Apsley, Allen Algernon

Personal Information

Rank Maj
Forename(s) Allen Algernon
Surname Apsley
Gender M
Age 47
Decorations Lord, Seventh Earl Bathurst, DSO, MC, TD
Date of Death 17-12-1942
Next of Kin Lord Apsley. Son of Colonel Seymour Henry Bathurst, C.M.G., T.D., J.P., D.L., 7th Earl Bathurst, and of the Countess Bathurst (nee Borthwick), of Cirencester, Gloucestershire. husband of Lady Apsley, C.B.E (nee Meeking), of Cirencester. Colonel, The Arab Legion. M.A (Oxon). J.P.. Deputy Lieutenant for the County of Gloucestershire. Member of Parliament for Southampton, 1922-1929, and Bristol, 1931-1942. President, United Kingdom Pilots' Association. He also served in the First World War 1915-1919.
APSLEY AA

Aircraft Information

Aircraft Handley Page Halifax II
Serial Number DT542
Markings NF-Q

Memorial Information

Burial/Memorial Country Malta
Burial/Memorial Place Malta (Capuccini) Naval Cemetery
Grave Reference Prot. Sec. (Officers). Plot E. Coll Grave 4.
Epitaph

IBCC Memorial Information

Phase 2
Panel Number 123

Enlistment Information

Service Number 12995
Service Royal Armoured Corps
Group 38
Squadron 138 (Special Duties)
Trade Passenger
Country of Origin United Kingdom

Other Memorials

Location "The Barn" Gibraltar Farm, Tempsford, Bedfordshire
Country United Kingdom
Memorial Type Inscribed Stone Plaque & Framed Scroll
Memorial Text To commemorate the men and women of different nationalities who flew from RAF Tempsford to aid resistance forces in occupied Europe
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Location St. Peter's Church, Tempsford, Bedfordshire
Country United Kingdom
Memorial Type Inscribed Stone Tablet, Wooden Boards, Brass Plaques & RoH
Memorial Text Remembering all those who flew from RAF Tempsford including those of the Royal Australian Air Force
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Miscellaneous Information

1st Royal Gloucestershire Hussar Regiment
During World War I, he served overseas with the Royal Gloucestershire Hussars. He was promoted to temporary lieutenant in April 1916, acting captain in June 1917, receiving a substantive promotion to lieutenant from the same date and to substantive captain in 1918. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) for his actions in Egypt. He was elected as MP for Southampton in 1922 and for Bristol Central in 1931, seats he held until 1929 and 1942 respectively. In 1923 he was appointed a Deputy Lieutenant for the County of Gloucester, and of the City and County of the City of Gloucester, and the City and County of the City of Bristol. During World War II, he served overseas again and died whilst commanding the Arab Legion.
DSO Citation, London Gazette, 4 October 1919: "Capt. Allen Algernon, Lord Apsley, M.C., 1st Glouc. Yeo. (EGYPT). On the 30th September, 1918, near Damascus, he was sent out with a troop of 20 men and a Hotchkiss gun to seize the Kadem wireless station. Near Kadem Station he was held up by a body of the enemy, whose strength was double his own. He charged, killing 12 with his sword, the remainder being put to flight. On arrival at his objective the wireless station was found to have been already destroyed, and the enemy, who had been strongly reinforced, was threatening to cut off his troop. This officer carried out the retirement of the troop in perfect order, and, when attacked by the enemy from a flank, another charge was made, inflicting loss and enabling him to get away intact. Throughout this mission he showed splendid gallantry and marked ability to command".

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Last Operation Information

Start Date 17-12-1942
End Date 17-12-1942
Takeoff Station Luqa
Day/Night Raid Day
Operation Transit from Cairo, via Malta
Reason for Loss Crashed just beyond the runway at Zeitun claiming the lives of all 17 crew and passengers on board
 
 
 
 

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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.