WWII airmen: DELARUE, TAPLIN, GUPPY

[RedMystic]

I'm a Canadian who, a few months ago, had the pleasure of travelling to Benbecula, an island in the north Atlantic 6 hrs ferry ride from Oban, Scotland.

While walking through the cemetery there, I chanced upon 3 stones that honour Australian airmen who I assume crashed landed at the hastily erected airport that was set up on the island during that terrible period of our history.

Should anyone be looking for photographs of the following stones, please contact me.

Flying Officer
J E Delarue
Royal Australian Air Force
6th Oct 1942  age 26
For his King, country, and loved ones

407607 Flight Sergeant
J B Taplin
Royal Australian Air Force
6th Oct 1942  age 27
Too well loved to be forgotten by his wife Nancy

406452 Sergeant
J F Guppy
Royal Australian Air Force
6th Oct 1942 age 20

I cannot forget them on this Remembrance Day.

[ennael]

RedMystic,
The  documents for these Airmen/Incident are/is  available  for viewing online at:
www.naa.gov.au
if you haven't already viewed them.

Leanne

[barryd]

An American built Boeing B17 Flying Fortress with a mixed RAAF and RAF crew was taking off from Benbecula while another aircraft strayed onto the runway. The Pilot of the Flying Fortress managed to climb over the other aircraft but stalled into the sea. All three of the RAAF crew members were killed. 

[majm]

Commonwealth War Graves Commission  http://www.cwgc.org/debt_of_honour.asp 

Australian War Memorial    http://www.awm.gov.au/research/people/

Jack Edward Delarue (a photo online)  http://cas.awm.gov.au/item/P07722.002
John Flower Guppy
John Blatch Taplin

LEST WE FORGET

JM

[RedMystic]

How wonderful that such records exist for these three.

I saw their gravestones aligned with the stone fence in Nunton Cemetery, photographed them & felt sad that they were so far from home. Though it was in July, each gravestone had a small cross mounted with a red poppy propped in front of it, so someone on Benbecula looks after them to this day. The stones themselves, sheltered by the sturdy fence, are in good condition.

It is good to know that these brave, young men are not forgotten & that family members have the information they need to find them should the spirit take them.

[GuppyNiece]

I am the niece of John Flower Guppy.  He was from Perth Australia.  My mother, his older sister, is still alive at age 91.  She met my father who was in the US Navy in WWII with an air squadron in Australia.  They married there, but moved to the states near the end of the war to raise a family of 3 in San Diego, California where we still reside.  This was her only sibling and she and my grandmother were devastated at the loss of "Jack" as he was known.  No one from the family has gone to the Hebrides to see the grave, yet I did see it on a website.  I just told my brother about your conversation as I just came across this purely by accident.  It is so amazing!!  I feel I know Jack as my mother told many stories of him.  He did not like the name "Flower" and used "Francis" many times.  He had a wicked sense of humor and was very intelligent.  All loved him as he was great for a laugh, so this was such a big loss at that young age.  He is certainly not forgotten, but I thank those that have stopped to think of him as they see his grave.  I just came across a birthday card that he sent to my mother in March of 1942.  He died the following October.  Let me know if you have anything else to share and thank you again.

[majm]

Welcome to RChat,

Thank you for sharing this with us all. 

There are digitised records for your Jack, available online to freely search and download.  They are at this link:
http://www.naa.gov.au/collection/using/search/index.aspx

Use the search option, search as a guest and use the keywords John Flower Guppy.

I hope that you will be able to share the information in the two files with your Mum.

LEST WE FORGET

JM

[RedMystic]

Welcome to RootsChat GuppyNiece,

It is really special to have you find us by accident & then give us a personalized description of your uncle.

Please reassure your mum that someone on Benbecula takes good care of his resting place. If she or you would like to see some pictures of the island or are interested in graveyard shots other than just the gravestone (which it sounds like you've seen in pictures), let me know. I'm pleased to share.

There is a small, committed genealogy society / history group on Benbecula. Do you mind if I let them know where John Flower Guppy's family are now?

[judb]

There are some mentions on the National Library digitised newspaper site, TROVE.  There may well be others..........

This one is really cute - John Flower GUPPY entered in a baby contest, 1924

http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/58065366

Court report re JFG
http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/47159721

Some death notices for him
http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/47356129

Some memorial notices for John Blatch TAPLIN
http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/48769785
http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/36003107
http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/48671110
http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/45674157
(Seems to be an old name in South Australia - there is a death notice in 1866 for a  Mr. Charles James Blatch Taplin, aged 56 years)

Can't see anything quickly for Jack.

So great to see the internet connecting us in Canada, US, Australia and regarding a grave so far out in the Atlantic 

Judith.