Hi all I am researching an RAF navigator and hit a brick wall? New to WW2 research and seeking tips where to look please. Details.. Flt lt George Thomas Lowe Navigator RAF Topcliffe Served in Canada and America through the war Apparently went missing over the north Sea near Tyneside on exercise on 6th April 1948 That all I have so far? Spent hours googling various sites, crash records etc.. Aircraft unknown? Service records ordered.. would his records continue on to 1948? Any tips greatly appreciated? With thanks Andy
I would suggest that his Squadron records probably at the National Archives at Kew would have details of the loss, his service records would also have details, I would suggest that checking the local press for the relevant time might also have mention - Evening Chronicle for Tyneside, Shields Gazette for South Shields.
I have the following re the above loss..... 5 April 1948 1 Air Navigational School Wellington X RP504 The aircraft took off at 0930 hours on a navigation cross country exercise and at 1435 hours a position report indicated that the aircraft was on the last leg of its sortie and was about 120 miles from base (RAF Topcliffe) at a briefed height of 15000 feet. Nothing further was heard of the aircraft and it is assumed to have crashed into the sea. Crew. Pilot II John Davies + Peter Jezzard DFM + Navigator George Thomas Lowe + Source - Final Landings - C. Cummings http://www.baaa-acro.com/1948/archives/crash-of-a-vickers-wellington-in-united-kingdom-3-killed-5/
Hello Andy, Fl/Lt George Thomas Lowe should be commemorated on the Armed Forces Memorial (the postwar equivalent of the CWGC). When I tried searching via "Geoff's Search Engine, his name is listed: Geoff's AFM Search Engine Page 1 of 1 001 LOWE , GEORGE THOMAS +05 April 1948 002 FANTHORP , PETER GEORGE ALISTER +22 April 1948 003 EDMONDS , GEORGE EDWARD +10 January 1950 004 OVERY , George Harry +02 November 1952 The link Geoff provides should lead to the relevant record on the Armed Forces Memorial (Ministry of Defence website) but when I tried this it failed to work. I suspect the MOD has taken the AFM pages offline, hopefully on a temporary basis. The AFM is located at the National Arboretun in Staffordshire but according to the National Arboretum website the Armed Forces Memorial is "... presently inaccessible due to essential maintenance work." That's as far as we seem to be able to get for the present but at some time in the future presumably the online AFM listings will be accessible once more. Hope this has helped.
I have uploaded a photo of George Thomas Lowe, hope you can see it. He is 4th from the left on front row.
