Kirton-in-Lindsey WW2 Cemetery Register
The local cemetery in Brigg is the final resting place for a good proportion of the airmen killed in crashes in North Lincolnshire and similarly with the local cemetery at Kirton-in-Lindsey and I have produced another register of those laid to rest at Kirton-in-Lindsey for general interest with links to the appropriate Crash Page which I will expand in due course. These are listed in date order. There are 2 British Army and 2 RAF none flying personnel on this list which I will look into in due course.
Those who were UK residents and claimed by their next of kin were returned to their families for burial locally. Commonwealth airmen and those that were not claimed rest at Brigg or Kirton-in-Lindsey. However this seems to tail off from late 1943/beginning of 1944 when most of the unclaimed were interred at Cambridge City or, in the case of the Canadians, Stonefall Cemetery at Harrogate.
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4th September 1940 - F/O Derek Keppel Coleridge O'Malley RAFVR - Age 29 - Pilot - 264 Squadron
4th September 1940 - Sgt Laurie Andrew Woodney Rasmussen RNZAF - Age 18 - Air Gunner - 264 Squadron -
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5th January 1941 - P/O Philip Howard Leckrone RAFVR - Age 28 - Pilot - 71 Squadron.
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9th February 1941 - P/O Edwin Ezell Orbison RAFVR - Pilot - 71 Squadron
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13th April 1941 - Pte Eric Fortune - Age 18 - Kings Own Yorkshire Light Infantry
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21st April 1941 - AC2 William Patrick Slevin RAFVR - Age 20
See Note 1 at the foot of this page.
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3rd May 1941 - Sgt Cecil James Bowles RAFVR - Age 20 - Pilot - 65 Squadron.
See Note 2 at the foot of this page.
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21st June 1941 - P/O Loran Lee Laughlin RAF - Age 29 - Pilot - 121 Squadron
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5th July 1941 - Sgt Andrew Gordon Costello RAAF - Age 23 - Pilot - 452 Squadron
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29th August 1941 - P/O James Craig RAF - Pilot - 255 Squadron.
See Note 3 at the foot of this page.
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3rd September 1941 - Sgt Theodore Stephen Hewland RNZAF - Age 22 - Pilot - 136 Squadron.
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26th October 1941 - Sgt Lloyd George Horsfall RAAF - Age 24 - Pilot - 253 Squadron
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11th December 1941 - Sgt Henry Lyle Hicks RCAF - Age 21 - Pilot - 253 Squadron.
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25th February 1942 - Sgt Alan Barton Watson RAAF - Age 21 - Pilot - 253 Squadron
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3rd April 1942 - P/O Samuell Fisk Whedon RAFVR - Pilot - 133 ( Eagle ) Squadron.
See Note 4 at the foot of this page.
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19th April 1942 - P/O Wilbert Ronald Christine RAFVR - Age 27 - Pilot - 253 Squadron.
See Note 5 at the foot of this page.
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19th July 1942 - AC2 Walter James Precious RAFVR - Age 20 - 2740 Sqn, R.A.F. Regt
See Note 6 at the foot of this page.
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14th August 1942 - P/O Lloyd Henry Roper McCarthy RNZAF - Age 29 - Pilot - 253 Squadron.
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27th January 1943 - Sgt Arthur Victor MacDonald Buckingham RCAF - Age 19 - Air Gunner - 21 OTU.
27th January 1943 - Sgt Norman Sydney Devereux-Mack RAFVR - Age 28 - Air Bomber - 21 OTU.
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14th July 1943 - S/L Allan Everitt Johnson RAF - Age 22 - Pilot.
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8th August 1945 - Sapper Harold George Walker - Age 28 - 954 Railway Operating Coy, Royal Engineers
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Note 1
This airman was stationed at Kirton-in-Lindsey and was killed in a non flying accident..
Reported to have been fatally injured in a motor vehicle accident
AC2 William Patrick Slevin RAFVR - 20 - Son of Frederick John and Blanche Mary Slevin, of Forest Gate, Essex - Kirton-in-Lindsey Cemetery, Lincolnshire.
