[Observer1940]

Hello Martin

RAF Faygate, No. 49 Maintenance Unit collected Cleaver's aircraft on 17.8.1940 and their ORB states regarding collection of aircraft:-

"Faygate 17.8.40. Hurricane P3232 at Bishops Waltham."

I made a Press appeal in 2001 and received a headed letter from British Airports Authority Southampton who it seems must have contacted the AHB, as an extract of a letter (with top and bottom torn off) and photocopies of ORB pages relating to another crash were enclosed.

I can't put my fingers on Cleaver's Combat Report at the moment (as I have no detailed file index), my memory is a bit poor and that is why I decided in 2004 that everything I came across relating to 14th and 15th August relating to Eastleigh / Southampton area, must either be noted, photocopied or photographed, even published accounts that disagree with the actual records and even where Bomber Command Loss Cards (which Chorley must have used in part) disagree with ORBs and with the past help of the AHB, have been ironing out what is correct and what bits (discovered so far) are not, including searching for additional official records, such as Anti-aircraft Unit War Diaries in WO 166 series, other RAF Units, RAF Stations, O. Corps, Fire Brigade, British Telecom Archives, Coastguard Log, GRO Death Certs and anything official I can get my hands on, in public archives, or private hands. Relatives can usually get help from Undertakers records too, to see what they recorded.

Did you realise that some aircraft 'claimed' to have been shot down, were not actually shot down?

According to examples I have uncovered, what actually happened was that during the evasive manoeuvre, some bomber and fighter aircraft suffered structural failure and although published and official sources put them as shot down or enemy action, they were lost due to structural failure, which occurred while the aircraft was attempting to get out of the way of firing or searchlights!

However, back to the letter extract for Cleaver it states:- "Hurricane P3232 piloted by Flying Officer Gordon Neil Spencer Cleaver (90135) of 601 Squadron crashed near Bishops Waltham. He survived the crash."

Mark