Operation: Sea Rescue Sortie

Date: 21st May 1941 (Wednesday)

Unit: No. 225 Squadron (on attachment from 400 Squadron)

Type: Westland Lysander III

Serial: V9361

Code: LX-?

Base: RAF Pembrey South Wales

Location: Hillside - 1,000 yards north of RAF Pembrey, South Wales

Pilot: F/O. Peter William Lochnan C/997 RCAF Age 27. Killed

REASON FOR LOSS:

Part of a Lysander flight at RAF Pembrey, which were doing sea rescue sorties. On a sortie to look for a Tiger Moth in bad weather which had crashed into the Severn River at the mouth of the Bristol Channel in fog.

Just after 18:00 hrs having entered a circuit it crashed within one minute into a hill some 1,000 yards north of RAF Pembrey. The aircraft broke into two halves on impact and burned. A medical Officer from 79 Squadron went to scene and provided first aid to the pilot and then took him to the station sick quarters at RAF Pembrey.

F/O. Lochnan lived for approximately 1.5 hours and was given prompt medical attentions but sadly succumbed to his injuries some 30 minutes after arrival. No details can be found of the other crew member, who we understand survived the crash.

The crew of the Tiger Moth DH82A N6853, 38 year old, Sq/Ldr. William Methven 43349 RAF and 29 year old, Fl/Lt. Marcus Kramer DFC 77345 RAFVR were both killed when they ditched their aircraft into River Severn near Beachley, Gloucestershire.

Burial details:

F/O. Peter William Lochnan. Brookwood Military Cemetery, Surrey, England. Grave: 30.F.2. Further information: Born on the 3rd August 1913, the Son of Frederick Michael and Lilian Mary Lochnan and husband of Jane Lochnan, of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Joined the RCAF on the 5th June 1939 and arrived in the UK on the 20th June 1940 with 112 (RCAF) Squadron, an Army Co-operation Reserve unit. Attached to 5 OTU, Aston Down on the 19th August and, after converting to Hurricanes, Lochnan was posted to No. 1 (RCAF) Squadron at Northolt on the 2nd September 1940. Transferred to 400 Squadron in February 1941 to await the new Curtiss Tomahawk aircraft.

Lochnan Lake, Thunder Bay, Ontario was named after F/O Lochnan in 1960

Others mentioned in this report:

Sq/Ldr. William John Methven. Newquay Cemetery (Fairpark). Grave III. Husband of Blanche Salome Methven. Father to Billy and Diana. From Newquay, Devon, England.

Fl/Lt. Marcus Kramer. Runnymede Memorial. Panel 29. Son of Emanuel and Rosie Kramer, of Thorpe Bay, Essex, England.

Researched Michel Beckers for Aircrew Remembered January 2017. With thanks to Steven Jenkins for pilot photo, others from the Michel Beckers collection.