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Note 2
Although this airman was stationed at Kirton-in-Lindsey the incident took place well outside the area.
3rd May 1941 – 65 ( East India ) Squadron, RAF Kirton in Lindsey – Supermarine Spitfire IIA – P8269 – Sgt Cecil James Bowles RAFVR – Duty Training.
Approximate location – Alwalton area, Huntingdonshire.
Dived into the ground after being hit by a Hurricane making a practise attack.
Sgt Cecil James Bowles RAFVR – Pilot – 20 – 65 Sqn - Son of Cecil J V Bowles and Beatrice Bowles of Estado de Sao Paulo, Brazil. - Kirton-in-Lindsey Cemetery, Lincolnshire.
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Note 3
Although this airman was stationed at Kirton-in-Lindsey the incident took place outside the area.
29th August 1941 - 255 Squadron, RAF Hibaldstow – Boulton Paul Defiant I – N3378 – P/O James Craig RAFVR – Duty Transit Flight
Approximate location – Northern side of Bleaklow near Bleaklow Stones, Derbyshire High Peak near Glossop
The exact reason for the flight is uncertain, N3378 was assigned to No.255 Squadron at RAF Hibaldstow in Lincolnshire but it had been to Flying from RAF Turnhouse at Edinburgh to RAF Hibaldstow. Pilot P/O Craig with passenger AC Hempstead. The circumstances are not clear but it likely that thunderstorms along the proposed route down the east coast forced P/O Craig to fly on a more westerly course and he flew into Bleaklow in poor visibility. The wreck and bodies of the crew were not discovered until the 23rd September 1942. See the excellent Peak District Air Crashes website here for more details and some excellent photos here.
P/O James Craig RAF – Pilot – 255 Sqn - Son of Andrew Anderson Craig and Nellie Craig; husband of Stephanie Craig of Belle Vue, Wakefield, Yorkshire - Kirton-in-Lindsey Cemetery, Lincolnshire
AC1 George Daniel Hempstead RAFVR – 27 – 255 Sqn - Son of Charles Henry and Dora Hempstead; husband of Mildred Hempstead, of Sleaford - St. Andrew's Churchyard, Asgarby, Lincolnshire.
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Note 4
Although this airman was stationed at Kirton-in-Lindsey the incident took place outside the area.
3rd April 1942 – 133 ( Eagle ) Squadron, RAF Kirton-in-Lindsey – Supermarine Spitfire IIA – P8438 – P/O Samuell Fisk Whedon RAFVR – Duty Transit Flight
Approximate location – Epworth area near Doncaster
Samuell Whedon joined RAFVR, trained in the UK and was posted to 133 Sqn RAF
Mid air collision in P8438 with P/O Wilbert A Arends in P8595 nr Epworth, Lincolnshire, baled out and landed safely but appears to have collapsed and died soon after landing.
P/O Samuell Fisk Whedon RAFVR – Pilot – 133 (Eagle ) Squadron – Of USA – Kirton-in-Lindsey Cemetery, Lincolnshire.
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Note 5
19th April 1942 – 253 Squadron, RAF Kirton-in-Lindsey – Hawker Hurricane IIA – Z3831 – P/O Wilbert Ronald Christine RAFVR - Duty Transit Flight
Approximate location – 5 miles south of Louth, Lincolnshire.
Reported to have hit power cables and crashed 5 miles south of Louth, Lincs in the Lincolnshire Wolds
P/O Wilbert Ronald Christine RAFVR - Pilot - 27 - 253 Sqn - Son of Willis and May Christine of San Francisco, USA - Kirton-in-Lindsey Cemetery, Lincolnshire
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Note 6
This airman was from Kirton-in-Lindsey and was killed in a non flying accident whilst stationed in the south of England.
Mortally wounded by the negligent discharge of a firearm by a comrade and died the next day, the 19th July 1942
AC2 Walter James Precious RAFVR - 20 - 2740 RAF Regt - Son of Charles William and Caroline Precious - Kirton-in-Lindsey Cemetery, Lincolnshire.
Item compiled by David Fell. Photos from my archive
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