Author Topic: Francis Harold ROBERTSON  (Read 4950 times)

Offline Nicola_G

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Francis Harold ROBERTSON
« on: Thursday 02 August 12 17:59 BST (UK) »
I'm trying to trace the family of

Squadron Leader Francis Harold ROBERTSON
Age: About 23
Parents: Percy and Alice ROBERTSON
Last known address: Bulawayo Zimbabwe
Particulars: Squadron Leader in the RAF Squadron 106. Buried at the village of Opeinde.  Arrived from Durban in Southampton on 14th April 1939

I've been unable, so far, yo find any UK links, but am not sure how to go about searching for someone in South Africa, particularly Zimbabwe, given that at the time this person travelled it would have be Rhodesia

Many thanks

Offline 3sillydogs

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Re: Francis Harold ROBERTSON
« Reply #1 on: Friday 03 August 12 09:50 BST (UK) »
Hi there,

On this forum page is a link to using the Rhodesian Death Registers from 1890 - 1977 which are found on Family Search.

They may be worth a try for information.

Good luck
Paylet, Pallatt, Morris (Russia, UK) Burke, Hillery, Page, Rumsey, Stevens, Tyne/Thynne(UK)  Landman, van Rooyen, Tyne, Stevens, Rumsey, Visagie, Nell (South Africa)

Offline pampoen

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Re: Francis Harold ROBERTSON
« Reply #2 on: Friday 03 August 12 10:25 BST (UK) »
Hi I found this on Mags Kriel letters from Zimbabwe website.

My mom subscribes to your Bulawayo mirror and I am typing from her computer. I was hoping you could put her death notice in as she was born and grew up in Bulawayo Her name is Lynne Greeff nee Robertson and she was born on 17 June 1935. I think she was born in Hillside but lived most of her growing up years in the Suburbs. She attended the Bulawayo Convent from baby school to the end. She moved to Cape Town in 1960 to get married but missed Bulawayo most of her life.
She had three daughters who love and miss her. Should someone have known her when she was young and know any stories about her I would love to hear from them.
My email is ... ( email removed by mod)
MOIR KINGSLEY

Perhaps you could email Moir and ask her if Francis was any relation or you could email Mags and ask her to place a notice on her weekly online paper.This appeared last year July on the website.You can also try this link http://www.lind.org.zw/genweb/find_a_person.htm

Regards Derek
Austin, Ayling, Alborough, Bescoby, Cheal, Groom,Rathbone,Tarboton,Lyell and Smith.

Offline Nicola_G

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Re: Francis Harold ROBERTSON
« Reply #3 on: Friday 03 August 12 19:42 BST (UK) »
Hi there,

On this forum page is a link to using the Rhodesian Death Registers from 1890 - 1977 which are found on Family Search.

They may be worth a try for information.

Good luck

That's fantastic, I've just found a record for him DR 66/89. What does that refer to? And where do I find it?

Many thanks
Nicola


Offline Nicola_G

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Re: Francis Harold ROBERTSON
« Reply #4 on: Friday 03 August 12 20:20 BST (UK) »
Hi there,

On this forum page is a link to using the Rhodesian Death Registers from 1890 - 1977 which are found on Family Search.

They may be worth a try for information.

Good luck

That's fantastic, I've just found a record for him DR 66/89. What does that refer to? And where do I find it?

Many thanks
Nicola

I've now managed to find the death records & looked in 66/89, but it was some body else. Any chance someone could point me in the right direction

Many thanks

Offline Nicola_G

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Re: Francis Harold ROBERTSON
« Reply #5 on: Friday 03 August 12 20:27 BST (UK) »
Its OK, no panic, I've found it now, I got confused by the page number for the internet & the page number for the actual document

Offline Nicola_G

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Re: Francis Harold ROBERTSON
« Reply #6 on: Friday 03 August 12 21:14 BST (UK) »
Its looking like he was born in the UK. I've found a birth record & father's name for him on Ancestry but can't access it. His father was William Herbert ROBERTSON

Looks like he was born/baptised Liverpool/Lancashire around 1906 or before.

I checked the death record and he was 28 and his mother's name was Alice - the UK record gives it as Margaret Alice.
There's also a Mary Agnes Robertson mentioned, but he wasn't married so am presuming this was his sister or aunt.

Offline pampoen

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Re: Francis Harold ROBERTSON
« Reply #7 on: Friday 03 August 12 23:02 BST (UK) »
The Protestant cemetery in Opeinde contains three Commonwealth war graves. All dated 27-7-1942.
These are the graves of:

Sergeant (Flt. Engr.) Joseph John Cooper, 778188, RAF, age 21
Sergeant (W.Op./Air Gnr.) Maurice John Dembrey, RAF, age 26
Squadron Leader (Pilot) Francis Harold Robertson DFC, 42264, RAF, age 27.

Service Number: 42264

Son of Percy and Alice Robertson, of Bulawayo, Southern Rhodesia. On July 26, 1942 at 2330 departed from Coningsby air base, the Lancaster R5748, with the mission: a bombing raid over the city of Hamburg in Germany. The aircraft was shot down over Friesland by the German night fighter Lt. Lothar Linke, 11./NJG1, after that it crashed in Opeinde at 0205. In the crash, four crew members got killed, one of them was Francis Harold Robertson.Awarded a DFC for his actions.
Austin, Ayling, Alborough, Bescoby, Cheal, Groom,Rathbone,Tarboton,Lyell and Smith.

Offline Nicola_G

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Re: Francis Harold ROBERTSON
« Reply #8 on: Saturday 04 August 12 09:55 BST (UK) »
Its looking like he was born in the UK. I've found a birth record & father's name for him on Ancestry but can't access it. His father was William Herbert ROBERTSON

Looks like he was born/baptised Liverpool/Lancashire around 1906 or before.

I checked the death record and he was 28 and his mother's name was Alice - the UK record gives it as Margaret Alice.
There's also a Mary Agnes Robertson mentioned, but he wasn't married so am presuming this was his sister or aunt.

Nope this is right, his father was Percy ROBERTSON, so ignore this