48335 Oliver RIXHAM, Royal Air Force: Died 1942, aged 52 years

Dicky

The qualifying periods for the normal CWGC headstone are as below;

WW1 ...4 August 1914 to 31 August 1921

WW2 ...3 September 1939 to 31 December 1947

These are for servicemen who died in service for any reason.The start dates shown are for the start of each conflict but as for the reason for the closing dates,it's not clear how the decision making was for these dates.

Outside these dates,the headstone takes the form of the shoulders being being clipped.A look at Scampton churchyard military section cemetery shows the difference between the two types of headstone.

Interestingly,quite a number of aircrew were killed a few months before the outbreak of WW2 while the Bomber Command squadrons were working up new aircraft such as the Hampden....these casualties in most cases,such as at Harpswell, have civilian gravestones with RAF adornment rather than the clipped headstone, having not qualified for the normal CWGC headstone.

The British occupation of the Sudan ended on 1 January 1956 when independence came into force,there had been a British official presence for 56 years and a union with Egypt for a 136 years .As the Canal Zone,it was regarded as an important territory for British interests

 

Natural causes or tropical disease would be my first response for a 52 year old.
Not saying he was unfit (as there'll be howls of outrage from the many half-centurions here ) but without any report of fighting, aircrash etc then an RAF type isn't likely to be a front line soldier.
Of course he could have been murdered, but without other evidence, it seems he died in Khartoum (hospital) and then buried in the cemetery there.

There might possibly be a link with Sqdn Ldr Monroe who died on 29 October 1942, but for Rixham to take a further 3 weeks to die makes me feel they aren't connected except by location.

Good to see you posting again, Mavis, trust you're still soldiering on with your Hawarden task Keep well!

 

Anyone with FMP access??

Name: Oliver Rixham. | The National Archives
Reference: AIR 79/1525/168596
Description:
Name: Oliver Rixham.
Date: [1918-1928]
Legal status: Public Record(s)
Language: English
Closure status: Open Document, Open Description
Access conditions: Open Immediately
This is available to download from Findmypast

MIght give you some idea what he did within the RAF which may provide a better understanding of what he was doing in Sudan - maybe

TD

 

Hi Deacs and everyone, I found the newspaper cutting and many more, it seems that he was quite a character! Thanks again, Mavis

 

Mavis - for the effort members have put in it would be nice if you expanded on your last statement and/or provided copies of the cuttings for members to read and if you do find out how/why he died that would be nice to know as well, it sort of rounds off the thread for all those involved and for those who have not been involved but have followed the thread from a distance

TD

 

No. 117 Squadron RAF - Wikipedia
No. 117 reformed on 30 April 1941 at Khartoum, Sudan and incorporated the Khartoum Communications Flight which already had a captured Italian Caproni Ca.148 aircraft that had been impressed into service in 1940


World War 2 - RAF No. 112 Squadron, May/June 1940
One flight was also detached to the Sudan at this time (based around Port Sudan for the protection of the port, and during the first few days of the War against Italy flew many patrols above the harbour), but was taken over by No 14 Squadron on 30 June.

World War 2 - RAF No. 14 Squadron, May/June 1940
No 111 Squadron was re-numbered No 14 on 1 February 1920 at Ramlah in Palestine
The entry of Italy into the war saw the squadron move to Egypt, back to Palestine and then to the Sudan, where it carried out raids against Italian bases in Eritrea

I guess there are other squadrons based in Sudan during WW2

TD

 

Thanks TD, much appreciated, but have written to you privately. Mavis