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William Allison University Record

Hello all,

SUMMARY OF DATA FOUND SO FAR:

I’ve decided to use this board just for information found on the crew etc together with additional photographs.  If you have read the other board (it is now 9 pages long and growing!) this will summarise the information found to date.


My original posting is below so that any new people without the time to read all boards can get the gist of it together with the photographs found.  If you read the original you will see how much everyone in Roots has contributed and taken time out to place postings, ideas and information, all of which is greatly appreciated. 

http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,101535.120.html


INFORMATION FOUND TO DATA.

Details of the crew
Name:   BURKE, JOSEPH PAUL ERNEST
Initials:   J P E
Nationality:   Canadian
Rank:   Sergeant (W.Op./Air Gnr.)
Regiment:   Royal Canadian Air Force
Age:   20
Date of Death:   20/11/1944
Service No:   R/206904
Additional information:   Son of William and Dorine Burke, of West Bathurst, Gloucester Co., New Brunswick. Canada.
Casualty Type:   Commonwealth War Dead
Grave/Memorial Reference:   Sec. A. Grave 315.
Cemetery:   CHESTER (BLACON) CEMETERY

Name:   GROULX, JOSEPH ARTHUR EDMOND
Initials:   J A E
Nationality:   Canadian
Rank:   Sergeant (Air Gnr.)
Regiment:   Royal Canadian Air Force
Age:   22
Date of Death:   20/11/1944
Service No:   R/111476
Additional information:   Son of Arthur and Alexandrine Groulx, of Hull, Province of Quebec, Canada.
Casualty Type:   Commonwealth War Dead
Grave/Memorial Reference:   Sec. A Grave 401.
Cemetery:   CHESTER (BLACON) CEME

Name:   DU SABLON, JOSEPH LIONEL UNDERIC
Initials:   J L U
Nationality:   Canadian
Rank:   Sergeant (Air Gnr.)
Regiment:   Royal Canadian Air Force
Age:   20
Date of Death:   20/11/1944
Service No:   R/174038
Additional information:   Son of Lionel Olivier and Mary Lea Du Sablon, of De Gaspe, Montreal, Province of Quebec, Canada.
Casualty Type:   Commonwealth War Dead
Grave/Memorial Reference:   Sec. A. Grave 229.
Cemetery:   CHESTER (BLACON) CEMETERY

Name:   ALLISON, WILLIAM JOSEPH
Initials:   W J
Nationality:   Canadian
Rank:   Flight Lieutenant (Air Bomber)
Regiment:   Royal Canadian Air Force
Age:   28
Date of Death:   20/11/1944
Service No:   J/20861
Additional information:   Son of William Earle Allison and Mary Ruth Allison, of Montreal, Province of Quebec. Canada.
Casualty Type:   Commonwealth War Dead
Grave/Memorial Reference:   Sec. A. Grave 143.
Cemetery:   CHESTER (BLACON) CEMETERY

Name:   VILLENEUVE, JULES ROBERT RENE
Initials:   J R R
Nationality:   Canadian
Rank:   Sergeant (Nav.)
Regiment:   Royal Canadian Air Force
Age:   22
Date of Death:   20/11/1944
Service No:   R/199834
Additional information:   Son of Jean B. Villeneuve and Clara Villeneuve, of Verdun, Province of Quebec. Canada.
Casualty Type:   Commonwealth War Dead
Grave/Memorial Reference:   Sec. A. Grave 57.
Cemetery:   CHESTER (BLACON) CEMETERY

Name:   HAMEL, CHARLES
Initials:   C
Nationality:   Canadian
Rank:   Pilot Officer (Pilot)
Regiment:   Royal Canadian Air Force
Age:   21
Date of Death:   20/11/1944
Service No:   J/92169
Additional information:   Son of Dr. Paul Hamel, and of Bertha Ellen Hamel, of Montreal, Province of Quebec, Canada.
Casualty Type:   Commonwealth War Dead
Grave/Memorial Reference:   Sec. A. Grave
Cemetery:   CHESTER (BLACON) CEMETERY
Flight History: Wales

FURTHER INFORMATION ON THE CRASH WAS FOUND ON ANOTHER SITE AS FOLLOWS:

Aircraft MF509 a Wellington MK10 took off from Stratford-Upon-Avon, satellite airfield to RAF Wellesbourne Mountford ( No22 Operational Training Unit) at 19.26 hours on Nov.20th 1944 for a night cross country navigation training exercise.. Shortly before 20.50 hrs the crew sent a radio message asking permission to go below cloud as they were having trouble with the starboard engine, perhaps due to icing in the carburetor. Permission was granted and as they descended over the mountains of the Brecon Beacons their aircraft flew into the South West slope of Carreg Goch. There is a small memorial at the crash site to honour the crew who died there.



UPDATE:

WE NOW HAVE  CONFIRMED INFORMATION ON THE MEN:
left to right, Hamel, Groulx, Burke, Allison, DuSablon, and Villeneuve

I've had some updates on Allison, newspaper cuttings and info from the family of Ernest which I will summarise a little later and double check if I can post some of the pictures supplied.

I've received another picture of the crew from my cousin who has come up with something which we haven't thought of before.  He mentions that the man on the right has a large navigators bag in front of him.  As Villeneuve was the navigator and is a possible match to the picture then it is possible that he has solved it.  He also mentions that the man on the left was wearing a white scarf...does this have any significance for him being a pilot or would they all have had one and he just chose to wear it on that day?

Could the type of bags the men are holding or have placed in front of them be significant to their duties?

He has also given a picture of the crew...which should be clearer than the original....thanks Damien.