RAF COLLEGE CRANWELL “WW2 Roll of Honour” Volume 2 - SFTS Airmen Training [Best estimates at time of issue. Some errors and omissions likely. WIP] Version 1.4 9 June 2021 IBM Steward 6GE. Contact by email to [email protected] if you can provide clarification or suggest amendments. Context The Royal Air Force was formed on 1 April 1918, from the amalgamation of the Royal Flying Corps and the Royal Naval Air Service. Our founder, MRAF Viscount Trenchard, had a vision that extended beyond the formation of a strategic independent air force, the first of its kind, to include the creation of the requisite support infrastructure, including Officer training at RAF Cranwell, Apprenticeship training at RAF Halton and the RAF Staff College. By the outbreak of the Second World War, some 956 UK Flight Cadets had entered the RAF College on 36 Entries. Another 134 cadets from the next six Entries, however, had their training abruptly terminated, the College being closed for officer training as soon as war was declared. Some of these, like AH Humphrey (later MRAF Sir Andrew Humphrey), were enlisted as airmen u/t pilots to complete their flying training at the Service Flying Training School (SFTS) set up at RAF Cranwell on the same eventful day. Our research has tried to establish all the flight cadets and SFTS airmen who gave their lives during the struggle of WWII. Volume 1 contains the Roll of Honour of former flight cadets. In this booklet, Volume 2, we attempt to capture the names of aircrew, trained by SFTS Cranwell, who subsequently lost their lives in WWII. Our justification for their inclusion recognises both their training at RAF Cranwell and their residence in the College Hall Officers’ Mess (CHOM) for four months - several weeks longer than the modern cadet of today who spends only the last term (6 weeks) as a resident at CHOM. All are bone fide Cranwellians. The task of establishing a definitive Roll of Honour for SFTS Cranwellians has been considerably more difficult, because their archived records, unlike those of their flight cadet counterparts, merely listed names and initials; the fortunes of individual SFTS graduates were tracked only until 1941, such diligence previously extended to flight cadet records being discontinued doubtless due to the pressures of wartime commitments. In most instances, however, we have been able to cite specific circumstances of a loss, including aircraft type and serial number, operation and location. Erring on the side of caution, we have listed in italics those Cranwellians whose SFTS records omit information on their demise, notwithstanding the evidence elsewhere. Some details are prefixed “possible” or “likely” to highlight a name (e.g. Brown J, JA and GH) with several potential matches. Every attempt has been made to list only legitimate Cranwellians, but all ‘possibles’ are included until we can be certain that they may be justifiably discounted from this particular RoH; regardless, we will remember them. The output is a series of tables attempting to establish, together with Volume 1, a definitive Cranwellian Roll of Honour. Its creation is the result of correlating the aforementioned College records with a selection of acknowledged databases and reference manuals, such as the “Forces War Records” military database, the RAF Commands Database Air81, the International Bomber Command Centre (IBCC) database, WR Chorley’s RAF Bomber Command Losses Volume 9, David Gunby’s & Pelham Temple’s Bomber Losses in the Middle East & Mediterranean, Norman LR Frank’s Fighter Command Losses Volumes 1 to 3, Kenneth G Wynn’s Men of the Battle of Britain, and Francis K Mason’s Battle over Britain. RAF Cranwell F540 ORBs offered some limited, additional information. A visit to the National Records at Kew is intended, post the Coronavirus pandemic. By starting with the College’s own limited records as a baseline and systematically verifying them against the ‘acknowledged’ databases and manuals, as they are updated or emerge, the premise thus has been to include all potential candidates - “lest we forget”. We would welcome any information that addresses any omissions or errors that we may have made; email Ian at [email protected]. We accept that at this early stage of our analysis, there could be a significant number, for which we would ask your forbearance. Name Decorations Entry Circumstances of Loss Date Aberdeen E SFTS 30 KOAS with R McCoy in Oxford aircraft after mid-air collision with 412 Sqn Spitfire; verified by College SFTS ORB entry. 