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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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British Overseas Aircraft Corporation
14/15.02.1942 British Overseas Air Corporation (BOAC) Liberator C.I G-AGDR, Capt. Robert H. Page

Operation: Civilian scheduled flight

Date: 14/th15th February 1942 (Saturday/Sunday)

Unit No: British Overseas Air Corporation (BOAC)

Type: Liberator C.I

Serial No: AM918

Code: G-AGDR

Location: English Channel, off the Eddystone Lighthouse, SSW of Plymouth, Devon

Base: RAF Hurn, Dorset, England

Crew:

1st Pilot: Capt. Robert Humphrey Page BOAC Age 31. Missing (1)

2nd Pilot: Capt. John Alexander Stuart Hunter BOAC Age 28. Missing (2)

1st Officer: Richard John Williamson BOAC Age 30. Missing (3)

Engineer Officer: Horace Reginald John Spicer BOAC Age 31. Missing

Radio Officer: Hubert France Parker BOAC Age 27. Missing

Passengers:

Brig. Frederick Morris CB, OBE, MC RAOC Age 51. Missing (4)

Lt Col. Townsend Edwin ‘Tim’ Griffiss DSM O-015010 USAAF Age 41. Missing (5)

Lt. Charles Oliver Mansfield Vine MiD RNR Age 27. Missing

Harold Edward Bell, Royce Royce Engineer Age 43. Missing

Note: Liberator C.I was built as a B-24A #40-2357 and was initially assigned to RAF Ferry Command with an RAF serial number of AM918. It was flown from Canada to England during May 1941 and then transferred to the British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) and registered as G-AGDR.

Above: LB.30A (US# 40-697) Liberator C.I, G-AGCD (RAF Serial AM259), Sister ship to AM918, of the British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) on the ground at Prestwick, Ayrshire. (Courtesy of the Imperial War Museum ATP 9723D)

REASON FOR LOSS:

On the 24th/25th January 1942 G-AGDR took off from RAF Hurn and flew non-stop to RAF Cairo, Egypt. The return flight was delayed due to strong headwinds. On the evening of the 14th February G-AGDR took off with 5 crew and 4 passengers, from RAF Cairo for a direct return flight to RAF Hurn. The aircraft failed to arrive at RAF Hurn at the expected time.

A British Court of Enquiry determined that the aircraft had been shot down about 5 miles SW of the Eddystone Lighthouse, near Plymouth, England, on the 15th February 1942 at about 08:50 hrs. The aircraft crashed into the English Channel, no bodies were recovered.

At 08:15 hrs on the 15th February 1942 two Spitfires from 317 (Wileński) Sqn were scrambled from RAF Bolthead in Devon and ordered to intercept an aircraft. The two aircraft from ‘Red Section’ were:

Spitfire Vb AD308 JH:T, flown by Flt Sgt. Stanisław Brzeski;
Spitfire Vb AR279 JH:R, flown by Sgt. Jan Malinowski.

Above: 317 (Wilenski) Sqn, AD308 – One of the two Spitfires scrambled to intercept G-AGDR (Courtesy of The Ship Project)

The Liberator, a type never seen before by the pilots, was mistakenly identified as a 4-engine Focke-Wulf Fw 200 Condor and they attacked the aircraft shooting it down.

The Court of Enquiry blamed the two pilots for failing to correctly identify the Liberator as a friendly aircraft before opening fire. A contributory factor was attributed to the failure of controllers in not informing the Exeter fighter sector controllers of the inbound flight. Evidence was taken with the view of bringing the two pilots before a court martial but it was deemed that there was insufficient evidence with which to proceed.

Air Liner Crash Victims: (Courtesy of The Daily Telegraph and Morning Post, dated Saturday, February 21st, 1942)

(1) Capt. Page was an Empire Flying-Boat pilot. He was educated at the Nautical College, Pangbourne. After service in the RAF, he joined the Imperial Airways in 1936.

