CREW MEMBER PROFILE |
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Surname: |
CHILDS |
First Name/s: |
Edward Horace |
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Service No/s: |
(1392688) 168690 |
Service: |
RAFVR |
Branch: |
Pilot |
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Awards: |
1939-45 Star, Air Crew Europe Star, Defence Medal, War Medal 1939-45 |
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SERVICE RECORDS |
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Date |
Event |
Aircraft Flown |
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24 Jun 1941 |
Attended No.13 Air Crew Selection Board and recommended for training as Pilot/Observer. |
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25 Jun 1941 |
Posted to the Reserve, pending call-up. |
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06 Oct 1941 |
Called up at No.1 Air Crew Reception Centre (ACRC), St John’s Wood (Lord’s Cricket Ground), London. |
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12 Dec 1941 |
Promoted to LAC on completion of Initial Training Wing (ITW). |
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28 Dec 1941 |
No.3 Initial Training Wing (ITW), St James’ Hotel, Torquay, Devon. |
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01 Feb 1942 |
No.31 (RAF) Personnel Depot, Moncton, New Brunswick – 5 weeks. |
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13 Mar 1942 |
By train via Montreal, Toronto & Windsor, then Detroit, Glendale, CA and eventually Lancaster, California. No.2 British Flying Training School (BFTS), Polaris Flight Academy, War Eagle Field, Lancaster, California (Awarded Gold Star Merit Award). |
PT13 Stearman |
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11 Nov 1942 |
Promoted to Sergeant (Sgt) and awarded Pilot’s Flying Badge. |
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13 Nov 1942 |
No.31 (RAF) Personnel Depot, Moncton, New Brunswick. |
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10 Dec 1942 |
Embarked Halifax, Nova Scotia. |
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18 Dec 1942 |
Disembarked UK (port and vessel n/k). |
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19 Dec 1942 |
No.7 Personnel Reception Centre, Harrogate, Yorkshire; with attachments to No.11 Elementary Flying Training School, Perth, Scotland, and the RCAF Personnel Reception Centre (probably at Innsworth, Glos: tbc) |
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27 May 1943 |
No.3 (Pilots) Advanced Flying Unit (AFU), South Cerney, Glocestershire. |
Oxford tbc |
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29 Jun 1943 |
No.11 Operational Training Unit (OTU), Westcott, Buckinghamshire (Wellington). |
Wellington |
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01 Jul 1943 |
No.14 Operational Training Unit (OTU), Saltby, Leicestershire; Childs crew formed. Date TBC. |
Wellington |
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01 Aug 1943 |
No.14 Operational Training Unit (OTU), Husbands Bosworth, Leicestershire. Date TBC. |
Weliington |
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01 Sep 1943 |
No.14 Operational Training Unit (OTU), Market Harborough, Leicestershire. |
Wellington |
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15 Oct 1943 |
No. 1661 Heavy Conversion Unit (HCU), Winthorpe, Nottinghamshire. |
Halifax |
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28 Nov 1943 |
Promoted to Flight Sergeant (Flt Sgt) and immediately discharged on appointment to a Commission. |
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29 Nov 1943 |
Appointed to commission as Pilot Officer (Plt Off) on probation (emergency) from Flt Sgt (Gazetted 18 Jan 44, p350). |
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07 Jan 1944 |
No.1668 Heavy Conversion Unit (HCU) (No.5 Lancaster Finishing School), Syerston, Nottinghamshire. |
Lancaster |
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11 Jan 1944 |
Ground looped and crashed on landing in Lancaster ‘P’ W4926. |
Lancaster |
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22 Jan 1944 |
No.51 Base, Swinderby, Lincolnshire (presumably a holding post). |
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23 Jan 1944 |
No.576 Squadron, 'B' Flight, RAF Elsham Wolds, Lincolnshire. |
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576 Squadron FLYING RECORDS |
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Date |
Aircraft |
Code |
Flight Details |
T/O |
Land |
Flt Time |
Crew |
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27 Jan 1944 |
JA715 |
UL-D2 |
BERLIN |
1720 |
0140 |
8h20 |
P1 Sgt A.J. Bodger |
NOTES: |
Target: Built-up Area |
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28 Jan 1944 |
ED888 |
UL-V2 |
BERLIN |
nk |
nk |
4h55 |
P1 Plt Off E.H. Childs |
NOTES: |
Target: Built-up area. COMBAT |
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30 Jan 1944 |
W4245 |
UL-S2 |
BERLIN |
nk |
nk |
nk |
P1 Plt Off E.H. Childs |
NOTES: |
Target: Built-up area. FTR. Lost on 31 January 1944 on a raid on Berlin, possibly shot down by an enemy nightfighter. Sgt White and Bardsley were the only two survivors but were captured and taken PoW. Bardsley was later killed on the march from Fallingbostel to Lubeck in a friendly fire incident 19 April 1945. The Air Ministry reported the crash site as the Konigsberger See, just south of the village of Konigsberg in East Prignitz, between Hamburg and Berlin (see letter below). Plt Off Childs was originally buried at the Berlin (Heerstrasse) British Cemetery (now the Berlin 1939-1945 War Cemetery) but was reburied on 06 Jun 47 in plot 9.K.6 next to his comrades. |
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PERSONAL INFORMATION |
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Personal Records Restricted - not available to the public |
PHOTOS & DOCUMENTS |
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Personal Documents Restricted - not available to the public |