9/1/42 Acheson JOF SFTS8 Missing Presumed Killed CL No 82 - as yet unable to verify this annotation on STFS records. - Adams HWS SFTS7 KIA 38 Sqn; Wellington CR 1033; over Libya. 14/4/41 Adams PE SFTS18 KIA 107 Sqn; Blenheim IV N3593 OM-?; Wattisham-day raid on Soest; crashed Holland. 23/6/40 Akarcay H SFTS 48 KIA; with instructor LF Chapman; Miles Master shot down at night, just after take-off, by enemy intruder; College SFTS ORB entry. 4/9/43 Akerman FS SFTS27 KOAS 207 Sqn; Lancaster I R5550 EM-B; Bottesford-training; Manchester collided with him. 6/8/42 Alcock SH DFC SFTS15 KIA 83 Sqn; Lancaster III JB724 OL-V; Wyton-Berlin; Shot down by night fighter; Belgium. 27/1/44 Aldard TM SFTS18 KOAS 3 S of GR; Botha Mk 1 L6265; Squire’s Gate-Anglesey; ditched Puffin Island. 6/5/41 Allen RS SFTS28 KIA 214 Sqn; Stirling I EF329 BU-C; Chedburgh-Hamburg; flak and crashed S of Bremen. 3/3/43 Allen VP SFTS21 KOAS; College SFTS ORB corroborates SFTS listing, but initials may be VF. - Allignal RH U/K KOAS; Free French pupil buried in Cranwell village cemetery; verified College SFTS ORB entry. 22/6/42 Alston T SFTS29 KIA 21 Sqn; Blenheim IV R3884 YH-?; Watton-Maritime Patrol; naval flak off Texel. 3/3/41 Ambrose R SFTS5 BoB; KOAS 151 Sqn; Hurricane I V7406, aircraft accident, Stapleford. 4/9/40 Anderson A SFTS41 KIA 49 Sqn; Lancaster III ED620 EA-K; Fiskerton-Stettin; flak near RingKobing. 21/4/43 Anderson JT SFTS19 KIA 115 Sqn; Lancaster II DS725 KO-F; Little Snoring-Leipzig; night; crashed at Engersen. 20/10/43 Anderson PG SFTS14 KIA 144 Sqn; Hampden AE225 PL-? Shot down; near Brest; died whilst PoW. 21/7/41 Anderton JH SFTS42 KIA 15 Sqn; Stirling III EH941 LS-V; Mildenhall-Mannheim; crashed at Hassloch. 23/9/43 Anderton W SFTS23 KIA 48 Sqn; Hudson Mk V AE652; Sola, Norway. 7/1/42 Andreae CJD SFTS8 BoB; KIA 64 Sqn; Spitfire Ia R6990; failed to return; Bf 109s over Channel. 15/8/40 Andrewes PL SFTS42 KIA 16 Sqn; Lancaster III ND399 AS-R; Kirmingto-Gelsenkirchen; night fighter Ugchelen. 13/6/44 Ang F SFTS 52 KOAS in Miles Master carrying out night flying exercises; verified by College SFTS ORB entry. 24/9/44 Angel AA AFU1 KIA 101 Sqn; Wellington III BJ583 SR-?; Bourn-Mining off Heligoland. 12/7/42 Armstrong RG DFC, Dux Medal AFU1 KIA 49 Sqn; Lancaster III ND687 EA-P; Fiskerton-Schweinfurt; night fighter Igelsloch. 26/4/44 Arnott JW SFTS10 KOAS 207 Sqn; Manchester I L7310 EM-H; Waddington-air test; engine; died of injuries. 20/7/41 Arup PD SFTS7 KOAS 15 OTU; Wellington I L4264; aircraft accident, Harwell. 5/8/40 Ash RG SFTS9 KIA 50 Sqn; Hampden I X3117 VN-?; Lindholme-Mannheim; night; hit by flak Eifel. 12/12/40 Ashby PB SFTS19 KIA 21 Sqn; Blenheim IV V6035 YH-O; Manston-Maritime Patrol; flak off Oostende. 23/7/41 Atkinson JC DFM SFTS13 KIA 50 Sqn; Lancaster W4382 VN-? Skellingthorpe-Soltau; night; lost without trace. 18/12/42 Attewell DA SFTS15 KOAS 22 Sqn; Beaufort N1158; St Eval 18/6/41 Babington CH SFTS16 KOAS 157 Sqn; Mosquito DD601 Cambridgeshire 19/5/42 Babington RV SFTS35 KIA 466 Sqn; Wellington X HE152 HD-L; Leconfield-Mining Nectarines; marine flak and crashed Ameland. 14/1/43 Bacon CH SFTS6 BoB; KOAS 610 Sqn; Spitfire Ia K9818 aircraft accident. 30/9/40 Baildon CA Suicide (bus accident in Lincoln); College SFTS ORB entry 18/11/44 Bailey P SFTS46 KIA 103 Sqn; Lancaster I W4788 PM-?; Elsham Wolds-Hamburg; night ops; mid-air collision Hohenaspe. 3/3/43 Bailey JOD SFTS8 Missing CL No 49; NOT YET FOUND IN OTHER DATABASES. - Baillon PA SFTS11 KIA 609 Sqn; Spitfire Mk 1a P9503 shot down IoW. 28/11/40 Baker FW SFTS28 KIA 12 Sqn; Lancaster I W4369 PH-Z; Wickenby-Essen; night ops; flak, crashing in Duisburg. 11/1/43 Baker HJR SFTS14 KOAS Cranwell; NOT YET FOUND IN OTHER DATABASES. 25/11/41 Baker LT MiD SFTS28/SFTS29 KIA 150 Sqn; Wellington III X3279 JN-M; Snaith-Emden; shot down by a night-fighter; Waddenzee. 7/6/42 Baker VE SFTS10 KIA 61 Sqn; Hampden I AE263 QR-?; North Luffenham-Kiel; night ops; lost without trace. 9/8/41 Baker WG SFTS29 KIA 78 Sqn; Halifax III LW589 EY-G; Breighton-Berlin; shot down by night-fighter; Les Hautes Rivieres. 24/3/44 Barclay RGA SFTS7 ex-BoB; KIA OC 238 Sqn; Spitfire; top cover patrol for 274 Sqn, Alamein area; jumped by III/JG27 Bf109s. 17/7/42 Barker L SFTS26 KOAS 15 OTU; Wellington IC Z9109; Mount Farm night flying ex; crashed in the airfield circuit. 28/12/41 Barker R SFTS50 KIA 100 Sqn; Lancaster III JB603 HW-E; Grimsby-Hannover; night ops; shot down Haarbroek. 5/1/45 Name Decorations Entry Circumstances of Loss Date Barrow JA SFTS13 RAFC records refer to CL 73; KIA Missing; as yet unable to confirm from other data sources.