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General => The Common Room => Topic started by: Beard grandchild on Tuesday 04 March 08 14:27 GMT (UK)
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This is a very long shot I know, because you are all far too young, but were any of you stationed at Waddington during the war?
I am trying to trace a pilot who was killed (engaged to my Mother at the time), and I have a photo, but no surname.
Pat.
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Hi Pat
have you tried asking on these website
http://www.worldwar2exraf.co.uk/RAF%20Stations/Waddington.htm
http://www.wartimememories.co.uk/airfields/waddington.html
ricky
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I've tried all of the ex- services sites. They have all posted the photo for me, but with no success.It's probably something that we will never find out, but I just thought that it was worth a try.
Thanks for your help anyway,
Cheers, Pat.
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Hi Pat,
can you post the information you do have - first name, date of death etc.
We may be able to do something with the information.
Thudders
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Hi Thudders,
I've just picked up your message. We have very little to go on I'm afraid. The photo came to light when my Mother died 5 years ago. Her younger sister remembered the young man, although she was only about 8 when he died.
She remembered him as Anthony Peter, although extensive searches of those christian names in that order have brought up no one who fits.The nearest match we have come up with is a Peter Antony Lovegrove who was KIA on Nov.12th 1942, and is buried in Pozan Old Garrison Cemetery, but despite a posting of the picture in the Leicester Mercury we have not managed to get a definate ID.
The only definate things I know are that he was always known as Ginger. He was a Pilot Officer and flew from a Lincolnshire Airfield. My Mother was a Waaf, stationed at Waddington, and the fact that they both used to visit my Grandmother's house at Worksop quite frequently suggests that he too was stationed at, or near to Waddington. His death was definately before November 1943 .He was an only child, from what my Aunt describes as a very genteel family.
As you see, it is like looking for a needle in a haystack. If we had only asked my Mother before she died, we would have had all the answers, but it was something that had happened so long ago it had been almost forgotten - but not by her, as the saved photo proved.
Cheers, Pat.
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Hi Pat.
If it was Peter anthony Lovegrove, then this is your chap:
http://www.lostbombers.co.uk/bomber.php?id=11161
You will see that he survived the crash but, sadly, died whilst a POW. That said, there is his POW number so you should be able to get something from that via the National Archive.
In addition, 83 Squadron was based in Lincolnshire (RAF Scampton)
http://www.raf.mod.uk/bombercommand/h83.html
Hope this helps.
Thudders
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Is this what you have already Pat ? .... probably is !! :-\
LOVEGROVE, PETER ANTHONY
Rank - Flying Officer (Pilot.)
Regiment/Service - Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
Unit Text - 83 Sqdn.
Age - 22
Date of Death - 12/11/1942
Service No - 62324
Additional information - Son of Edward Tyler Lovegrove and Hilda Madeline Lovegrove, of Thorpe Arnold, Leicestershire.
Casualty Type - Commonwealth War Dead
Grave/Memorial Reference - 6. A. 14.
Cemetery - POZNAN OLD GARRISON CEMETERY
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I wonder if you could start conversation by asking the church about WW2 memorial ... and if Peter is on it .... and then kind of go from there .... ::)
http://www.ruralcc.org.uk/communitybuildings/THOCHU1
Annie :)
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Thanks to you all, but that must be the wrong man. We are almost certain that he died instantly when he crashed or was shot down coming back from a raid. From what I recall my Mother saying, he was in radio contact when it happened, and I always understood that it happened not far from base. This is why I have always had my doubts about Peter Lovegrove due to his burial location.
So, even if we haven't identified him, I'm now sure that we can rule my one possibility out. Thanks to you all again - I can now start trawling the CWGG war graves site to see if I can find another match to follow up. Why ,oh why don't we ask these questions while there is still someone alive that knows the answers??
Cheers, Pat.
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Hi Pat
Do you know if he was born in England, as there were a lot of Canadians flying from airfields around Lincolnshire. The little village that I come from which is about 8 or 9 miles from Waddington has loads of graves for them killed in world war 2. He might not even have flown from Waddington as there are several airfields within a few miles of Waddington.
http://raf-lincolnshire.info/history/worldwar2.htm
ricky
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Yes, Ginger was definately English - my Aunt is sure that he came more from the south of England. She is away at the moment, but I will see if she knows what type of aircraft he flew. I've had a quick look on the 'lost bombers' site that you mentioned. Thats a new site that I hadn't found.
It's really good of you all trying to help like this, to be honest, since I posted my last message on one of the WW2 sites in Jan.2008, I had resigned myself to never finding out who he was because I have tried all sorts of things since I became a Silver Surfer last July, with no luck at all.
Thanks again,
Pat.
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Hi Pat
If you could find out what sort of plane he flew, would help norrow down the airfield, as lots of them around Waddington, were just fighter bases. I am pretty certain Waddington was for Bombers. I will e-mail my uncle later tonite, as he was based at an RAF site in Lincolnshire, and he married me mums sister, and they came from Blankney, which is only a few miles from Waddington.
ricky
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Hi Ricky,
I phoned my Aunt and asked her about what planes Ginger flew, and she didn't know - as she said she was only about 8 when he was killed. What she did say though ,was that she was 95% sure that he was with Bomber Command.
My Mum was stationed at Waddington until about April 1944, as a wireless operator.
Thanks again for your help,
Pat.
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Hi
I read with interest the blog about Peter Anthony Lovegrove as he was my uncle. I think you have already guessed it does not sound like you have found the person you are looking for as my uncle survived when the plane was shot down near Cloppenberg in Germany. He was taken prisoner. He later died falling from a building (reputedly looking for an escape route) in Stalag xx1B which is in Szubin in Poland. He is buried in Poznan. Good luck in your quest.
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Thanks Peter,
Yes, I did eventually find 'Ginger' and his real name wasn't Peter at all - that was an alias he used when sending messages home!
Pat