Royal Air Force

As newcomer this question may already have been asked---how can I find out more about men who lost their lives whilst serving in Royal Air Force???
Wesley Wright

 

Hello Wesley,

Welcome to the forum, do you have anyone particular you are looking for? If so, could you please post the details you have and we will do our best to help.

Regards
Peter

 

I am researching all the men from my local area so their is quite a number of R.A.F MEN.
Wesley Wright

 

Wesley,

Why not post a list of your RAF men and we will see what we can do, I'm sure we will be able to help.

Regards
Peter

 

Charles Henry Young -RAFVR--DIED 06/10/1940-Cardiff western Cemetery.
Cyril Whittley--102 sqd RAF-DIED 26/04/1940--VADIM Cem-Denmark
Albert Upton-RAFVR-Died-02/11/1943-Runneymede Mem.
John White Swann--107sqd RAFVR-Died 15/09/1943--Glenarm New Cem.
I have another 25.
Thanks for help.
Wesley Wright

 

Name: WHITLEY, CYRIL CECIL Initials: C C Nationality: United Kingdom Rank: Aircraftman 2nd Class (W. Op.) Regiment/Service: Royal Air Force Unit Text: 102 Sqdn. Date of Death: 26/04/1940 Service No: 632190 Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead Grave/Memorial Reference: Coll. grave B. Cemetery: VADUM CEMETERY

25-26 April 1940

102 Squadron
Whitley V N1383 DY-H
Op. Aalborg

Took off 2248 hrs RAF Kinloss. All contact lost at 2244 hrs and a German broadcast made soon afterwards indicated that the aircraft had been shot down near Aalborg.

It has since been established that the Whitley crashed on Store Vildmose, 10 km Sw of Bronderslev and close to the town of Vadum north of Aalborg, denmark.

 

Hi Wesley and welcome to the forum.

All British and Commonwealth casualties of WW2 are listed on Geoff's wonderful search engine. You can identify it on on the left handside of the Forums Homepage and of course there are books that list casualties and give the circumstances of their death etc. like Chorley's RAF Bomber Command Losses of the Second World War:

Amazon.co.uk: bomber command losses: Books

Some of the members on here have them which makes it cheaper than buying them yourself

Good Luck with your research

Regards
Andy

 

Thanks for information--I have used Geoffs Search engine and I agree "it is wonderfull tool".
What information does Raf books contain??
Wesley Wright

 

The info varies from book to book and subject to subject. I suspect Post #6 is from one of Chorley's as an example.

Andy

 

Hi Wesley
Here are more information of Whitley, who now rest in Vadum,
Denmark:

Whitley V N1383 shot down by flak and crashed in Vildmosen moor on 26/4 1940

Regards
Torben Christensen
Denmark

 

Here is a picture of Whitleys tombestone,
information about chrashsite, and other things
in English:

Cyril Cecil Whitley

Regards
Torben Christensen
Denmark

 

Graves at Vadum cemetary (please forgive my spelling):
Vadum Kirkegård

Whitleys gravestone, information of chrash sites and other things in Danish and English:
Cyril Cecil Whitley

Regards
Torben Christensen
Denmark

 

Albert Upton-RAFVR-Died-02/11/1943-Runneymede Mem.

2nd November 1943.
No.131 O.T.U RAF Killadeas
Catalina IB. FP120
Crashed in the Atlantic off the Donegal coast.

F/O Kenneth Hipwell,RAF +
Sgt. Harold Edwin Scarman,RAF +
Sgt. Peter Phillip Bacon, RAF +
Sgt. Cyril Barraclough,RAF +
Sgt. James Male, RAF +
Sgt. Charles Edward Poots,RAF +
Sgt. Albert Upton. RAF. +
F/LT Edward Earle Muffitt, RCAF. +
F/O Douglas Haig Disney, RCAF. +

 

I have another 25.
Thanks for help.
Wesley Wright


Hi Wesley,

Why not post your full list of names, not saying we will be able to get a result for all but at least we can have a look.

As for your question about books related to RAF losses, there are quite a few available, ie. 'Bomber Command Losses' by W R. Chorley - These come in a 9 volume set, there are also very many more titles. But having said that, not all RAF losses are so well documented as in the Chorley books, it can take quite a bit of research to uncover some on the loss details, and in some cases nothing can be found as an aircraft would have been lost without trace.

If you are considering purchasing RAF loss books then I'll be only too pleased to list the ones I use, to give some idea of whats about on the market.

Regards
Peter

 

Wesley,

Hello and welcome to the forum.

