Cemeteries and graveyards, full of love, betrayal, tragic deaths, murder, and suicide. What will you find?

Sunday, 18 November 2012

Cemetery Sunday - Air Transport Auxiliary ATA



A.R. Leslie-Melville
12th June 1942



The Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA) was a British World War II civilian organisation that ferried new, repaired and damaged military aircraft between UK factories, assembly plants, transatlantic delivery points, Maintenance Units (MU), scrap yards, and active service squadrons and airfields. It also flew service personnel on urgent duty from one place to another and performed air ambulance work.

First Officer Alexander Ronald Leslie-Melvillle died 12th June 1942 when he flew into a hillside at Great Sled Dale in Yorkshire in bad visibility whilst flying bewteen Henlow and Silloth near Carlisle.


T.C.D. Bray
18th March 1942

First Officer Thomas Charles David Bray of Austrailia, reported missing between Kirkbride and Thorney Island.


 J.B. Erickson
9th May 1942

First Officer John Burge Erickson, his Blenheim aircaft collided with another Blenheim after take off at White Waltham airfield on 9th May 1942


R.H Winn
28th January 1942

Second Officer Richard Harry Winn, flew into ground in a forced landing at Bald Hill Stainmore Westmorland whilst flying bewteen Dumfries and Catterick.


 B.E. Sayer
15th March 1942

Cadet Betty Eileen Sayer, engine stalled on approach to White Waltham airfield, the aircraft crashed into two bungalows on Smithfield Road on 15th March 1942, residents of the bungalows, Mr and Mrs Croft and Mrs Freeman escaped.  Neighbours who tried in vain to save the aircrew received burns and other injuries.


F.J. Bush
23rd November 1941
 
 
Captain Francis Joseph Bush, during a flight from Prestwick to Hawarden the engine of the Liberator II aircraft caught fire before the plane crashed into the sea off Pidinny Hill Stranraer Wigtown Bay


 H.E. Taylor
17th August 1941

Second Officer Henry Edward Taylor, crashed whilst landing at White Waltham airfield on 10th August 1941.  Sadly he died of his injuries on 17th August 1941.


P. Randall
17th March 1941

Captain Percy Randall, flew a Hurricane aircraft into high ground at Bledlow Buckinghamshire during bad visibility whilst flying between Henlow and Hullavington.




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2 comments:

  1. At Harwell Commonwealth cemetery there are a lot of crew buried there, no doubt many died like that.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I was surprised by the amount of mid air collisions that have claimed the lives of ATA personel.

      Delete

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