Foster, Brian Hugh Douglas Died

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Personal Information

Rank S/L
Forename(s) Brian Hugh Douglas
Surname Foster
Gender M
Age 29
Decorations DSO, DFC*
Date of Death 12-01-1952
FOSTER BH 635

Aircraft Information

Aircraft Vickers Valiant
Serial Number WP215
Markings

Memorial Information

Burial/Memorial Country United Kingdom
Burial/Memorial Place Rowner (St. Mary) Churchyard, Gosport

IBCC Memorial Information

Phase Post-War
Panel Number POST (not yet erected on site)

Enlistment Information

Service Number 67635
Service Royal Air Force
Squadron High Wycombe
Trade Co-Pilot
Country of Origin United Kingdom

Miscellaneous Information

Date of birth 22 January 1922. Although this aircraft was not on the strength of Bomber Command, its Co-Pilot, S/L Foster, was.
On attachment to Vickers during the aircraft development.
His DFC was promulgated without citation in the London Gazette dated 4 August 1942 (12 Sqn). The Bar to his DFC was also published without citation on 8 December 1944 (7 Sqn). His DSO appeared in the London Gazette on 7 January 1944 with the following citation (7 Sqn): "Since being awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross this officer has successfully bombed some of the most heavily defended targets, in enemy territory. His coolness, determination and courage have been of the highest order. An excellent captain of aircraft he has consistently pressed home his attacks with the utmost vigour and has frequently, without hesitation, made several runs over the target to ensure accuracy of aim".

Last Operation Information

Start Date 12-01-1952
End Date 12-01-1952
Day/Night Raid Day
Operation Prototype test flight to measure cabin noise with the two inner engines shut down.
Reason for Aircraft Loss The crew had difficulty restarting the starboard inner engine and during the three unsuccessful attempts, fuel had built up in the engine and ignited on the fourth (successful) attempt. The fire spread to the wing via the flaps but there were no fire indicators in this area and the engine temperatures remained normal, meaning that the crew were unaware of the fire until it became visible on the leading edge of the wing (having a high-wing design meant that this was the only portion of the wing visible from the cockpit). All of the crew abandoned the aircraft but S/L Foster struck the tailfin and received fatal injuries.

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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.