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General => Armed Forces => World War Two => Topic started by: Sarndra on Saturday 02 December 06 22:23 GMT (UK)
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Another WWII RAF plane found....
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/6201286.stm
Another interesting story to follow.
Cheers and a great Christmas to all
Sarndra :D
Moderator Comment: new topic, split off from
Topic: BBC: A Challenge for Rootschatters
http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,91811.0.html
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Snap Sarndra !! :D :D :D
except I put it in Armed Forces - so it's in 2 places !! ........... I just hope it helps somebody !!
http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,199843.new.html#new(*)
Annie :)
(*) Moderator Comment: topics now merged
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Additonal info here...
http://www.canada.com/topics/news/national/story.html?id=cd4a73df-1ab8-4d18-91f3-23adeb8733ee&k=23047 (http://www.canada.com/topics/news/national/story.html?id=cd4a73df-1ab8-4d18-91f3-23adeb8733ee&k=23047)
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Did some trawling and I've come up with the following:
In case there are any relatives on Rootschat, the crew of the Halifax were:
Royal Canadian Air Force
Flt. Lt. Arold Raymond Blynn of Kingston
Flying Off. Harold Leonard Brown of Crediton, Ont.
Pilot Off. George Alfred Chapman, Toronto
Ft. Sgt. Arthur George William Liddell, Montreal
Ft. Sgt. Charles Burton Wylie, Instow, Sask.
Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
Ft. Sgt. Kenneth James Ashmore, Dublin
Ft. Sgt. Frederick George Wenham, Bournemouth
They do have a memorial – details can be found at
http://www.rootschat.com/links/0yj/ I hope this link works, as the page doesn't exist now, and I've linked through the Google cached page.
I've also found an email address for a nephew of Arnold Blynn. It's an old address, but on the off chance it still works, I've sent him links to the BBC and Canadian sites, and of course, the link to this thread.
Hopefully, this will have a happy outcome, and relatives of all these men will be traced.
Silvilocks
Edit: The email address (which I picked up through a forum, and dates back to before 2002) doesn't work. Hopefully the family will be easily traced.
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Images can be seen here.
link to images (http://www.wrotamalopolski.pl/root_BIP/BIP_w_Malopolsce/gminy/root_Dabrowa+Tarnowska/Aktualnosci/Tresci/Halifax-KonferencjaPrasowa.htm)
Moderator Comment: URL modified, as it was 'stretching' the screen
See tips here, to avoid this:
Topic: Shrinking Very Long Website Links (http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,134417.0.html) / Topic: Post too W--I--D--E! (http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,111822.0.html)
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Here's another challenge for all the fantastic people here.
The Ministry of Defence is appealing for help in tracing the family of one of the crew of a World War Two Halifax JP276 RAF plane which crashed in Poland on 5 Aug 1944 killing all seven crew.
Human and aircraft remains have now been found and we are trying to trace the families to inform them of the find. Attached is the history of the crash for your information.
We are trying to trace the family of Sergeant Frederick George Wenham who was the Flight Engineer. He was born in 1923 in Rye Sussex and his father was living in Southampton when he was tragically killed. His address was York Road, Freemantle, Southampton.
The rest of the aircrew were: Service number - J24323 Flight Lieutenant Arnold Raymond Blynn RCAF Pilot; R149946 Flight Sergeant Charles Burton Wylie RCAF Bomb Aimer; J91098 Pilot Officer George Alfred Chapman RCAF Navigator; J26853 Flying Officer Harold Leonard Brown RCAF Wireless Operator/Air Gunner; 1400534 Sgt Frederick George Wenham RAFVR Flight Engineer; 1796373 Sergeant Kenneth James Ashmore RAFVR Air Gunner; R195410 Flight Sergeant Arthur George William Liddell RCAF Air Gunner;
This aircraft from 148 Squadron took off at 7.56pm on 4 Aug 1944 to carry out a special operation over southern Poland. From the time of take-off nothing further was heard. On board were two British and five Canadian aircrew.
It was later reported from eye witnesses on the ground that this aircraft was in great difficulty near the town on Dabrowa Tarnowska, and was on fire and flying in the direction of the village of Morzychna. The aircraft was seen to suddenly stop in mid-air before crashing into the ground and exploding, killing all seven crew members instantly on 5 Aug 44. The burial of the seven airmen took place in the town on Dabrowa Tarnowska.
The airmen were later exhumed from the cemetery at Dabrowa Tarnowska and reburied in the Krakow War Cemetery, Poland.
Any help you can give will be most appreciated.
Please contact
Sue Raftree
SO3 Historic Casework, JCCC AFPAA, Rm 14 Bldg 182, RAF Innsworth, Gloucester GL3 1HW. Telephone: 01452 712612 ext 6303, fax: 01452 510813, historicso3.jccc[AT]innsworth.afpaa.mod.uk
Regards,
Thudders
Moderator Comment: e-mail edited, to avoid spamming and other abuses.
