Details for these WW2 RAF casualties?

[wwrsimon]

Hello everyone

I'm trying to put details to these RAF casualties, if anyone can help:

BECK, Oswell, 524300, killed May 6 1940, no further information

BROWN, John Baldwin Foulger, 3040093, 55 Sqn, killed February 22 1945, buried Padua War Cemetery

HERDMAN, Roy Metcalf, 1473480, 357 Sqn, killed September 7 1945, commemorated on the Singapore Memorial

JOHNSTONE, John Emmanuel, 1683512, 38 Sqn, killed June 9 1945, buried Ancona Cemetery

MORTON, John William, 177198, killed June 13th 1944, buried Ashington

RIDDELL, George Robert Sawhill, 1777038, killed November 21st 1943, commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial

SMITH, Newton, 1676114, no unit known, killed September 3 1945, buried Bedlington, Northumberland

STOREY, James Henry, 1099164, 38 Sqn, killed July 3 1944, buried Leros War Cemetery, Greece

TURNBULL, David Lester, 1304281, 213 Sqn, killed June 23 1942, buried El Alamein War Cemetery

WOOD, William Eric, 1083974, 131 Sqn, killed December 1 1943, buried Alnwick Cemetery

Many thanks.

Regards

Simon

EDIT - all those in grey are now sorted. Still looking for the ones in black.

[RSwank]

Crash involving Oswell Beck is listed on this link. Search for Beck on the page.

http://www.ww2talk.com/forum/war-air/21289-raf-losses-may-1940-update-2.html

[wwrsimon]

Thanks for the link about Beck - much appreciated.

The list has been edited to show those still needing info.

Regards

Simon

[JohnE]

Can you give the details for William Eric Wood, please?

John

[wwrsimon]

Can you give the details for William Eric Wood, please?

John

No problem John:

Flt Sgt (Pilot)
131 Sqn
KIA 1st December 1943 aged 24
Service Nº 1083974
Son of James and Jane Wood, of Alnwick, Northumberland.
Buried Alnwick Cemetery.

Spitfire IX MA799 Dived into ground during formation turn in bad visibility, Eveley Farm, near Blandford, Dorset. 1-12-1943.

Info received over on the RAF Commands forum.

Regards

Simon

[RSwank]

I think G.R.S. Riddell was from the 4 OTU and was killed in the crash of a Short Sunderland on a night training mission near Nigg, Scotland.

Here are my reasons for such a conclusion.

Searching for "Riddell" from "1944" to "1944" on this next link yields 11 hits.

http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/index.html

The 8th one down the page has a paragraph entitled:
"Previously Reported Missing, Believed Killed on Active Service, Now Presumed Killed on Active Service."

There are 6 men listed in the paragraph, including G. R. S. Riddell.


When you check the 6 names on the Graves Commission Website:

http://www.cwgc.org/debt_of_honour.asp?menuid=14

Four of the names are listed as dying on the same day 21-Nov-43.
George Robert Sawhill Riddell
John Raymond Harnwell
William McCarroll
Sydney Albert Spencer

A Search for "John Raymond Harnwell" yields this link:

http://www.nextech.de/genealogy/harnwell/p3.htm

If you find him on the page, you learn he was lost in the crash of a Short Sunderland in Scotland on 21 Nov 1943.

A Google search for "William McCarroll"|"McCarroll, William" RAF yields:

http://www.rafcommands.com/forum/showthread.php?1034-Flt-Lt-Willie-McCarroll

and we learn the crash involved 4 OTU.

Finally, searching for the crash of a Short Sunderland on 21 Nov 43 in Scotland yields:

http://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=14906

A crash of L2168 from 4 OTU on a night training flight near Nigg, Ross & Cromarty on 21 Nov 43.

I found a reference on another website which mentioned 1 killed and 4 missing on the Sunderland crash at Nigg. So I think the 4 missing are the 4 we found above, including Riddell.

[wwrsimon]

Thanks for the reply about Riddell - that's a mean piece of detective work! :)

Regards

Simon

[Henk Welting]

.......and number 5 on Sunderland L2168 may have been F/O Lawrence JACKSON - 129436 - commemorated Panel 125 of the Runnymede Memorial.
Regards,
Henk.