Catalinas at Killadeas

 

List of Catalina Flying boats based on Lough Erne during World War 11 that crashed with loss of life.

A Roll of Honour for the crewmen who died in crashes.

 

21^st March 1941. Catalina AM 265 of 240 Squadron crashed on Aunagh Hill, Glenade, Kinlough, Co. Leitrim.

Sgt. H. Dunbar, RAF. F/O A.E. Whitworth, RAF. Sgt. C.H. Slack, RAF. Sgt. R.H. Oldfield, RAF. A/G. F.R.A. Chalk, RAF.  Sgt. H.H. Newbury, RAF. F/O Harold Seward. RAF. P/O C.P. Davidson, RCAF.

 

21^st April 1941. Catalina AH 532 of 210 Squadron failed to return from an Atlantic Patrol. It had taken off from L. Erne.

Sgt. Horace Arthur Tann, F/Sgt. Alfred Tizzard, F/Lt. Henry Francis Dempster Breese, W/O Clifford Bond, F/Sgt. Leslie Stewart Dilnutt, Sgt. Walter Henry Balch, Sgt. Alexander Vaughan McRae, A/C2 Herbert Vernon Norton, A/C1 James Frank Woodard. All RAF.

 

7^th May 1941. Catalina AH 536 of 240 Squadron crashed on Lough Erne near Gay Island.

Fl/Lt. Peter Cecil Thomas, F/O Hugh Harold Hirst, P/O Kenneth Bernard Fuller, P/O Denis William Hockey, F/Sgt. William Peebles,

Sgt. Joseph Leslie Elwell, Sgt. John Sterling Hesk, Sgt. Henry Ernest Wilson, LAC Henry Atkin Cottam, LAC Leslie Roy Holmes. All RAF.

 

23^rd December 1941. W 8418 of 240 Squadron  Crashed at Pembroke Dock, Wales. Base Castle Archdale.

P/O Anthony George William Debonnaire, F/Sgt. James Soutar Gray, F/Sgt. George Edwin Jones, F/Sgt. Frederick Rees Lewis, Sgt. Stanley Lockett. All RAF.  F/O Vladimir Victor Havlicek. RCAF.

 

19^th January 1942. Catalina Z 2148 of 240 Squadron crashed at Sullom Voe, Shetlands, Scotland.

F/LT. Harry Goolden, RAF. P/O Lyall George Schell, RCAF. Sgt. Roland Breakspeak, RAF. Sgt. Leslie Rowe, RAF. Sgt. Alan Pitcher, RAF. Sgt. Sinclair Irvine, RAF. Sgt. Eugene Hennoway.RAF.

 

15^th July 1942. Catalina AH 545 of 209/210 Squadron Failed To Return from an Atlantic Patrol.

This Catalina had spotted the German Battleship Bismarck on 26^th May1941.

S/Ldr. Lawrence George Belcham, P/O Adrian Fennel, F/Sgt. James Edward Bacon, F/Sgt. Sydney Leslie Beamont, F/Sgt. Reginald Clayton Graham, F/Sgt. John Nevil Tew, Sgt. Peter Bray, Sgt. Christopher William Cooke, Sgt. Albert Henry Thomas Davies, Sgt. William Roy Norley. All RAF.

 

30^th December 1942. Catalina FP239 of 131 O.T.U. crashed at Reaghan Hill near Omagh, Co. Tyrone.

Sgt. William Nichol, LAC Leslie Greenhalgh, Sgt. Arthur Horton Perkins, Sgt. Daniel Ward Yates, Sgt. Frederick Herbert Hilling, Sgt. John Edward Slade, Sgt. Charles Bernard Ridge,  Sgt. John Samuel Orr, F/O Matthew James Hall Newman. All RAF. Sgt. George Wilson Lowther, RAAF.

F/O Robert Mercer Adams, RCAF.

 

30^th Dec. 1942. Catalina FP 184 of 131 O.T.U. Killadeas, crashed on Kilwhannel Hill near Ballantrae, Scotland.

Sgt. Pilot K.N. Tullock.  Sgt. L.W. Bridger. Both RAF.

 

24^th May 1943. Catalina FB110 of 202 Squadron – 131 O.T.U. crashed near Innismackill Island, Lough Erne.

LAC. Shaw Stanley. RAF.

 

3^rd August 1943. Catalina FP114 202 Sq. Missing on Ferry flight from Castle Archdale to Gibraltar.

Sgt.G.W.Farler, Sgt.R.J.Howell, Sgt.E.E.Matty,DFM, Sgt.R.E.Newman, Sgt.R.O.S.Selwyn, F/Sgt.D.S.Somers, Sgt.L.M.Trimmer, Sgt.A. Whitwam.

 

7^th August 1943. Catalina FP 101 of 210 Squadron. 131 O.T.U. crashed near Duross Point, Lough Erne.

P/O Roy William Ellis. RAF.  F/O Anthony Alan Williams. RAF.

 

 

 

16^th October 1943. Catalina AH 551 of 210/202 Squadron 131 O.T.U. crashed into a hill near Ballinamallard.

