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General => Armed Forces => World War Two => Topic started by: David Layne on Saturday 31 May 08 15:48 BST (UK)
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This picture taken on 21-2-41 at snowy Cottesmore is of 14 OTU personnel in course No. 24 from 14-2-41 to 20-6-41.
Back row left to right:- Pullen, Layne, Jackson, Matthews, Smith, Wrigley, Mossop, Voysey, Thomson, Welford.
Third row left to right:- Dundas, Britt, Barley, Lord, Nicholl, Bradley, Mitchell, Norris, Matthews.
Second row left to right:- Ringwood, Bartlett, Tate, Grahame, Brister, King, Peace, Bousfield, Busley, Murray.
Front row left to right:- Scott, Watt, Walters, White, Meddon, Morris.
One can only wonder what became of these young men.
My father (Layne) completed a tour with 50 Squadron and a tour with 97 Squadron and survived the war.
Welford went to 50 Squadron and survived the war, I have no information on any of the others.
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Hello David ,
Where they all pilots ?
Alain
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No. In my father's case he was a wireless operator/air gunner.
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Hi ,
I will see if i can find out something about these man , do you know their first names ?
Can i assume that they all were w/op-air gunners ?
Alain
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Unfortunatly I have no first names.
I'm not sure of the composition of an O.T.U. unit as to whether they would all be W/Op Gunners or not. Somehow I doubt it.
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Hello David ,
According to, RAF Cottesmore History ,14 OTU was set up to train Bomber Crews so it would seem the whole gamut from Pilot, Nav,Eng, Wops,Gunners.would train and fly togetheras it was quite a long course (4 Mths)
Of course I may be wrong ,so please check further,
Regards Roger.
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18 Months since last posting so thought I might "refresh" this thread.
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Two surnames in the list I have on my own site but whether its the same persons I cannot say without at least their christian names but there's always a chance that it is them.
http://www.lancastered627.shaunmcguire.co.uk/Sgt.%20Sidney%20Mitchell.html
http://www.lancastered627.shaunmcguire.co.uk/Sgt%20James%20Norris.html
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David
That is a really interesting photograph. Cant do much about the common names but the London Gazette & Flight Global are a fund of info for the unusual ones..... I have found a PO Bousfield who was still alive in 1944 (107550) who got his substansive in December 1941 which would be about right. I wonder if this is him? However on the CWGC site there are 7 Bousfields who are buried all over the place who could be him..... Hey ho
Have you thought of sending a copy to the RAF news?
Dee
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Hello ,
The man named Bousfield is not F/L Bousfield Jack ( gunner ) MIA after the crash of his Lancaster ED-488 from N° 50 squadron at Lommel Belgium on 02/02/1944.
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Hi David and happy new year.
How much easier would our tasks have been if initials had been included on the photos. If you look at the pic on the left there are no initials either. I have even been in touch with someone in Canada with lots of knowledge of the BCATP but there doesnt seem to be any surviving records of course details.
Happy hunting anyway, l feel sure these things wont dim our interest or stop us from looking.
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I believe the airman back row, third from left is Israel Jacobovitch who served under the name of Jackson.
He was lost 9 days after joining 50 Squadron in Hampden AE 226.
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Dee wrote
"That is a really interesting photograph. Cant do much about the common names but the London Gazette & Flight Global are a fund of info for the unusual ones..... I have found a PO Bousfield who was still alive in 1944 (107550) who got his substansive in December 1941 which would be about right. I wonder if this is him? However on the CWGC site there are 7 Bousfields who are buried all over the place who could be him..... Hey ho"
On 19th July 1941 50 Squadron moved from Lindholme to Swinderby. The squadron departed Lindholme in formation. Shortly after takeoff the airmen were horrified to see Hampden AD 897 roll onto it’s back and fly inverted for a few seconds before diving into the ground killing Sgt. Bousfield and crew.
I do not have the names of the other crew members.
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Looking for info on my father C. H. Tomlinson and his crew. He was training in 14 OTU and crashed under a navigation exercise in Wellington T2887 on 21st December 1942. All injured but no-one killed luckily. The crew was: Tomlinson, Boyle, Brown, Gray, Woods. If anyone has any information about when his training course began, or what became of the other crew members, I would be very grateful.
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Sorry, Martin. I have no knowledge of your crew.