Cockram, Dennis Herbert Died

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Personal Information

Rank F/O
Forename(s) Dennis Herbert
Surname Cockram
Gender M
Age 22
Decorations MiD
Date of Death 31-03-1944
Next of Kin Son of Herbert William and Ethel G. L. Cockram, of Ilford, Essex.
COCKRAM DH

Aircraft Information

Aircraft Armstrong Whitworth Whitley V
Serial Number AD671
Markings

Memorial Information

Burial/Memorial Country Poland
Burial/Memorial Place Poznan Old Garrison Cemetery
Grave Reference Coll. grave 9. A.
Epitaph OF WHOM MAY WE SEEK FOR SUCCOUR, O LORD, WHO FOR OUR SINS ART JUSTLY DISPLEASED

IBCC Memorial Information

Map
Directions to panel 21
COCKRAM DH

Location

Row -
Panel 21
Column -
Line -

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

Phase 1
Panel Number 21

Enlistment Information

Service Number 122441
Service Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
Group 91
Squadron 10 OTU
Trade WOp/AG
Country of Origin United Kingdom

Other Memorials

Location Rural location, Zagan, Lubusz Voivodeship
Country Poland
Memorial Type Inscribed Memorial Stones
Memorial Text Names of the escapers. Blue text recaptured, black text executed, green text evaded
Location Lotników Alianckich 45, 68-100 Zagan Voivodeship
Country Poland
Memorial Type Inscribed Memorial Board & Framed Photos
Memorial Text Pamietamy bohaterom alianckich lotnikow officerom rozstrzelanych przez Gestapo
Translation "We remember the heroes of the Allied airmen and officers shot by the Gestapo Zagan, March 1945"
Location Rural location, Zagan, Lubusz Voivodeship
Country Poland
Memorial Type Inscribed Memorial Stones
Memorial Text In memory of the Officers who gave their lives Sagan March 1944

Miscellaneous Information

On loan to Coastal Command at the time of incident
One of the Great Escapers. Executed 31/3/44
His name was incorrectly transcribed when he enlisted and remains so to this day in most records (and, as a consequence, on the IBCC memorial walls)
Born 13 August 1921, Leyton, Essex. The 1939 Register lists him as a clerk.

Last Operation Information

Start Date 08-10-1942
End Date 09-10-1942
Takeoff Station St. Eval
Day/Night Raid Night (2% moon)
Operation Anti-submarine patrol
Reason for Aircraft Loss Intercepted by a German long-range maritime patrol aircraft Junkers Ju 88 flown by Leutnant Dieter Meister of 13 Staffel, Kampfgeschwader 40 and shot down into the Bay of Biscay. All the crew survived the attack and made it ashore in France. Cockram immediately went on the run and evaded capture for over a month but was eventually taken prisoner by the Germans on 9 November 1942 based on their own records.
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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.