Tompkins, John Frederick Died

Back

Personal Information

Rank Sgt
Forename(s) John Frederick
Surname Tompkins
Gender M
Age 25
Date of Death 05-05-1939
TOMPKINS JF

Aircraft Information

Aircraft Fairey Battle I
Serial Number K9469
Markings

Memorial Information

Burial/Memorial Country United Kingdom
Burial/Memorial Place St. John's Churchyard, West Grimstead, Wiltshire

IBCC Memorial Information

Phase Pre-War
Panel Number PRE (not yet erected on site)

Enlistment Information

Service Number 565016
Service Royal Air Force
Squadron 35 (Madras Presidency)
Squadron Motto Uno animo agimus (We act with one accord)
Trade Observer
Country of Origin United Kingdom

Other Memorials

Location Church of St. Nicholas, Cottesmore, Rutland
Country United Kingdom
Memorial Type Inscribed Stone Tablet
Memorial Text This chapel is dedicated to the memory of the officers and men of the British and American forces stationed at Cottesmore who gave their lives for freedom, 1939-1945, The way of life goeth upward.
Location Roadside Location, Graveley, Cambridgeshire
Country United Kingdom
Memorial Type Inscribed Memorial Stone
Memorial Text Graveley Airfield 1942-1945 8 Group Bomber Command 35 Squadron Pathfinder Force 692 Squadron Light Night Striking Force R.A.F. To commemorate this airfield in honour of those who served the nation aircrew, groundstaff & WAFF of United Kingdom Dominions, Colonies,Allied air forces 35/635. ASSN..1991
Location All Saints Church, Offord Cluny, Cambridgeshire
Country United Kingdom
Memorial Type Stained Glass Window, Sqn Badge & Roll of Honour
Memorial Text Remember before God all those airmen and airwomen 3who served with 35 Squadron R.A.F. Graveley 1939-1945
Location Roadside location (off E6), Fættenfjord, near Åsenfjord, Trøndelag Fylke
Country Norway
Memorial Type Inscribed memorial stone atopped with inert aerial sea mine and Tirpitz anchor chain link
Memorial Text For Frihet Til minne om Allierte Flymannskaper fra RAF drept under angrep pa det tyske slagskipet Tirpitz i Fættenfjord 1942
Translation "For freedom In memory of the Allied Aircrews from the RAF who died in attacks on the German Battleship Tirpitz in the Fættenfjord 1942 "

Miscellaneous Information

The Grantham Journal (23 May 1939): A verdict of “Accidental death” was returned at an Inquest at Cottesmore aerodrome on Saturday, when the Rutland Coroner, Captain S. J. Fowler, of Oakham, sat with a jury to inquire into the tragic deaths of three men attached to Cottesmore RAF station who were killed when their bomber plane crashed during night exercises. The plane left the aerodrome ground at 11.59 p.m. and a minute later its tail light was seen to disappear. Then followed several violent explosions and flashes which lit up the sky. The men who lost their lives were Pilot-Officer Gerald Louis Cooper, aged 21, whose home is in South America, Sergeant John Frederick Tompkins. aged 25 and Aircraftman John Sweeney, aged 20. Flying Officer Ian Alan Mead, Commander of A Flight, 35 Bomber Squadron, Cottesmore, said that on Thursday he was on duty on the flare path on the landing ground at the drome from 9 p.m. until night flying exercises ceased. At 11.58 p.m. he spoke to Pilot Officer Cooper who was in good health and appeared quite confident and happy. A minute later a witness saw the plane take off, the Pilot being accompanied by Sergeant Tompkins and Aircraftman Sweeney. “When the aircraft was about 200ft. up” said witness “the tail light was well visible. A few seconds later I heard two distinct reports in quick succession similar to when this type of engine cuts out. Almost immediately the tail light disappeared, and later there was an orange-coloured flash which lit up the sky and an explosion about 30 seconds later, followed by another flash and a loud report. I proceeded to the scene with Squadron Leader Chester and when we arrived all the members of the crew had been dragged clear of the wreckage which was burning fiercely. Mr Cyril Kettle was the first on the scene. He succeeded in removing the pilot, who was dead, and the other two, who had been thrown clear.” Cyril Kettle, ironstone labourer, Barrow, said that at about midnight on Thursday he was in bed in his house when he heard a plane pass over. He thought it appeared to be missing fire as he heard it bang several times. “About a minute later I heard a crash” added witness. ” I jumped out of bed, looked out of the window and heard a loud bang and saw flames shooting up into the air. I dressed quickly and ran toward the plane which was now well on fire. When I was within 100 yards of the plane there was a second explosion and when I arrived I found that part of the plane was in a field on one side of a hedge and the remainder on the other side. Two of the occupants were lying clear of the blazing wreckage. One was dead and I eventually managed to pull the pilot clear. I undid the clothing of the man that was just alive and made him as comfortable as possible and waited until the arrival of the rescue party”. Dr Gordon Purdy, of Oakham, who explained that he was acting as temporary medical officer at the aerodrome, said he visited the scene of the crash about 12.20am on Friday. Sgt Tompkins was alive, but the other two were dead. Pilot Officer Cooper had a fracture of the base of the skull and other injuries. Aircraftman Sweeney had a fractured spine and cut mouth, whilst Sgt. Tompkins, who was suffering from internal haemorrhage and shock, was removed to the aerodrome sick quarters and died shortly after admission. Replying to the Coroner, Dr Purdy said that death must have been instantaneous in the case of Pilot Officer Cooper and Aircraftman Sweeney and Sgt Tompkins had multiple injuries to which he succumbed. Flight Sergeant Bernard Victor Humphrey, of A Flight, said he did not see the accident, and it was impossible to tell exactly the cause because the machine was so smashed up and burnt. The airplane’s log book or maintenance sheet however showed that the machine had been daily inspected and that it was in a fit and airworthy condition.

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
Cooper G L (P/O) Died
Sweeney J (AC2) Died

Last Operation Information

Start Date 05-05-1939
End Date 05-05-1939
Takeoff Station Cottesmore
Day/Night Raid Day
Operation Training
Reason for Aircraft Loss Aircraft suffered engine failure on take-off and dived into the ground and exploded near RAF Cottesmore, Rutland
Start new losses database search Back
 
 
 
 

Please Wait

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.