Baxter, Robert Wilson Died

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Personal Information

Rank F/S
Forename(s) Robert Wilson
Surname Baxter
Gender M
Age 24
Decorations GM
Date of Death 07-08-1942
Next of Kin Son of George Silverton Baxter and Jessie Ann Baxter, of Colac, Victoria, Australia.
BAXTER RW

Aircraft Information

Aircraft Vickers Wellington III
Serial Number X3698
Markings JN-

Memorial Information

Burial/Memorial Country United Kingdom
Burial/Memorial Place Selby Cemetery
Grave Reference Grave 5311.

IBCC Memorial Information

Map
Directions to panel 7
BAXTER RW

Location

Row -
Panel 7
Column -
Line -

Directions From the Chadwick Centre, take the central path towards The Spire.

Phase 1
Panel Number 7

Enlistment Information

Service Number 400689
Service Royal Australian Air Force
Group 1
Squadron 150
Squadron Motto Always ahead
Trade Pilot
Country of Origin Australia

Other Memorials

Location RAF Snaith Memorial Gardens, Pollington, East Yorkshire
Country United Kingdom
Memorial Type Inscribed Marble Monument, Bench & Metal Plaques
Memorial Text In memory of the airmen of R.A.F. 51 Sqn. (687) and 150 Sqn. (205) between 1941 - 1945
Location St. John the Baptist Church, Pollington, East Yorkshire
Country United Kingdom
Memorial Type Inscribed Slate Plaque and Rolls of Honour
Memorial Text Dedicated to the Personnel of 150 Squadron R.A.F. Snaith 1941-1942 Not for themselves alone
Location St. Laurence Priory Church, Snaith, East Yorkshire
Country United Kingdom
Memorial Type Inscribed Slate Plaque
Memorial Text Remembering the crew of Wellington III Z165I JN-M of 150 Sqn. R.A.F. Snaith 13/14th 09/1942
Location Bawtry Hall, Bawtry, South Yorkshire
Country United Kingdom
Memorial Type Inscribed Marble Tablet
Memorial Text In memory of those who did not return 1939 - 1945

Miscellaneous Information

GM Citation, London Gazette 28 July 1942: “Sergeant Baxter was the Captain of a bomber which had made a successful raid on Germany. When nearing base, the port engine, which had been hit by fire from the enemy’s ground defences, caught alight. Sergeant Baxter proceeded to land the aircraft, but, in the semi-darkness, he was unable to observe that the runways on the aerodrome were obstructed. The aircraft caught fire on impact with the obstruction. Five of the crew, including Sergeant Baxter, got out through the pilot’s escape hatch but the wireless operator, who tried to escape through the lower hatch became trapped. The aircraft was now burning furiously, ammunition and pyrotechnics were exploding, and the petrol tanks were likely to explode at any moment. Sergeant Baxter, showing complete disregard for his own safety, re-entered the aircraft and remained inside for at least five minutes before he succeeded in releasing the wireless operator and pushing him through the pilot’s escape hatch. He only managed to get clear himself before the petrol tanks exploded. During his efforts Sergeant Baxter sustained extensive second degree burns to his hands and face for which treatment in hospital was necessary. The unselfish heroism displayed by this airman undoubtedly saved the life of his comrade.”

The National Archives

Record of Events (Operational Record Book) AIR 27/1010/16
Summary of Events (Operational Record Book) AIR 27/1010/16

Fellow Servicemen

Please note that this list gives all the losses aboard the quoted aircraft and occasionally these may have occurred on an earlier date when the aircraft was not itself lost. Please check the dates of death carefully.

Name Outcome
Hodsell J H (F/S) Died
Tipple A R (F/S) Died
Weller H (Sgt) Died
Cosby B H (Sgt) Died

Last Operation Information

Start Date 06-08-1942
End Date 07-08-1942
Takeoff Station Snaith
Day/Night Raid Night (23% moon)
Operation Duisburg
Reason for Aircraft Loss Crashed and caught fire on take-off
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Casualty Pack

IBCC is delighted to introduce a unique facility to link the Losses Database to the relevant RAF Casualty Pack on the National Archives website. This project is the result of on-going collaboration between IBCC, the MOD Records Office and National Archives, Kew. This document describes what Casualty Packs are, when they were created, the process of making them available to the public and then goes on to describe the process by which you can view the contents of the packs. Casualty Packs (CPs) were created by the RAF whenever there was serious injury or loss of life associated with operational activity within the RAF. This includes operational flying losses, enemy action due to air raids, road accidents either on station or even off-station if they involved RAF vehicles. Deaths due to natural causes in service or accidents that did not involve RAF vehicles did not generally give rise to a CP.

CPs were originally given a unique reference number by the RAF. Each begins with the letter ‘P’ and is followed by six digits, then an oblique (forward slash) and the finally the year in which the incident took place- for example P396154/42.

The CPs are in the process of being made available to the general public as they are passed from the MOD Records Office, Portsmouth to National Archives, Kew. This process requires some rework to the files which is very time consuming, so the process of making them all available to National Archives will take several years. They are being made available in increasing date order.

Once CPs arrive at National Archives they are assigned a unique AIR81 number, so each CP has both a P-number and an AIR81 number. Both are searchable on the National Archives website under ‘Search the catalogue’ and both are included on the IBCC website.

The AIR81 reference on the IBCC website is a link to the file on the National Archives website. When you click on it, the relevant page will open in a new tab on your browser.

There is currently no plan to digitise AIR81 files, partly because they are fragile and partly because the information they contain can at times be sensitive, even harrowing, since they may contain exhumation reports and even photographs of corpses. Family members wishing to read the AIR81 files relating to their ancestors are advised to exercise caution and be guided by National Archives warnings where appropriate.

There are two means for accessing AIR81 files- to attend in person or to order a copy by post.

To attend in person, the attendee should first create a Reader’s Ticket. This can be done online by following this link: https://secure.nationalarchives.gov.uk/login/yourdetails. Then click on the AIR81 reference on the IBCC website and click Order in Advance. Enter your Reader’s Ticket number and state the date on which you intend to visit. National Archives will have the file ready for you when you arrive, saving you time. When you visit Kew, you must quote the Reader’s Ticket number and take along two forms of ID- one bearing your signature and one bearing your address. When you view the files, you are permitted to take photographs of each page, should you wish.

Alternatively, if you wish to order a copy by post, please be aware that there is a charge for this service based on the number of pages in the file. Click on the AIR81 reference on the IBCC website and then click Request a Copy. There is an £8.40 charge for National Archives staff to access the file and give you a quotation for the copying service. The process takes around 24 days to complete and can be expensive.

IBCC wishes to thank the staff at the MOD Records Office and National Archives for their engagement and assistance in making this facility available to our website users.