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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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168
06th August 1942 168 Squadron Tomahawk IIA AH891 P/O. Andrew

Operation: Army Co-operation exercise

Date: 06th August 1942 (Thursday)

Unit: No. 168 Squadron (motto: Rerum Cognoscere Causas - 'To know the causes of things'). 34 Wing

Type: Tomahawk IIA

Serial: AH891

Code: EK-?

Base: RAF Bottisham, Cambridgeshire

Location: Thetford, Norfolk

Pilot: P/O. Robert Keith Anderson Andrew NZ/412010 RNZAF Age 24. Killed

REASON FOR LOSS:

During an army Co-operation exercise making duty attacks on gun emplacements along the Thetford - Watton road. AH891 at 13:30 hrs. clipped trees on a low level run when a wing clipped trees.

The aircraft flipped over once or twice before hitting the ground 200 yards further along and burst into flames.

Burial and personal details:

P/O. Robert Keith Anderson Andrew. Bottisham Cemetery. Section 4 Grave 400. Born on the 18th September 1917 at Wellington. Served in the territorial army for 18 months. Worked as a civil servant for Mines Department in Wellington. prior to service. Enlisted at Levin on the 24th March 1941 at Ohakea. Trained at No. 2 Elementary Flying Training School joining on the 06th September 1941. Further trains at No. 2 Flying Training School joining on the 17th October 1941. Pilots badge awarded on the 29th November 1941 and commissioned on the 10th January 1942. Embarked for England on the 30th January 1942. Attached to 41 Operational Training Unit on the 28th April for training on the Tomahawk and Mustang. Moved to 268 squadron on the 03rd July 1942. Fialy posted to 168 squadron on the 10th June 1942. Son of Charles Thomas Andrew (died 22nd November 1958) and Lily Magdalean Andrew (nee Anderson - died 25th June 1951) of Island Bay, Wellington, New Zealand. A total of 270 flying hours logged.

Researched and dedicated to the relatives of this pilot with thanks and to the extensive research by Errol Martyn and his publications: “For Your Tomorrow Vols. 1-3”, Auckland Library Heritage Collection, Weekly News of New Zealand, other sources as quoted below:

KTY 21-08-3-21

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Acknowledgements
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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