AC2 Henry Johnson RAFVR

[alanatabz]

Looking for any further info on AC2 Henry Johnson RAFVR (1165694).

He died based at RAF Dyce, however at the time he was operating a beacon near Cruden Bay (Based on 1- Newspaper article a few days later, 2- Aberdeen/shire incidents register for 1st March 1941)

TNA file details the death, but not specific in locations or role he was doing.

I have been trying to determine where the beacon was, did it mean the area that became a LORAN station later on in the war or was there something else, perhaps a visual one on the cliffs? Not sure what beacon types the RAF had in 1941 - radio or visial?

he died when a German aircraft at 19:45 hrs on 1st March flew in low and dropped 4 x HE bombs into a field, shrapnel and debris from the adjacent field to a farmhouse resulted in debris/shrapnel hitting him on the head in the area beside the farmhouse.

[RSwank]

This link says it was a "Mobile Beacon":
https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ww2peo...a1124317.shtml

One possibility then might be a Pundit Light:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pundit_Beacon

http://www.rafharrowbeer.co.uk/about.htm

[alanatabz]

Many thanks

Is the first link correct? looks like a story about shipping?

[alanatabz]

Apologies, see it now. Yes Mobile Beacon.

As best I can tell the farm was run my McGarrol family, the Galls family stayed I a small cottage nearby and the owners kids were at the farm getting water when the bombs were dropped

[Icare9]

The Cruden Bay website might give the reason for a beacon being there:

The first you see of Cruden Bay is St James's Church, prominently positioned on Chapel Hill amid open fields, with a spire that makes it one of the most prominent landmarks in the area.

The Cruden Bay Hotel was used as a hospital in WW2.
Presumably there must have been something to cause a bomber to drop 4 bombs, possibly the kids flashing the Victory sign?
Would it still have been light at that time?

[alanatabz]

Sunset here at that time of year would have been at 18:21 , so probably dark. The location would be known as land due to difference between land and sea with cliffs. A church is only noticeable if at very low level, from a greater height you could not see features like a church. This church is at the south end of Cruden Bay, the farm here is on the North side and not that far from RAF Peterhead and RAF Dyce.

One of the links on this thread refer the attack as following on from the back of convoy attacks.

With the aircraft type and date, perhaps anybody could care to identify the Luftwaffe Unit that did the attack based on one of the A/C being lost? It does mention "Oberleutnant H. Kühn ", Will need to see where the engine / prop went from Strathallan, perhaps Museum of Flight at East Linton?

The link on the Tewkesbury has a big area of coverage in relation to this bombing, it mentions Slains Lodge (a good bit South) then Crashing off of Whitehills, which is a good bit North. Perhaps plane flew NNW from Slains to Cruden bay, but unsure why if crashed near whitehills, as that track would be mostly over land unless it was hit as sea and turned back to make land...