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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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148
148 Squadron Wellesley I K7732 Sgt. Ronald Ashley Cowan

Operation: Training

Date: 29th September 1938 (Thursday)

Unit: No. 148 Squadron (motto: 'Trusty')

Type: Vickers Wellesley I

Serial: K7732

Code: T48

Base: RAF Stradishall, Suffolk

Location: Kedington, Suffolk

Pilot: Sgt. Ronald Ashley Cowan 562459 RAF Age 26. Killed

Pilot: Sgt. Harry Newby 564941 RAF Age 23. Killed

W/Op/Air/Gnr: AC2. Peter Asquith Corp 550723 Age 18. Killed

REASON FOR LOSS:

Flying on a navigation exercise when the aircraft dived through cloud. The port wing became detached. It appeared that one crew member attempted to bail out but not at sufficient height for his parachute to deploy.

Two of the crew were killed in the crash after it exploded in flames on impact.

The subsequent board of enquiry found that the Wellesley was not fitted with instruments that permitted the pilots to fly in cloud.

Above: The memorial and plaque on the wall inside Kedington Community Centre. Unveiled on the 17th September 2022.

Above K7732 at RAF Stradishall.

Burial details:

Sgt. Ronald Ashley Cowan. No burial details. Husband of Mrs. Miriam Edith Cowan of The Dell, Great Milton, Oxfordshire, England. Wings awarded on the 20th February 1936 whilst with No. 6 Flying Training School at Netheravon, Wiltshire.

Sgt. Harry Newby. Barrow Cemetery and Crematorium. Son of George (died 20th March 1958, age 81) and Kate Newby (died 26th April 1944, age 66) of Barrow in Furnace, England. Wings awarded on the 26th March 1936 whilst with No. 3 Flying Training School at South Cerney, Gloucestershire.

AC2. Peter Asquith Corp, Northern Cemetery/Crematorium. Son of Artie Corp (died 04th June 1949, age 61) and Edith Corp (died 06th September 1980) of Hull, England

Researched and dedicated to the relatives of this crew with thanks to the sources shown below, National Archive, Kew, Furness Stories behind the stones, Kevin Betts of the Kedington air memorial group.

Other sources as quoted below:

KTY 11-08-2023

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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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