Finding relatives of missing airgunner William Robert Louth of Hayes Middlesex

[crisane]

Ian Douglas Crawford
Birth year    1922
Age    21
Died 1 May 1943
Number 634710
Rank Sergeant
Unit    77 Sqdn.
Regiment    Royal Air Force
Grave reference    Row E. Grave 80.
Cemetery or Memorial - Muiden General Cemetery Netherlands
Son of John and Jean Crawford, of Glasgow.
Link    https://www.cwgc.org/find/find-war-dead

[philipsearching]

I have opened a new thread on the Lanarkshire board
http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=794579.0
to aid the search for the relatives of Sgt Ian Douglas CRAWFORD and included the information which fulliautomatix and other Rootschatters have posted on this thread.

Philip

[fulliautomatix]

I fear it might be back to the drawing board with William LOUTH (or LOWTH) despite the brilliant research by other RootsChatters.

I've been looking at Electoral Roll for Hayes & Harlington and the William Louth who was in Hayes in 1939 is still alive in the 1950s!!  For example he appears on the 1949 and 1951 ER together with his mother Charlotte Daisy WALSHE (nee HULL and formerly LOUTH), step father Patrick WALSHE and brother Peter J LOUTH at 129 Nield Road, Hayes.

I suspect that the birth date supplied to us (31-10-1920) is not correct.  This is the record of his death in 2002 (with THAT birth date)

William Patrick P Louth
Birth: 31/10/1920
Death:06/2002 Bath and North east Somerset Somerset England

This opens up other avenues for others named William Louth but the d.o.b. is unknown!

[Jool]

I suspect that the birth date supplied to us (31-10-1920) is not correct.  This is the record of his death in 2002 (with THAT birth date)

William Patrick P Louth
Birth: 31/10/1920
Death:06/2002 Bath and North east Somerset Somerset England

This opens up other avenues for others named William Louth but the d.o.b. is unknown!

OK, so it's back to the drawing board.  The research we have already done was based around the birth date of 31.10.1920, which now appears to be incorrect.

From FreeBMD these two are worth researching, both have the middle name Robert (confirmed on the GRO Index https://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/certificates/indexes_search.asp

Lowth, William R. mmn Mayfield.  Leicester  7a 321. March Q 1912
Louth,  William R. mmn Lambert.  West Bromwich  6b 1552. Dec Q 1913

[David Van Coolwijk]

Well, I received the birthdate from 77 squadron association, perhaps they got the date wrong, and were just guessing. Not sure though...

[Jool]

Well, I received the birthdate from 77 squadron association, perhaps they got the date wrong, and were just guessing. Not sure though...

Not your fault David, the information you posted originally was what you were given.  How confident are you of the middle name Robert?

Added: I can see the CWGC has him as William Robert Louth

[nanny jan]

It could be that the birth date is correct but that William was not born in England or Wales or it is incorrect and he is the William born in Leicester whose wife appears to remarry after the war. 

[philipsearching]

BACK TO BASICS

Runnymede Memorial, panel 157
1198324 Sgt William Robert LOUTH RAFVR 1 May 1943

No age is given on the memorial.

If William was over 18 and (probably) under 45 in 1943 that widens the search - and could mean working through a long list!

Time to roll up my sleeves, polish my glasses, put the kettle on and get cracking!

Philip

[David Van Coolwijk]

Good luck! I hope you find something! Mr. Louth is a mysterious bloke.. Hopufully you are able to find anything!

I have no luck on the rest of the crew, apart from Watson....