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Archive Report: Allied Forces

Compiled from official National Archive and Service sources, contemporary press reports, personal logbooks, diaries and correspondence, reference books, other sources, and interviews.
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458 Squadron Wellington VIII LB195 Sgt. Bottomley, RAF Protville, Tunisia, Missing, Mediterranean Sea

Operation: Anti-Submarine Patrol

Date: 15/16th June 1943 (Tuesday/Wednesday)

Unit: No. 458 Squadron (RAAF)

Type: Wellington VIII

Serial: LB195

Code: FU-?

Base: RAF Protville, Tunisia

Location: Not known, Mediterranean Sea?

Pilot: Sgt. Eric Burton Bottomley 657261 RAF Age 23. Missing

Pilot 2: Sgt. Bryan Lockwood Pottage 1425553 RAFVR Age 21. Missing

Nav: W/O.II. Thomas Peter Scandiffio R/102787 RCAF Age 31. Missing

W/Op/Air/Gnr: Sgt. John Runnacles Cousins 1269264 RAFVR Age 20. Missing

W/Op/Air/Gnr: Fl/Sgt. John Douglas Reynolds 1165671 RAFVR Age 27. Missing

Air/Gnr: Fl/Sgt. John Edwin Flecknoe AUS/402920 RAAF Age 25. Missing

REASON FOR LOSS:

Taking off at 20:40 hrs on a close anti submarine patrol escorting a convoy (‘Parcel’) At 00:20 hrs the aircraft suddenly went off the RDF plot in position 30.55 N 20.04 E

The aircraft was not seen again and failed to return to base. We welcome any further information on this and from relatives of the crew.

Burial details:

Sgt. Eric Burton Bottomley. Alamein Memorial. Panel 270. Son of Fred and Bertha Bottomley, of Manchester, England. Husband of Margaret Mary Mabel Bottomley, of Kilburn, Middlesex, England.

Sgt. Bryan Lockwood Pottage. Alamein Memorial. Panel 271. Son of John and Mary Lockwood Pottage, of Beverley, Yorkshire, England.

Thomas Peter Scandiffio. Alamein Memorial. Panel 272. Born on April 17th 1912. Son of Mrs M. Scandiffio of 31 Yarmouth Gardens,Toronto, Ontario, Canada. His brother, 30 year old pilot Francis Michael Scandiffio J/88799 (R/93392) was also lost, on Saturday, 15th July 1944 - flying with No. 21 Ferry Control in Thunderbolt Mk.I HD163.

Sgt. John Runnacles Cousins. Alamein Memorial. Panel 270. Son of John Henry and Bessie Edith Cousins, of Thorpeness, Suffolk, England.

Fl/Sgt. John Douglas Reynolds. Alamein Memorial. Panel 270. Son of John Douglas and Mary Reynolds, of Bromyard, Herefordshire, England.

Fl/Sgt. John Edwin Flecknoe. Alamein Memorial. Panel 278. Son of Arthur Edwin and Mabel Flecknoe, of Wollstonecraft, New South Wales, Australia.

For further details our thanks to Dave Colman for research material submitted to Aircrew Remembered - June 2015.

KTY 03.06.2015

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Acknowledgements
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Sources used by us in compiling Archive Reports include: Bill Chorley - 'Bomber Command Losses Vols. 1-9, plus ongoing revisions', Dr. Theo E.W. Boiten and Mr. Roderick J. Mackenzie - 'Nightfighter War Diaries Vols. 1 and 2', Martin Middlebrook and Chris Everitt - 'Bomber Command War Diaries', Commonwealth War Graves Commission, Tom Kracker - Kracker Luftwaffe Archives, Michel Beckers, Major Fred Paradie (RCAF) and Captain François Dutil (RCAF) - Paradie Archive (on this site), Jean Schadskaje, Major Jack O'Connor USAF (Retd.), Robert Gretzyngier, Wojtek Matusiak, Waldemar Wójcik and Józef Zieliński - 'Ku Czci Połeglyçh Lotnikow 1939-1945', Andrew Mielnik: Archiwum - Polish Air Force Archive (on this site), Anna Krzystek, Tadeusz Krzystek - 'Polskie Siły Powietrzne w Wielkiej Brytanii', Franek Grabowski, Polish graves: https://niebieskaeskadra.pl/, PoW Museum Żagań, Norman L.R. Franks 'Fighter Command Losses', Stan D. Bishop, John A. Hey MBE, Gerrie Franken and Maco Cillessen - Losses of the US 8th and 9th Air Forces, Vols 1-6, Dr. Theo E.W. Boiton - Nachtjagd Combat Archives, Vols 1-13. Aircrew Remembered Databases and our own archives. We are grateful for the support and encouragement of CWGC, UK Imperial War Museum, Australian War Memorial, Australian National Archives, New Zealand National Archives, UK National Archives and Fold3 and countless dedicated friends and researchers across the world.
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