Col
The 271 Squadron ORB is not a great deal of help in respect of the total number of bodies on board K7011 when it left Portreath.
The history of the flight starts at 1445 hours on 9 December when K7011 left Doncaster to reposition at Hendon. On the 11th it left Hendon at 1400 hours, bound for Portreath carrying 6 passengers and 300 lbs of kit.
When it left Portreath on the 19th the load was the same, 6 passengers and 300 lbs of kit.
So the crucial question as to whether there were 10 or 11 bodies on board revolves round the number of crew members - 4 or 5. There was a discussion about this on RAF Commands nine years ago, but no answer was forthcoming
http://www.rafcommands.com/forum/sho...ey-Page-Harrow
I've tried finding a definitive answer on the Internet, but every item concentrates on the five-man crew required for the bomber version of the type
The F1180 for K7011 names two pilots, S/L C A Brown and Flt Lt E T Halley; there would certainly have been a navigator and wireless operator, but what would a fifth man have done?
Whatever, if the manifest records six passengers and the F1180 records 11 casualties, there should have been five crew.
The only additional information provided by the ORB is
Aircraft reported missing vide No 1 OADU signal T.O.O. 1000 hours 21 December 1942.
Probably a long shot, but I'll order copies of the relevant pages from Kew.
Brian