Please replace [AT] with @
Moderator Comment: topics merged
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Hi Thudders !
I thought this sounded familiar .... it was the Sue RAF that did it !! ;D
But we started this some time ago .... I don't know why it stopped !!
http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,199996.msg1006408.html#msg1006408(*)
Annie :)
(*) Moderator Comment: topics now merged
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The CWGC site shows that his parents were James Amos Wenham and Alice Kate Wenham, of Freemantle, Southampton.
Anna
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...and James Amos Wenham appears to have been born 11 Aug 1895 and died Jan 1986 in Southampton, per E/W Death Index. Wonder whether he left a will.
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Where was he born Anna ? .... I have a James A Wenham born in Brede Sussex in 1901 ::)
You're on a tear with wills today !! :)
Annie
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Where was he born Anna ? .... I have a James A Wenham born in Brede Sussex in 1901 ::)
You're on a tear with wills today !! :)
Annie
LOL - I know! The death index only gives his date of birth, not place, unfortunately.
Anna
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Here's 1901 .... just in case !
21 Broadlands Brede
George A Wenham 41
Philadelphia Wenham 39
George J Wenham 19
William A Wenham 19
Mary A Wenham 13
Emily H Wenham 9
Lizzie J Wenham 7
James A Wenham 5 Son Brede Sussex
RG13/861 Folio 79 Page 3
Annie :)
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Oops. Thanks Annie :-[
I've sent an e-mail to the Historic Casework officer, pointing them in the direction of the thread. If any information found by Rootschatters gives them a nudge, I have asked that they keep me informed so that I can keep everyone here updated.
It would be so good to find this chap's family.
Thanks to everyone so far.
Thud
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The Brede boy is very likely to be him - birth reg for James Amos Wenham Sep 1895 Rye (would be right district for Brede, I think).
Anna
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192.com shows 4 Wenham families in the Southampton area.
I've passed the details to the Historic Caseworker.
Thud
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Let's know what else you need Thudders OK ?
Annie :)
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Thanks Annie. Thanks everyone.
Lets see how the MoD gets on with what's on here at the moment, and with the other stuff I sent via e-mail.
Hopefully they can come back with either a positive result, or more information for us to have a go at.
Well done everyone!
Thudders
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Hi Thudders,
This aircraft was discussed in some length on the RAF Commands site:
http://www.rafcommands.com/dcforum/DCForumID6/10476.html
which gives you a direct link to the thread. There was some doubt from a Polish researcher concerning what had actually been found at the crash site. Anyway, I have copied this to the RAF Commands site as a couple of crew members relatives had popped upon that site during the thread. Wenham is a common Sussex name and so I would think it quite likely that the one from Brede is a good bet.
Hope that someone manages to track down some relatives anyway.
Regards,
Ann
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sgt wenham must have left rye when he was quite young because hes not listed on their war memorial,and if there were any relatives still in the village they would surely have forwarded his name for inclusion,mack
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Hi Everyone,
just to let you know that all the information posted here has helped the MoD trace a nephew of Sgt Wenham.
Well done everyone. A great result!
Thank you
Thudders
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We had great success last year in tracing relatives, wondered if anyone fancied having another go, bring on 'The Rootschatters' !!!!!!!!!!!
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/6341831.stm
Good luck to all
regards, Sarah
Moderator Comment: topics merged
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Hi Sarah !
I thought they had found the nephew of George Wenham !!
http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,208025.0.html(*)
Annie :)
(*) Moderator Comment: topics now merged
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Well the site does say updated to today...so how could one know...
Did find this online from the initial discovery of the aircraft...
Thanks for nipping it in the bud, Annie...
http://www.cracowonline.com/149,Historic_aircraft_wreckage_unea.htm
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Thanks for spotting that Annie. I never saw the original thread and I saw that news Item last night and thought I would post it up,
regards, Sarah
Moderator Comment:
three different threads about this topic have now been merged
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Sue Raftree at RAF Innsworth had been contacted by someone said to be the nephew of Frederick Wenham. I have also put her in contact with a second cousin and some more distant cousins from UK and from Australia but I did note yesterday that an appeal from the MoD had been put on either Ceefax or Teletext. As yet I have heard no more from Sue, but I think that the second cousin will be the nearest living relative from the information that he had supplied.
Regards,
Ann Sadler
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Thanks for the update Anna !
I hope they are able to put this young flyer to rest in peace !
Annie :)
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They were still looking for relatives of Ashmore(?) the Irish one, hope I've got the name right ( I have no access to any Irish genealogical information). The Canadian relatives have all been traced I believe. I was contacted by a nephew of the pilot who had information relating to Canadian relatives, so have put the Wenham relatives in touch with him as he had some letters from the relatives of the dead aircrew which were sent at the time.
Regards,
Ann
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;D Hi, Sandra. ( & all!) ..better put "solved" or "completed" in the subject line, if all the crew's descendants were found, or the hunt may start again...J.J.