Purdy, Thomas

Personal Information

Rank W/O
Forename(s) Thomas
Surname Purdy
Gender M
Age 28
Decorations DFM, MiD
Date of Death 28-12-1941
Next of Kin Husband of Ellen May Purdy, of South Shields, Co. Durham.
PURDY T

Aircraft Information

Aircraft Vickers Wellington IC
Serial Number Z1097
Markings DX-

Memorial Information

Burial/Memorial Country Netherlands
Burial/Memorial Place Eindhoven (Woensel) General Cemetery
Grave Reference Plot JJ. Coll. grave 42.
Epitaph

IBCC Memorial Information

Phase 2
Panel Number 229

Enlistment Information

Service Number 564392
Service Royal Air Force
Group 3
Squadron 57
Squadron Motto Corpus non animum muto (I change my body, not my spirit)
Trade Pilot
Country of Origin United Kingdom

Other Memorials

Location Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Centre, East Kirkby, Lincolnshire
Country United Kingdom
Memorial Type Sculptures, Inscribed Memeorial Stone & Inscribed Metal Plaques
Memorial Text In memory of those who gave their lives with 57 and 630 Squadrons 1939 - 1945
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Location Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Centre, East Kirkby, Lincolnshire
Country United Kingdom
Memorial Type Stenciled 57 Sqn RoH in site Chapel
Memorial Text In proud memory of the men of No. 57 Squadron who lost their lives operating from Royal Air Force East Kirkby 1943 to 1945
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Miscellaneous Information

DFM Citation: "Sergeant Purdy has taken part as Captain of aircraft in most of the important operations undertaken by the squadron since 4th September 1939 and has at all times shown conspicuous gallantry and determination in pressing home his attacks in the face of severe enemy opposition and in adverse weather conditions. On 18th December 1939, in operations near Heligoland he was responsible for the destruction of three enemy aircraft. His success as a captain of aircraft is no less marked than his skill and determination as a pilot and he has imbued his crew with a team spirit to a marked extent. By his courage, persistent determination, skill and power of leadership, this N.C.O. has at all times set an example deserving of the highest praise." Remarks by Station Commander: "This pilot has only three months rest from operational flying since the declaration of war. Amongst the successful results of his bombing attacks are included damage to railways at Osnabruck on 7th July 1940 and Ham on 4th August 1940. In addition to hits on barges at Calais on 21st September 1940, and the dock at Kiel on 19th August 1940, these attacks were pressed home in the face of severe anti-aircraft fire." Remarks by Air Officer Commanding: "Although on one occasion during his first tour of duty his aircraft was extensively damaged during an attack on Wilhelmshaven with necessitated a forced landing without his undercarriage at a strange aerodrome and with a wounded crew, his determination was in no way shaken and he completed his normal tour of duty in an operational unit. After three months employment on the O.T.U. he returned to his original unit as full of vigour and determination as ever and has at all times been an outstanding member of his squadron and sets the very best example to all junior Captains."
Mentioned in Despatches February 1940

Casualty Pack Number Find Out More

AIR 81/11218 (P364957/41)

Commonwealth War Graves Commission

The National Archives

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.

Last Operation Information

Start Date 27-12-1941
End Date 28-12-1941
Takeoff Station Feltwell
Day/Night Raid Night (74% moon)
Operation Dusseldorf
Reason for Loss Shot down by a night-fighter and crashed near Helmond, Holland
 
 
 
 

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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.