Operation: Sea Rescue Sortie

Date: 21st May 1941 (Wednesday)

Unit: 225 Squadron (on attachment from 400 Squadron)

Type: Westland Lysander IIIa

Serial: V9361

Code: LX:?

Base: RAF Pembrey South Wales

Location: Hillside - 1000 yards north of RAF Pembrey, South Wales

Pilot: Fg Off. Peter William Lochnan C997 RCAF Age 27. Killed

Obs/ Air Gnr: Sgt. Cave RAF Age? Injured

REASON FOR LOSS:

Part of a Lysander flight at RAF Pembrey, which were doing sea rescue sorties. On a sortie to look for a Tiger Moth that had crashed into the Severn River at the mouth of the Bristol Channel in fog.

Just after 18:00 hrs having entered a circuit the Lysander crashed within one minute into a hill some 1,000 yards north of RAF Pembrey. The aircraft broke into two halves on impact and burned. A medical Officer from 79 Squadron went to scene and provided first aid to the pilot and then took him to the station sick quarters at RAF Pembrey. Sgt. Cave was reported to have been injured but no further information has been found.

Fg Off. Lochnan lived for approximately 1½ hours . He was given prompt medical attentions but sadly succumbed to his injuries some 30 minutes after arrival at the Station Sick Quarters.

The crew of the Tiger Moth DH82A N6853, that crashed was Sqn Ldr. William Methven 43349 RAF and Flt Lt. Marcus Kramer DFC 77345 RAFVR were both killed when they ditched their aircraft into River Severn near Beachley, Gloucestershire.

Burial details:

Fg Off. Peter William Lochnan. Brookwood Military Cemetery, Surrey, England. Grave: 30.F.2. Born on the 3rd August 1913 in Ontario. The Frederick Michael and Lillian May (née Solloway) Lochnan and husband of Elizabeth Jane (née Lumbers) Lochnan of Toronto, Canada.

He Joined the RCAF on the 5th June 1939 and arrived in the UK on the 20th June 1940 with 112 (RCAF) Squadron, an Army Co-operation Reserve unit. Attached to 5 OTU, Aston Down on the 19th August and, after converting to Hurricanes, Lochnan was posted to No. 1 (RCAF) Squadron at Northolt on the 2nd September 1940. Transferred to 400 Squadron in February 1941 to await the new Curtiss Tomahawk aircraft.

Lochnan Lake, Thunder Bay, Ontario was named after Fg Off. Lochnan in 1960

Others mentioned in this report:

Sqn Ldr. William John Methven. Newquay Cemetery (Fairpark). Grave III. Born on the 21st may 1941 in Breward, Cornwall. Son of Alfred and Harriett (née Spencer) Methven. Husband to Blanche Salome (née Whitefield Pascoe) Methven of Camelford and father to Billy and Diana. From Newquay, Devon, England.

Flt Lt. Marcus Kramer. Runnymede Memorial. Panel 29. Born on the 25th December 1911 in Bermondsey, Surrey. Son of Emanuel and Rosie (née Black) Kramer of Bermondsey, Surrey, England.

Awarded the DFC as a Plt Off. whilst at 600 Sqn, London Gazette 9th July 1940

Researched Michel Beckers for Aircrew Remembered in January 2017. With thanks to Steven Jenkins for pilot photo, others from the Michel Beckers collection. Link to Canadian Commemorative feature added by CHB (Jan 2020). Updated by Ralph Snape for Aircrew Remembered (Jan 2022).

At the going down of the sun, and in the morning we will remember them. - Laurence Binyon
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