Air Force Lookups - if you need help

[kyt]

Hi Kenny

he was killed in Harvard 7456 (ex RAF serial EX829), Crashed near Bankfontein when the aircraft failed to pull out of a dive. There are no mention of any powerlines. And no other casualties are mentioned so he may have been flying solo.

Sorry, those are the only details I have to hand.

K

[kennyg]

Hi Kyt,

Thanks - every little helps!

Could you suggest how I might go about tracking his service record - if he joined in 1941 it seems to be a while before he started pilot training!

Regards,

Kenny

[kyt]

I'm afraid only Next of Kin can apply for WW2 service records. So if you aren't NoK you will need the appropriate person to apply. If no-one else can be found, then you maybe eligible but you will need to provide evidence.

How to apply and the form to do so (you will need to send £30 as well) can be found here:

http://www.veterans-uk.info/service_records/raf.html

If you do decide to apply then make sure to ask for photocopies of the originals. Otherwise you get a typed summary which is pretty useless.

And he may have enlisted as groundcrew before being chosen for flight training later.

K

[Aulus]

Just to add that the attacker was more likely to be Herbert Lutje not Bauer. Lutje made a claim for a Wellington over Raalte, which is very close to the crash site, a few minutes before the crash.

Viktor Bauer was a famous ace but mainly on the Eastern front. And he made claims for some Mig-3s on that date, which places him in the wrong place. Lostbombers seem to have confused him with Martin Bauer of NJG1, who also made a claim for a Wellington that night.

Lostbombers has a number of mistakes and one needs to be careful in using it.

K

Thanks for this, and for the information on the raid on Emden.  You must have some comprehensive records at your fingertips!  I am much obliged to you.

Do we know any more about Herbert Lutje?

I presume there are no other publicly accessible records that will tell any more about my William Edward Collis' career in the RAF?  I don't think I'd be able to get his service record as his sister's children (last heard of in Canada and with no known contact details - indeed, although she'd be very old, their mother may still be alive) are closer relatives than I am (great-nephew).

Thanks again.

[kyt]

It seems to have been 6th "victory":

http://www.luftwaffe.cz/lutje.html

It maybe possible to find out when the crew joined the squadron, and which missions they were on, but it would require a visit to Kew to look at the Operations Squadron Book for the squadron.

K

[victoriajoule]

Hi Kyt - I would love to take you up on your offer of help....if you can help me!

I have my grandfathers service records (he was career RAF) so know details of where he was posted, Squadrons etc but interestingly they don't mention anything about his internment during the war...which is a family story.  I know that the story has some basis in fact as my father remembers seeing the telegram saying his father was missing presumed dead however we have no real fact about it which we would like to try and piece together.

My grandfathers name was Charles Jowsey and during the war he was stationed in Africa.  The family story is somewhat muddled but it says that he was on a boat leaving Africa which was torpedo'd. I am not sure which way around this goes but we believe he was interned by the Vichy French, but also that he was either picked up or released by the Americans and shipped back to Europe via America. 

We don't know what is fact and when this happened so any suggestions about I can find out about it would be useful?

[kyt]

Hi Victoria

He doesn't appear on any POW list, nor did any communication of being Missing end up in the The Times or the Flight Magazine. So if he was reported missing/POW it was for a very short time.

Could you list some of the units he was with, trade, rank etc. If you do not wish to do so on the boards then PM them to me.

If we can get a timescale when he was possibly torpedoed, then I know someone who could help as he has done a lot of research on ships carrying POWs in the Med that were lost.

Howevr, I should point out that Vichy prisoners are rather harder to track down as they weren't reported to the Red Cross as efficiently as by the Germans etc.

K

[victoriajoule]

Thanks Kyt - I have PM'd you the info

Victoria !

[binbrook74]

Hi kyt
I am new to this site and live in england .
I found it whilst searching information on raf binbrook and 460 sqn.
I have seen your link to the 460 sqn orb but i have tried searching the archives for anything binbrook related and came up with nothing.
Not even the orb doesnt show up.
Maybe you could help me or find out for me what they have and is available to view if you would be most kind.
I have gathered a considerable amount of information on 460 sqn and trying to conatact any former crew or family as planning on writing a book on this once raf base so if anyone out there who was either stationed at binbrook who had a member of there family based there please get in touch as would love to hear from you.
Many thanks in advance
Darren