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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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02.04.1942 No. 20 O.T.U. Wellington 1C R1168 JM-G F/O. Jeffery

Operation: Training

Date: 2nd April 1942 (Thursday)

Unit: No. 20 O.T.U. 

Type: Wellington IC

Serial: R1168 

Code: JM-G 

Base: RAF Lossiemouth, Morayshire, Scotland 

Location: Sinsharnie, Aberdeenshire 

1st Pilot: F/O. David Hamilton Jeffery 85659 RAFVR Age 26. Killed 

2nd Pilot: Sgt. Raymond James Coates 655734 RAFVR Age 23. Killed 

Obs: Sgt. Edward Hunter 1006782 RAFVR Age ? Killed

W/Op/Air/Gnr: Sgt. George Cant 1063357 RAFVR Age 21. Killed 

W/Op/Air/Gnr: Fl/Sgt. Berry Arthur Neill NZ/404088 RNZAF Age 24. Killed

Air/Gnr: Sgt. Alexander Scott Moggach 1059394 RAFVR Age 26. Killed 

REASON FOR LOSS:

Took off from RAF Lossiemouth for a night training exercise, but while heading for base, assisted by QDMs (1) the aircraft crashed into a hillside at 01.13hrs near the village of Sinsharnie, 3 miles NW of Huntley, Aberdeenshire.

An eye witness confirmed that the weather at the time of the accident was slight rain with strong winds and that visibility was quite good with the cloud level being higher than the hills. 

The reason for this accident has never been fully established, but it is believed that a misunderstanding in respect of the QDM (1) instruction may have led to this accident 

                 

Fl/Sgt. Berry Arthur Neil and grave

(1) QDM = Magnetic heading to a station

Burial details:

F/O. David Hamilton Jeffery. Sanderstead (All Saints) Churchyard Extention, Surrey. Row H. Grave 57. Son of William Harold and Mabel Jeffery of Sanderstead, England.

Sgt. Raymond James Coates. Cinderford (St John) Churchyard, Gloucestershire. Row 11. Grave 27. Son of John Henry Dancey Coates and Bessie Emily Coates of Cinderford, England.

Sgt. Edward Hunter. Glasgow (Sandymount) Cemetery. Compt. C. Grave 770. Son of Daniel and Sophia Hunter of Glasgow, Scotland.

Sgt. George Cant. Medomsley (St. Mary Magdalane) Churchyard, Durham. Block 1. Row 2. Grave 16. Son of Thomas and Hannah E. Cant, of Leadgate, England.

F/Sgt. Berry Arthur Neill. Lossiemouth Burial Ground, Morayshire. Grave 1143. Son of George Alban Neill and Margaret Neill (nee Glennie) of Auckland City, New Zealand.

Sgt. Alexander Scott Moggach. Banff Cemetery, Banffshire. 2nd Compt. Sec. Q. Grave 23. Son of Alexander and Mary Chalmers Moggach and husband of Margaret Moggach of Banff, Scotland.

Researched by Aircrew Remembered, researcher and specialist genealogist Kate Tame for relatives of this crew. With thanks to Alex Glennie for photographs and information. For further details thanks to Bill Chorley - 'Bomber Command Losses Vols. 1-9, plus ongoing revisions', Commonwealth 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 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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