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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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RAF Crest
03.08.1941 No. 52 OTU Hurricane I W9149 Sgt. Cheyne

Operation: Training

Date: 03rd August 1941 (Sunday)

Unit: No. 52 Operational Training Unit (81 Group)

Type: Hurricane I

Serial: W9149

Code: Not known

Base: RAF Debden, Essex

Location: Great Sampford

Pilot: Sgt. Ian McDonald Cheyne NZ/404335 RNZAF Age 24. Killed

REASON FOR LOSS:

During a fighter attack exercise Hurricane W9149 collided with another, R4183 (1) during a dogfighting exercise.

The other pilot 20 year old, Sgt. William Fleming NZ/403852 RNZAF also lost his life. It is recorded in the publications of Errol Martyn QSM that these two pilots were the first New Zealand graduates under the Empire Air Training Scheme (2) in Canada to be killed.

(1) Some sources state that it could have been R4101.

(2) Empire Air Training Scheme (EATS) often referred to as simply "The Plan", was a massive, joint military aircrew training program created by the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, during the Second World War. EATS remains as one of the single largest aviation training programs in history and was responsible for training nearly half the pilots, navigators, bomb aimers, air gunners, wireless operators and flight engineers who served with the Royal Air Force, Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm, Royal Australian Air Force, Royal Canadian Air Force and Royal New Zealand Air Force during the war. (Wikipedia)

Burial details:

Sgt. Ian McDonald Cheyne. Saffron Walden Cemetery. Compt. 40. Grave 16. Son of James Auchinleck Cheyne and Maria Irving Cheyne, of Kumeroa, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand. A total of 215 flying hours logged.

Sgt. William Fleming. Saffron Walden Cemetery. Compt. 40. Grave 17. Son of Joseph and Margaret Fleming, of Nelson, New Zealand. A total of 181 flying hours logged.

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

KTY - 06.06.2018

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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 MWO 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', Archiwum - Polish Air Force Archive (on this site), Anna Krzystek, Tadeusz Krzystek - 'Polskie Siły Powietrzne w Wielkiej Brytanii', Franek Grabowski, 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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