RAF Pilot killed in accident with his wife

[Adrian Roberts]

This WW2 thread appeared on the equivalent of Barracks on the Great War Forum

Board Message

(clicking on the link seems to bring you to the last entry on the thread, you need to scroll up to the top)

[Kyt]

The link doesn't work though I'm logged on there. Where is it?

[Adrian Roberts]

Sorry, I've just remembered that you have to have 300 posts on the Great War Forum to get into "Skindles", their off-topic sub-forum.

I've copied and pasted the original post and the most informative of the later posts below:

Daphne Joan Stokes + P/O Peter William Stokes DFC

Both died on Friday August 13th 1943 (not a good day!)

Trouble is she was a civilian, but died when a Mosquito, piloted by her husband crashed!

How common was it for a civilian to be present during a flight?

I will be researching this deeper

Neil


It would appear that Flying Officer Stokes was an Instructor at No 60? OTU operating out of High Ercall which was dedicated to the training of pilots for Mosquito night intruder operations.

If you look at his DFC decoration.At first I thought he was a Bomber Command "tour expired" pilot screened off B.C air operations but it transpires that he was a veteran "tour expired"with air operational experience with the Middle East Air Force in Italy and North Africa.

As an Instructor (and these tour expired aircrews were usually at a minimum rank of Flight Lieutenant and were screened from further operations over enemy territory and directed into OTUs as Instructors.) they were able to engage in activities which at times escaped official supervision.

When war was declared all UK RAF airfields evacutated their married quarters of civil dependants in order to use the accomodation for military use and for general safety. Some RAF personnel where they could afford it, found lodgings for their wives close to the airfield where they were serving. I would think that High Ercall being a post 1939 laid down airfield would not have had married quarters but nevertheless Flying Officer Peter William Stokes probably found lodgings for his wife in the Wellington area close to his posting.Being an Instructor, he was able to give his wife an insight into his life as a Mosquito pilot and a flight on 13 August 1943 was to end in tragedy.

Intrigued by the account of the loss of the aircraft, I have been unable to trace the incident. Somewhere there will be an official account of the loss of the aircraft from the unit's ORB.There would have been an enquiry into the loss of the aircraft and its circumstances.

To my surprise I have found an account of the incident in the "Spire Tower" publication of Surbiton, Surrey, dated November 2007 written by Peter Stokes who was a few months old at the time of his parents death.He was brought up by his maternal grandmother in Hove, who forever mourned the loss of her beautiful teenage daughter.

As a young person,Peter was not made aware of the circumstances of his parents death.His fathers RAF personal file ended with "Killed on Active Service" 13 August 1943.

A very moving account.

Per Ardua ad Astra

[Kyt]

Mosquito DD630 (Crashed during aerobatics) 60 OTU

He certainly was an experienced pilot. His DFC citation (6 April 1943):

Flying Officer Peter William STOKES (46735), No. 23 Squadron.
Flying Officer Stokes has completed 47 sorties, involving attacks on airfields, marshalling yards and factories. On 1 occasion in November, 1942, he attacked a factory at St. Dizier, starting fires. More recently, he has undertaken intruder sorties . over Sicily and Italy. One night in March, 1943, he made 2 sorties on the Tripoli-Gabes road. In the face of heavy anti-aircraft fire he pressed home his attacks, destroying many vehicles, starting many fires and causing much confusion on the road, thus enabling following aircraft to bomb with destructive effect. Two nights later, over the airfield at Castel Vetrano, Flying Officer Stokes
destroyed an enemy aircraft. This officer has displayed courage and determination worthy of high praise.

During the time time that Stokes was awarded his DFC, 23 Squadron wasn't part of Bomber Command. It did become part of 100 Group upon its return to the UK but by then he had finished his tour. It would have been part of the Med Air Force, a seperate entity.

[Nostalgair]

Hi Adrian,

I can think of one instance at least that Kenneth McGlashan related that he had a civilian on board when I was writing 'Down to Earth'.

Cheers,

Owen

[Antipodean Andy]

No 23 Sqn, Royal Air Force

According to this, he would have been flying Mossie NFIIs. Might even have got some Havoc/Boston time in.

I don't think I've ever read anything about Mossie ops in the Med. Very interesting...he says wondering if he shouldn't have bought that bottle of scotch...