Flight Cadet Robert Humphrey Page passed out from RAF College, Cranwell was granted a permanent commission as a Pilot Officer (Plt Off) from and with seniority of the 25th July 1931;

He was was promoted to Flying Officer (Fg Off) on the 25th January 1933, and then to Flight Lieutenant (Flt Lt) with effect the 1st April 1936;

He was transferred to the Reserve of Air Force Officers (RAFO) as a Flt Lt. on the 23rd December 1936;

He was one of five who were pilots and first-class navigators responsible for forming the delivery unit of the Air Services Department which ferried aircraft across the Atlantic from Canada. He was instrumental in developing a strategy for ferrying Lockheed Hudsons across the Atlantic and lead the second delivery flights. Prior to this the aircraft were transported in ships.

(2) Capt. Hunter had served in the RAF before joining Imperial Airways in 1937. Until the outbreak of war he flew on the European service to Paris and Budapest,.

He joined the delivery unit of the Air Services Department and had been engaged on the Atlantic ferry service.

(3) 1st Officer Williamson qualified for a private pilot flying licence at the Abridge Flying Club on the 2nd March 1937.

Above: Richard John Williamson from his private pilot flying licence

Records show that he joined the RAF;

Sgt. 741731 Richard John Williamson was granted a commission in the RAFVR and promoted to 88851 Plt Off on the 22nd November 1940 and was then promoted to Fg Off. on the 22nd November 1941;

No further information on his RAF career has been found, however, it is possible that he was a serving officer who was seconded to BOAC.

(4) Brigadier (Brig) Morris was the Principal Ordnance Mechanical Engineer, stationed with the Army Headquarters in India.

Inquiry to be held: (Courtesy of The Daily Telegraph and Morning Post, dated Friday, February 20th, 1942)

He was appointed temporary Inspector of Ordnance Machinery (IOM) with an Honorary rank of Lieutenant (Lt) on the 22nd December 1914;

He was appointed temporary IOM with an Honorary rank of Major (Maj) on the 3rd January 1918.

(5) Townsend Griffiss was a Cadet at the Military Academy from the 14th June 1918 to 12th January 1920 and from 31st August 1920.

He graduated as a Pursuit Pilot (Pursuit = Fighter) from West Point Military Academy as a 2nd Lt. in the Air Service, United States Army on the 14th June 1922.

He became an instructor and a commandant of cadets at March Field in California. Then he had a three-year overseas tour as assistant military attaché for air in France and Spain and later Germany.

Above: Lt Col. Townsend Edwin ‘Tim’ Griffiss DSM (Courtesy of Fold3)

As a Lt Col. his experience had him appointed as the Aide to Maj Gen. James E. Chaney, General Officer No 2 USAFBI on the 8th January 1942.

USAFBI = United States Army Forces in the British Isles

He was assigned to a special Army observers group to investigate the efficiency of foreign aircraft and plan ferry routes for the shipment of aircraft from England to Russia. On the day he was shot down he was flying back to England from Russia.

After his death two military bases were named in commemoration. The 8th Air Force base at Bushey Park in England was named Camp Griffiss and Griffiss Air Force Base (AFB) in New York

He was the first United States airman to die in the line of duty.

Burial Details:

Crew:

Above: Runnymede Memorial (Courtesy of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission)

Capt. Robert Humphrey Page. Runnymede Memorial Panel 288. Born on the 27th October 1911 at Tendring, Essex. Husband to Nancy Joyce (née Spearpoint) of Brokenhurst, Hants, England.

Capt. John Alexander Stuart Hunter. Runnymede Memorial Panel 288. Born in 3rd Qtr of 1913 in Leicester. Was living in Oakwood Lane, Roundhay, Leeds. No Further information.

1st Officer. Richard John Williamson. Runnymede Memorial Panel 288. Born on the 14th April 1911 in Bromley Kent. Son of James Edward and Mary Susan (née Stenning) Williamson of Bromley, Kent, England.

