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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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Bomber Command Crest
05.05.1943 No. 22 O.T.U. Wellington X HF630 Fl/Sgt. Allan A.F. Hall

Operation: Training

Date: 5th May 1943

Unit: No. 22 O.T.U (Operational Training Unit)

Type: Wellington X

Serial: HF630

Base: R.A.F. Wellesbourne Mountford, Warwickshire

Location: Baldwins Field, Mickleton, Gloucestershire

Pilot: Fl/Sgt. Allan Avand Fisher Hall R/126388 R.C.A.F. Age 20. Killed 

Nav: F/O. Joseph Cherkinsky R/14677 R.C.A.F. Age 25. Killed 

Air/Bmr: Sgt. Joseph Emil Leo Burgess R/154061 R.C.A.F. Age 24. Killed

W/Op/Air/Gnr: W/O. Frank Robert Santo R/70901 R.C.A.F. Age 22. Killed (1)

Air/Gnr: Sgt. G. E. Foster R.C.A.F. Injured

REASON FOR LOSS:

Took off from Wellesbourne Mountford airfield for a cross country training flight. The starboard engine failed and the aircraft crashed into the ground at 12.59 hrs near Baldwin’s Field, Hidcote Bartrim approx. one mile East South East of Mickleton, Gloucestershire

                                                            

W/O. Frank Robert Santo (Courtesy Patrick Santo)

   

Graves at Evesham Cemetery (Courtesy William Shungett – Available at a higher resolution free to relatives, please contact us)

Burial details:

Fl/Sgt. Allan Avand Fisher Hall. Evesham Cemetery. Grave 1377. Son of Avard D. Hall and Elsie R. Hall of Grand Bay, Kings County, New Brunswick, Canada. Further information: Fl/Sgt. Hall was born May 13th May 1922 in Saint John, New Brunswick. Having trained in Canada and America he arrived in the United Kingdom on November 30th 1942 joining No. 22 O.T.U. in April 1943.

F/O. Joseph Cherkinsky. Evesham Cemetery. Grave 1375. Son of Yehudah and Essie Cherkinsky of Windsor, Ontario, Canada. Further information: F/O. Cherkinsky born December 19th 1917 in Ontario. Educated at Dougall Avenue School and Kennedy College in Windsor and later at Wayne University, Detroit. Joseph also lost a brother Sgt. David Arthur Cherkinsky who was killed in action March 2nd 1943. Two other brothers were also in the services, Murray, in the Canadian Army and Alex, in the R.C.A.F.

Sgt. Joseph Emil Leo Burgess. Evesham Cemetery. Grave 1376. Son of Peter and Philomene Burgess of Montreal, Province of Quebec, Canada.

W/O. Frank Robert Santo. Evesham Cemetery. Grave 1378. Son of Alexander and Margaret Santo of Bender, Saskatchewan, Canada. 

Further information: W/O. Santo trained as a wireless operator/gunner and was posted to the United Kingdom in September 1940. He completed a tour of duty with Coastal Command and then went to No. 22 O.T.U as an instructor. 

Left: He lost his twin brother Navigator P/O. John Alexander Santo R.C.A.F. 429 Squadron who was killed during the night of July 31/1 August 1944 in Halifax LV950 AL-C. He is buried in the Communal Cemetery, Martin-au-Basc, Seine Maratin, France. Both grew up in Bender, Saskatchewan, Canada.



(1) Santo Bay and Santo Island in Saskatchewan is named after W/O. Santo and his twin brother, John.

Researched by Aircrew Remembered, researcher and specialist genealogist Kate Tame for relatives of this crew. With thanks to the following: Bill Chorley – ‘Bomber Command Losses Vol’s. 1-9, plus ongoing revisions’, Commonwealth War Graves Commission.





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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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