Sqdn. Ldr. Patrick George Cooper, RAF. F/O David Leigh Sproule, RCAF. F/O Frank Herbert Grainger, RCAF. Sgt. John Harvey Hodgson, RCAF.   Sgt. James Millard Allen, RCAF. Sgt. Valentine Hinton Louis, RCAF.

 W/O Gerald Frederick Hardy, RAF. F/Sgt. Donald Mudd, RAF.

 

2^nd November 1943. Catalina FP120 of 131 O.T.U. crashed in the Atlantic off the Donegal coast.

F/O Kenneth Hipwell, Sgt. Harold Edwin Scarman,  Sgt. Peter Phillip Bacon, Sgt. Cyril Barraclough, Sgt. James Male, Sgt. Charles Edward Poots, Sgt. Albert Upton. All RAF. F/LT Edward Earle Muffitt, RCAF.

 F/O Douglas Haig Disney, RCAF.

 

22^nd November 1943. Catalina FP 240 of 131 O.T.U. Crashed at sea.

F/O Francis Peter Graves, Sgt. Robert Anderson, Sgt. Edwin Alfred Dennis Barnes, Sgt. Earl Darragh Morrison, Sgt. Alexander Fordyce Sutherland, Sgt. Allan Douglas Warder, Sgt. John Glynne Williams, All RAF.  Sgt. Owen Douglas Hodgkison, RAAF. Sgt. John George Ley, RAAF.

 

9^th January 1944. Catalina FP193 of 131 O.T.U. hit the water in a dive near Boa Island.

F/Sgt. Bernard Edward Smith. Sgt. Robert Hugh Davis Watson, Sgt. Stanley Oswald Hill, Sgt. Ivor George Howells,

All R.A.F.     F/Sgt. Alfred Frank Sherry. R.A.A.F.

Missing. Sgt.Harry Bagley,21.Sgt.Edward LeRoyGros.19.Both RAF.

 

17^th April 1944. Catalina AH 541 of O.T.U. crashed near Montgomery Rock, Lough Erne.

F/L Donald George Dewar, F/O Vivian Basil Charlton. F/Sgt. Arthur Marshall.  All RAF.

 

20^th November 1944. Catalina JX242 of 202 Squadron crashed at Lough Anlaban, Church Hill.

W/O Ernest Slack, F/Sgt. John William Geldert, F/Lt. George Vincent Forbes-Loyd, Sgt. Douglas William Nater, F/Sgt. Gordon Francis Tribble, F/Sgt. Peter Bryan Marshall, Sgt. Fred James Deem, All RAF.

P/O William John Sharp, RAAF.

26^th November 1944. Catalina JX252 of 131 O.T.U. Crashed near Ely Lodge, Co. Fermanagh.

Sgt. John Rew, F/Sgt. Noel George Edward Ladbrook, Sgt. Bernard Alfred Rosentreter, Sgt. Alfred Sonenthal, W/O Reginald William Shallis,

Sgt. David Henry Pidgegon, Sgt. Kenneth Percy West,  Sgt. Edmond Thomas Crow, Sgt. James Pringle. All RAF.

19^th December 1944. Catalina JX 208 of 202 Squadron crashed near Castlegregory, Tralee, Co. Kerry.

F/Lt. A.B. Langton, F/S. P.L. Lowe, F/S. E. Williams, W/O R.R. Perkins, Sgt. G.A. Cuthbert, Sgt. J.M. Wetherspoon, Sgt. R.F. Damant. Sgt. H.G. Aldrich, Sgt. A.R. Lewis.

 

18 Catalina Crashes.  128 Fatalities.       (other deaths  9)

 

 

Deaths at the base not caused by Aircraft crashes.

21^st August 1942. Sgt. William Thomas Gale, RAF. Died as a result of being struck by a rotating Catalina propeller.

 

21^st September 1944. W/O E.L. Darrell NZAF drowned at Roc Bay.

28^th August 1942 Sgt. Francis Agustine Weaver, age 27.NZAF. Crew member of Ventura 11 AE917, Ferry Command. Went down off the Irish coast after sending SOS. His body was washed ashore at Clooney, Donegal. Another body –McCubbon-recovered and buried in Eire.

23^rd October 1944 W/O Harry Joshua Leeper. RCAF. 422.SQ. Died from angina aboard a Sunderland while on patrol.

 

Airmen buried in Irvinestown but not listed in above incidents.

17^th August 1943.     Leading A.C.M. – H. Ward. R.A.F. Died as a result of a road traffic accident.

22^nd January 1945.  F/O. Joseph Martin O’Leary.  R.C.A.F., 131 OUT. died from  natural causes in the County Hospital Enniskillen.      

31^st July 1945. L.A.M.J.K. Burnett. RAF. Drowned in swimming in Lake.

9^th December 1943.

 Grave 41. An airman of the 2nd World War. “Known unto God.”

28^th August 1946. Grave 84. An airman of 39-45 War. An officer RAF Buried. “Known unto God”.

Other Deaths.   9.

 

Catalina FP 127 Foundered in the Irish Sea on 20/12/42.