Engineer Officer. Horace Reginald John Spicer. Runnymede Memorial Panel 288. Born 3rd May 1910 in Cosham, Hampshire. Son of William Percival Sydney and Mabel (née Cook) Spicer. Husband to Ivory Kathleen (née Lowman) Spicer of Corfe Mullen, Wimborne, Dorsetshire, England.

Radio Officer. Hubert France Parker. Runnymede Memorial Panel 292. Born on the 17th May 1914 in Christchurch, Hampshire. Son of George France and Maud Maria (née Burrows) Parker. Husband to Zena (née Garbutt) Parker of Liverpool, England.

Passengers:

Brigadier Frederick Morris. CB, OBE, MC. Alamein Memorial Column 1, Egypt. Born on the 13th November 1888. No further information.

Above: Alamein Memorial, Egypt (Courtesy of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission)

As an Honorary Captain (Capt) he was awarded the Military Cross (MC) on the 1st January 1917;

Awarded the Order of the British Empire (OBE);

Col. (temporary Brigadier) Morris OBE, MC was made Commander of the Order of the British Empire (Miliary Division) (CBE). London Gazette 1st January 1941.

Lt Col. Townsend Edwin ‘Tim’ Griffis. DSM, Purple Heart. Tablets of the Missing, Cambridge American Cemetery. Born on the 4th April 1900 in Buffalo, New York. Son of D. Ellicott Townsend and Katherine (née Hamlin) Evans of Buffalo, New York, USA. When his mother remarried Wilmott Griffis in January 1925 he changed his name to Griffis.

Above: Cambridge American Cemetery – Wall of the Missing (Courtesy of the American Battle Monuments Commission)

He was presented with the French Legion d’Honneur in 1938.

Lt Col. Griffiss was posthumously awarded the Army Distinguished Service Medal (DSM). Citation reads:

The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress July 9, 1918, takes pride in presenting the Army Distinguished Service Medal (Posthumously) to Lieutenant Colonel (Air Corps) Townsend Griffiss (ASN: 0-15010), United States Army Air Forces, for exceptionally meritorious and distinguished services to the Government of the United States, in a duty of great responsibility in 1941 and 1942. Lieutenant Colonel Griffiss displayed rare judgment and devotion to duty and contributed materially to the successful operation of the Special Army Observers Group, London, England. The singularly distinctive accomplishments of Lieutenant Colonel Griffiss and his dedicated contributions in the service of his country reflect the highest credit upon himself and the United States Army Air Forces”.

Presentation of DSM to Mrs Wilmott Griffiss: (Courtesy of the Buffalo Evening News, dated Thursday, August 27th, 1942)

There is a memorial to him at the Forest Lawn Cemetery in Buffalo, New York.

Memorial Marker for Lt Col. Griffiss (Courtesy of colorsflashing – FindAGrave)

Lieutenant (Lt) Charles Oliver Mansfield Vine MiD. Portsmouth Naval Memorial Panel 71, Column 1. Born on the 15th February 1915 in Portsmouth, Hampshire. Son of Charles John and Nellie Olive Vine, of Emsworth, Hampshire, England.

Above: Portsmouth Naval Memorial (Courtesy of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission)

Lt. Vine was serving in HMS Medway, a submarine depot ship in support of the 1st Submarine Flotilla based in Alexandria, Egypt;

Lt. Vine was Mentioned in Despatches (MiD). London Gazette 30th June 1942.

Harold Edward Bell. Memorial at Chaddesden Cemetery in Derby. Born in 3rd Qtr of 1898 in Derby. Son of Thomas Harris and Berther Bell of Derby, Derbyshire. Husband to Rose (née Smith) Bell of 29 Mostyn Avenue, Littleover, Derby, England.

Researched by Ralph Snape for Aircrew Remembered and dedicated to the families of all those that perished in this tragedy (Oct 2022).

Other sources listed below:

RS 24.10.2022 - Newspaper clippings added

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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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