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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04/05.07.1941 No. 10 O.T.U. Whitley V Z6667 Fl/Sgt. Lynch

Operation: Training

Date: 04/05th July 1941 (Saturday/Sunday)

Unit: No. 10 OTU (Operational Training Unit)

Type: Whitley V

Serial: Z6667

Base: RAF Abingdon, Oxfordshire.

Location: Near Stadhampton, Oxfordshire.

Pilot: Fl/Sgt. Arthur Edward Walter Lynch 550334 RAF Age 25. Killed

Pilot 2: Sgt. Frederick Coulson Adams R/54373 RCAF Age 24. Killed (1)

Pilot 3: Sgt. Ronald Grant Stratton R/59586 RCAF Age 20. Killed (2)

Obs: Sgt. William Archibald Bartleman R/60887 RCAF Age 20. Killed

W/Op/Air/Gnr: Sgt. Peter Haselden Morris 1001152 RAFVR Age 26. Killed

W/Op/Air/Gnr: Sgt. George Charles Peter Sanderson 959645 RAFVR Age 21. Killed (3)

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We would like any relative of the crew to contact us as Ian Allison (and ourselves), would like to place a small memorial plaque at the crash site and to add information on this page of remembrance

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REASON FOR LOSS:

Several reports place this Whitley as shot down by a Luftwaffe Night fighter, others report it as hit by our own A/A units (for sure, not the first time this had happened).

Bill Chorley writes from the Unit's ORB's that after taking off from RAF Abingdon for a night bombing training operation the Whitley broke up in the air and crashed at Garsington, Oxfordshire at around 02:40 hrs killing all the crew. The aircraft wreckage caught fire on impact.

We have recently been advised by Dr. Theo Boiten that a claim had been made by Ofw. Heinz Strüning of 1./NJG2 with combat taking place 10 km E. Nottingham 01.57hrs.

For further details of this and many other Nachtjagd Combat reports take a look at Wing Leader which is publishing the complete 15 volumes over the two years with volumes available every two months.

Further investigation by Ian Allison reveals that it finally crashed near Stadhampton, Oxfordshire, where he laid a memorial wreath.

He hopes to place a plaque at the spot if he is able to make contact with other relatives of the crew. After his visit to the crash site, he has taken some photographs and also discovered a small piece of wreckage from the aircraft.

(1) The family of Sgt. Adams also lost his younger brother, F/O. John Charles Adams on the 6th January 1945. Killed whilst a pilot of a 550 Squadron Lancaster NG331, over Hannover, Germany.

(2) The family of Sgt. Stratton also lost his other brother. Fl/Sgt. Keith Robinson Stratton, a navigator, killed whilst training on Anson I N5379 of 3 (O) AFU - flew into high ground at night Old Lodge Farm, Clee Hill, 5 miles E of Ludlow, Shropshire - killing all 5 crew. Stratton Lake west of Nejanilini Lake was named after Fl/Sgt. Keith Robinson Stratton in 1974. Stratton Island was named after Sgt. Ronald Grant Stratton in 1995. Another brother erected a cairn to his two brothers in 1997, sadly we dont have a photograph or further details of this.

(3) The father of Sgt. Sanderson was killed when the ship, S.S. Warlaby from the Merchant Navy was attacked and sunk just 5 months earlier on 12th February 1941. At the time Percy George Sanderson was serving as the Chief Engineer. Aged 55 a former Lieut-Cmdr. of the Royal Navy, he had retired. (see below)

Above left: Sgt. George Sanderson and right: wreath laid at the crash site by Ian Allison

Burial details:

Fl/Sgt. Arthur Edward Walter Lynch. Heston Churchyard Old ground (St. Leonard). Grave 00E. Born in March 1916 in Portsmouth, the son of Herbert A. and Mary E.S Lynch (née Joiner) the younger brother of Vernon Lionel and Reginald George. Husband of Mollie E. Sparks who he had married in September 1940, they had no children.

Sgt. Frederick Coulson Adams. Brookwood Military Cemetery. Grave 30.G.7. Son of Dr. F. Adams and Essie Adams, of Windsor, Ontario, Canada

Sgt. Ronald Grant Stratton. Brookwood Military Cemetery. Grave 30.G.8. From, Stonewall, Manitoba, Canada. Son of Mr and Mrs. A.K. Stratton of Stonewall, Manitoba, Canada.

Sgt. William Archibald Bartleman. Inverness (Tomnahurich) Cemetery. Sec. D. Class 6. Grave 19. Son of John and Catherine Lily Bartleman, of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

Sgt. Peter Haselden Morris. Cottingham Cemetery. Sec. A. Grave 216. Son of Charles Agustus and Ada Holland Morris, of Cottingham, Near Hull, Yorkshire, England.

Sgt. George Charles Peter Sanderson. Middlesbrough (Acklam) Cemetery. Sec. A. Grave 498. Son of Lieut.-Comdr. Percy George Sanderson, R.N. (Retd.), and of Annie Sanderson, of Linthorpe, Middlesbrough, England.

Left: The S.S. Warlaby - sunk on the 12th February 1941 at 08:30 hrs. 37 sailors lost.

Percy George Sanderson. Tower Hill Memorial. Panel 116. Son of John and Sarah Sanderson, husband of Annie Sanderson, of Linthorpe, Middlesbrough, Yorkshire, England.

Researched and dedicated to the relatives of this crew with thanks to Ian Allison (relative of Sgt. Sanderson), Bill Chorley - 'Bomber Command Losses' Vol. 7, Dr. Theo E.W. Boiten and Mr. Roderick J. Mackenzie - 'Nightfighter War Diaries Vol's. 1 and 2', Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Tom Kracker - 'Kracker Luftwaffe Archives'. Aircrew Remembered own Archives. Also to Dave Champion for details on Fl/Sgt. Lynch - January 2018.

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