Regards
Tom

 

Flt Lieu. H.W. Adams--26th Sqd R.AF.V.R.-died 22/07/1944-Brookwood mil Cem.
Harold Gibson Black--R.A.F.V.R.--DIED-28/12/1944-Carnmoney Cem.
John L.Carson--201sqd R.A.F.--Died-29/10/1940--carmoney Church of Ireland.
Nathaniel Crawford-R.A.F.V.R.--Died 31/05/1944-Raloo Church of Ireland
W.J.G.Gordon--802 sqd R.A.F. Died 09/06/1940--Runnymede Memorial.
Harry Victor Hawkins-467sqd R.A.F.V.R.-Died 28/07/1943--Hamburg Cem.
Joseph Hilditch--R.A.F.V.R-Died 15/03/1943--Durban Cem-Natal
John Hillis--76sqd R.A.F.V.R.-Died 31/03/1944--Hanover War cem.
Thomas C.Jordan--235 SQD R.A.F. Died 27/06/1940-Oegstgeest Protestant C/Yard.
Sqd Leader William A.Law--R.A.F.V.R-Died 08/07/1944-Golders Green Crem.
Cecil T.Lewis 88 SQD R.A.F.-Died 07/06/1940--Moisy Communnal
William J.Lilly 50sqd-R.A.F.V.R.-Died 24/09/1944-Runnymede Mem.
Wilson Lilly-R.A.F.V.R.-Died 11/08/1945--Labuan War Cem.-Malaysia
Will post remaining later.
Thanks to everone for the help.
Wesley Wright

 

Flt Lieu. H.W. Adams--26th Sqd R.AF.V.R.-died 22/07/1944-Brookwood mil Cem.

Reported as Killed on Active Service.

[FONT=&quot]'Killed on active service' means that the individual died as a result of an accident or something similar whilst engaged on operational duties. Thus, if a person was killed on a training sortie, or a flight not engaged in operations against the enemy that would be classed as KOAS. [/FONT]

 

W.J.G.Gordon--802 sqd R.A.F. Died 09/06/1940--Runnymede Memorial.
At the time of the above loss 802 Squadron FAA were serving on HMS Glorious when the aircraft carrier was lost.....

The squadron ceased to exist with the loss of HMS Glorious, sunk by the German battlecruisers Scharnhorst and Gneisenau on 8 June 1940 during the defence of Norway.

 

Harry Victor Hawkins-467sqd R.A.F.V.R.-Died 28/07/1943--Hamburg Cem.
27-28 July 1943

467 Squadron
Lancaster III W5003 PO-H
Op. Hamburg

Took off Bottesford. Shot down by night-fighter.

RAF History - Bomber Command 60th Anniversary

 

John Hillis--76sqd R.A.F.V.R.-Died 31/03/1944--Hanover War cem.
30-31 March 1944

76 Squadron
Halifax III HX241 EY-P
Op. Nuremberg

Took off 2223 hrs from Breighton. Outbound shot down by a night-fighter and crashed at Allendorf.

Nuremberg raid 30/31 March 1944

This would normally have been the moon stand-down period for the Main Force, but a raid to the distant target of Nuremberg was planned on the basis of an early forecast that there would be protective high cloud on the outward route, when the moon would be up, but that the target area would be clear for ground-marked bombing. A Meteorological Flight Mosquito carried out a reconnaissance and reported that the protective cloud was unlikely to be present and that there could be cloud over the target, but the raid was not cancelled.
795 aircraft were dispatched - 572 Lancasters, 214 Halifaxes and 9 Mosquitos. The German controller ignored all the diversions and assembled his fighters at 2 radio beacons which happened to be astride the route to Nuremberg. The first fighters appeared just before the bombers reached the Belgian border and a fierce battle in the moonlight lasted for the next hour. 82 bombers were lost on the outward route and near the target. The action was much reduced on the return flight, when most of the German fighters had to land, but 95 bombers were lost in all - 64 Lancasters and 31 Halifaxes, 11.9 per cent of the force dispatched. It was the biggest Bomber Command loss of the war.

Most of the returning crews reported that they had bombed Nuremberg but subsequent research showed that approximately 120 aircraft had bombed Schweinfurt, 50 miles north-west of Nuremberg. This mistake was a result of badly forecast winds causing navigational difficulties. 2 Pathfinder aircraft dropped markers at Schweinfurt. Much of the bombing in the Schweinfurt area fell outside the town and only 2 people were killed in that area. The main raid at Nuremberg was a failure. The city was covered by thick cloud and a fierce cross-wind which developed on the final approach to the target caused many of the Pathfinder aircraft to mark too far to the east. A 10-mile-long creepback also developed into the countryside north of Nuremberg. Both Pathfinders and Main Force aircraft were under heavy fighter attack throughout the raid. Little damage was caused in Nuremberg.