Aircraft crash at Addlestone, Surrey 1st July 1942
 

Hello Forumites
I am trying to identify the type and serial number of an aircraft which crashed at the Saunders Roe factory at "Chertsey Mead" in Surrey which killed Geoffrey Silverwood LAMB (and possibly Ronald Conway) in July '42. Possibly a Walrus aircraft.
Tia
Andy WIS

Re: Aircraft crash at Addlestone, Surrey 1st July 1942
 

Andy,

Somehow found no casualty Geoffrey Silverwood Lamb or Ronald Conway on CWGC or on naval-history.net with date 1 July 1942 (or any other date for that matter), so they survived?

Royal Navy Pilot Geoffrey S. Lamb on HMS Exeter during the Battle of the River Plate in Dec 1939.

Regards,

Leendert

Re: Aircraft crash at Addlestone, Surrey 1st July 1942
 

Thanks Leendert.
No grave exists for Lamb as he was cremated at Woking Crematorium. The Crem has no record of Conway - his body was taken away for a family burial.
It was not unusual for servicemen or women to be "missing" from the CWGC records - "Shorty" Longbottom being another.
Atb
Andy Bigweeker

Re: Aircraft crash at Addlestone, Surrey 1st July 1942
 

Thanks Leendert.
No grave exists for Lamb as he was cremated at Woking Crematorium. The Crem has no record of Conway - his body was taken away for a family burial.
It was not unusual for servicemen or women to be "missing" from the CWGC records - "Shorty" Longbottom being another.
Atb
Andy Bigweeker

Re: Aircraft crash at Addlestone, Surrey 1st July 1942
 

The Navy List of Oct 1942 lists him as being deceased from the Retired List. This woukd likely explain him missing from CWGC. He may have been a civilian killed flying for a private enterprize. Yes he was probably flying a service aircraft but doubt he would qualify for a normal CWGC entry or that of a civilian since crash was not due to enemy action.

Re: Aircraft crash at Addlestone, Surrey 1st July 1942
 

Hello,

The following cryptic remark from Peter London's, Saunders and Saro Aircraft since 1917, could provide a clue to the identity of the Walrus loss at Addlestone:

Another site developed as a wartime expedient was situated on the Weybridge trading estate at Addlestone in Surrey. There were also two much smaller works at Hersham and Byfleet. Weybridge produced the Walrus II with wooden hulls supplied by Elliotts of Newbury, in addition to the more usual metal ones, the main factory had been made available for the amphibians to fly from, though it was surrounded by high-tension cables on tall pylons and thus was far from ideal; at least one Walrus was destroyed while attempting to leave.

See:
Saunders and Saro Aircraft since 1917.
London,Peter.
London:Putnam,1988
pp.31-2 & 298-9

Col.

Re: Aircraft crash at Addlestone, Surrey 1st July 1942
 

The Probate calender entry for Lamb says he was killed at the Saunders Row facility

On the other hand for Ronald Walter CONWAY it states killed on war service. Indicating he was a service member and hence I would expect to find him on CWGC.

Some one being cremated would still get a CWGC entry, they might be recorded as being at a cremation wall or simpley on the Runnymede memorial or Plymouth for a FAA casualty. They might be on a screen wall in a cemetery also. Lots and lots of options.

Re: Aircraft crash at Addlestone, Surrey 1st July 1942
 

And one other oddity is that Conway and Lamb are not on tge same or adjacent pages of the GRO death register. Check freebmd.org.uk

I think this might simply point to bodies lost in water and Conway was not recovered or washed up until a few days later.

There is a trial period on going with the GRO where you can order death certs by pdf. It might be of interest in this case.

http://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/certificates/

They wont tell you the serial number however.

Re: Aircraft crash at Addlestone, Surrey 1st July 1942
 

Hello,

The Times has the following notice for Lamb:

ON ACTIVE SERVICE - LAMB, - in July, 1942, on active service, GEOFFREY SILVERWOOD LAMB, late of H.M.S. Exeter, beloved husband of Sylvia Lamb, Crossways Cottage, Shawford, Winchester.

The Times. Thursday, July 23, 1942. p.1.

Col.

Re: Aircraft crash at Addlestone, Surrey 1st July 1942
 

I seen that obituary on ancestry also but I don't think the "on active service" statement is reflective of his actual status per the above navy list etc