Force Sods Roll of Honour of Rhodesian Aircrew in WW II: OurStory.com - Capture your stories, save them permanently.

 

Hi Geoff,

Beryl Salt's "A Pride of Eagles - The Definitive History of the Rhodesian Air Force 1920-1980" has both Walsh and Quarendon listed.

Walsh, born 5/4/1922 Gwelo, Southern Rhodesia.

No Aussie connection mentioned in either index or narrative.

Regards,

Dave

 

PPS - all of these members' old service numbers from when they were airmen were in the series 777600 to 778999 Jun 1940 Enlistments in Rhodesia


The CWGC doesn't have any NoK details for Roy Maxwell QUARENDON - but he appears to have been an old Miltonian (Milton High School Selbourne Ave, Bulawayo), giving credence to the Rhodesian hint.




Walsh & Quarendon also appear on here:


ORAFs - Old Rhodesian Air Force Sods Roll of Honour of Rhodesian Aircrew in WW II: OurStory.com - Capture your stories, save them permanently.

Quarendon, from Salt's tome, born London, 20/4/1915.

Regards,

Dave

 

Beryl Salt's "A Pride of Eagles - The Definitive History of the Rhodesian Air Force 1920-1980" has both Walsh and Quarendon listed. Walsh, born 5/4/1922 Gwelo, Southern Rhodesia.

No Aussie connection mentioned in either index or narrative.

I think this pretty much wraps it up, the Beryl Salt book appears to have been the origin of the ORAF ROH website I found a link to.

I might send the CWGC / OAWG an email to see if they can check where the "Of Australia" came from. In between all of the info now uncovered and a book to refer to they should be OK to change it to "Of Southern Rhodesia" (and do the same for Quarendon).

Hopefully the "Of Australia" doesn't appear on his headstone or it will require replacement.

 

Thanks to Dave and Dave!

I do not have the photos of the Alexandria (Hadra) War Memorial Cemetery (or another 482 in six other cemeteries there) in Egypt so unable to confirm what is on the headstone.

I was concerned about this one as there was nothing I could source locally. Will see what the CWGC replies with as they don't usually add of a country without a good reason!

Cheers

Geoff

 

"Will see what the CWGC replies with as they don't usually add of a country without a good reason!"

Not much joy from the CWGC:

Thank you for your email of 10 February. Please accept our apologies for the delay in reply, this is due to the high volume of enquiries we are currently receiving.

Our limited archival documents indicate that the contact address of the casualty’s next of kin after the war was Australia, and this information was subsequently transferred to our own records of the casualty. The Commission attempted contact with the next of kin, as indeed we wrote to the next of all kin, after both wars. However, no reply was received, either because the address was out of date, or the next of kin had moved, and as such no verification of the casualty’s age, hometown, or full next of details was available to us. In order to consider amendment, as you will appreciate we would require to see a copy of the casualty’s full birth certificate and service record, for confirmation.

I hope this is helpful and thank you for your interest.

 

Looks like we keep him at this stage until some other information comes forward. Possibly relations were living in Australia - Parents, Wife etc.

Cheers

Geoff

 

The headstone above does have "Of Australia".