RCAF 415 Squadron Albacore's

[georgetanksherman]

Looking for aircraft serials if anyone might know them, found info on the crews, and what happened, but cannot find the aircraft serial numbers anywhere.

Albacore, Ser# Unknown, January 20, 1944 Shot down attacking 2 German Destroyers
Crew:
Pilot: Sqdn Ldr E.W. Cowan, C/853, RCAF, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Nav: F/O D.T. Wood, 129415, RAFVR, Hometown Unknown

Albacore Ser# Unknown, April 9, 1944 Crashed while doing fighter affiliation training
Crew:
Pilot, F/O P.D. Mackie, 127824, RAFVR, Goodrington, Devon, United Kingdom
Nav: F/O E. McFarland, 127822, RAFVR, Great Clifton, Cumbria, United Kingdom

Passengers also killed:
AM2 A.L. Thomas, U/T Nav, 1809886, RAFVR, Highbury, London, United Kingdom
Flt Lt L.G. Loft, (Flying Control) 104798, RAFVR, Guildford, Surrey, United Kingdom

Albacore Ser# Unknown, March ???, 1943 Shot down attacking E-Boats
Crew:
Pilot: F/O L.W.F. Rivers, RAF, survived
Nav: F/O A.F.G. Hughes, RCAF, J/13752, (Died of wounds 24 Mar 1943) Cereal, Alberta, Canada
Nav: F/O A.W. Griffiths, RAF, survived

CHEERS !

[Temujin]

Looking for aircraft serials if anyone might know them, found info on the crews, and what happened, but cannot find the aircraft serial numbers anywhere.

Albacore, Ser# Unknown, January 20, 1944 Shot down attacking 2 German Destroyers
Crew:
Pilot: Sqdn Ldr E.W. Cowan, C/853, RCAF, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Nav: F/O D.T. Wood, 129415, RAFVR, Hometown Unknown

Albacore aircraft No X9280, went down in the sea after a successful attack against an enemy destroyer off Calais.

Source: They Shall Not Grow Old

[Temujin]

Looking for aircraft serials if anyone might know them, found info on the crews, and what happened, but cannot find the aircraft serial numbers anywhere.

Albacore Ser# Unknown, March ???, 1943 Shot down attacking E-Boats
Crew:
Pilot: F/O L.W.F. Rivers, RAF, survived
Nav: F/O A.F.G. Hughes, RCAF, J/13752, (Died of wounds 24 Mar 1943) Cereal, Alberta, Canada
Nav: F/O A.W. Griffiths, RAF, survived

CHEERS !

Info On Hughes. NOTE: A.F.G Hughes WAS the NAVIGATOR on this flight. Also F/O A.W. Griffiths was NOT aboard this aircraft. Hughes died the same day he was wounded and the AIRCRAFT landed safely and was NOT shot down. Also note DATE was 24 March 1944

CD088B33-5870-4058-A74C-576459082BE7.jpeg (118.34 KiB) Viewed 13012 times

9307CEAB-9C82-4937-A87C-E587BDD33251.jpeg (173 KiB) Viewed 13012 times

[Temujin]

Looking for aircraft serials if anyone might know them, found info on the crews, and what happened, but cannot find the aircraft serial numbers anywhere.


Albacore Ser# Unknown, April 9, 1944 Crashed while doing fighter affiliation training
Crew:
Pilot, F/O P.D. Mackie, 127824, RAFVR, Goodrington, Devon, United Kingdom
Nav: F/O E. McFarland, 127822, RAFVR, Great Clifton, Cumbria, United Kingdom

Passengers also killed:
AM2 A.L. Thomas, U/T Nav, 1809886, RAFVR, Highbury, London, United Kingdom
Flt Lt L.G. Loft, (Flying Control) 104798, RAFVR, Guildford, Surrey, United Kingdom


CHEERS !

Having trouble with this one. Records DO NOT show any missing aircraft on the 9th April 1944. Attached are records for that date. Still looking

8159B27D-18CF-44C9-A41D-5622062AD403.jpeg (126.56 KiB) Viewed 13009 times

38931749-0339-4E71-9756-5A6A4E6FE636.jpeg (116.04 KiB) Viewed 13009 times

[Temujin]

Albacore Ser# Unknown, April 9, 1944 Crashed while doing fighter affiliation training
Crew:
Pilot, F/O P.D. Mackie, 127824, RAFVR, Goodrington, Devon, United Kingdom
Nav: F/O E. McFarland, 127822, RAFVR, Great Clifton, Cumbria, United Kingdom

Passengers also killed:
AM2 A.L. Thomas, U/T Nav, 1809886, RAFVR, Highbury, London, United Kingdom
Flt Lt L.G. Loft, (Flying Control) 104798, RAFVR, Guildford, Surrey, United Kingdom

Found this info, but so far haven’t been able to confirm it in the Operational Record books for 415 Squadron

9 April
Fairey Albacore, X9117, of No. 415 Squadron RCAF, engaged in a fighter affiliation exercise, crashes near Bosham, West Sussex while making a low turn. All four crew KWF.

And this:

F4702ADF-9112-4566-B282-82A126FD9A1F.jpeg (110.05 KiB) Viewed 13004 times

https://www.docdroid.net/c83ojgK/albaco ... pdf#page=4

[Ludford 101]

Looks like someone dropped the ball writing up the ORB for the 9th. Nothing really new. I have ORB pages that have the same aircraft and crew bombing the same target at the same time. Written above the exact same entry.

Whomever failed here also failed to mention the 2nd Albacore, X9281, flown by F/O William George Brasnett of Swift Current, SK, on this same exercise.

Excerpts from the inquiry are pretty interesting: http://sussexhistoryforum.co.uk/index.p ... pic=2683.0

[georgetanksherman]

W O W, Thank You very much for the info Temujin and Ludford 101, really appreciate the help with this, is there any way of finding out what serial number goes with "D" for F/O L.W.F. Rivers and F/O A.F.G. Hughes ????

Thanks Again for the info !

[Ludford 101]

Unfortunately, there's no Court of Inquiry documents in Hughes' service file.

There was a time when you could get the loss card from the RAF Museum in a matter of two weeks or so, free of charge, but I see they are not even taking any enquiries these days: https://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/research/r ... iries.aspx

The only other place I could think of might be the Thorney Island Station ORB which may give the serial. Then again, they might just have the letter.

If anyone can find it, it will be Temujin.

[Temujin]

Found the record of the loss finally.......still looking for aircraft numbers

618B4059-BDCA-4690-AB2B-661BC60ED0B2.jpeg (189.46 KiB) Viewed 12985 times

[Ludford 101]

Are the appendices referred to in the right hand column of some your earlier ORB examples contained in the ORB?

In most cases, they're not. But worth a look-see. No one in authority at an RCAF or RAF station would accept an aircraft as just "D" when it arrived so there has to be a paper trail.

Bill Walker, send us a signal!