Margaret Mary WALSH. Leading Aircraft Woman 2006225 (Nursing Orderly). WAAF attached to No 271 Squadron, Down Ampney.
Born 26 January 1912 at 02.Clonmore Road, Dublin to Patrick, (clerk) and Mary Margaret Walsh nee Brennan. Later on in his life he became a Major in R.A.O.A.C.) and Indian Army and resided with his family at Hove Sussex.
1939 her parents were residing at 74 St Leonards Gardens, Hove, Sussex. He was a retired Major, Indian Army.
She was a passenger along with a crew of four flying in a DC 47 Dakota, KG406 which crashed 28 April 1945 she was aged 33
It was seen to crash into the sea 9 miles East-North-East of Calais enroute to Brussels. Although a thorough search was made of the area by a motor launch and a Walrus Air-Sea-Rescue aircraft no trace was found of the aircraft or its crew. She was age 33 years.
Crew of Dakota KG406 were:
F/Lt Robert Southey (Pilot)
F/Sgt James Fife-Miller (Co-Pilot)
P/O J/92827 John Learned Ives RCAF (Navigator)
F/Sgt Ross Earl Reynolds RCAF (WOP)
All commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial, Surrey.
Wills and Admin, Ancestry.
Margaret Mary Walsh of 74 St Leonards Gardens, Hove, Sussex. Died on date stated. Her effects went to her widowed mother.
Some notes from the Service Records of John Learned Ives.
Missing Memorandum.
Postagram received for 271 Squadron R.A.F. Oldham, stated aircraft into sea on 28.4.45. A Naval motor launch in the English Channell, saw it dive into the sea and was at the scene of the accident with in two and half minutes but all they found was a pay book with the name of P/O Ives thereon. P/O. Ives was one of the missing crew of KG.406.
Some notes from the service records of Ross Earl Reynolds
Memorandum dated 21 November 1945.
Records Officer.
No.271 Squadron reported that a Dakota aircraft,
with a crew of 5, left base at 06.33 hours on the 28th. April,1945, on a scheduled flight to Nivelles, Belgium. It failed to arrive at its destination and nothing further was heard of it. P/O. J.L Ives and F/Sgt. R.E. Reynolds were members of this crew.
Further. information received from No,4 Croup, states that the aircraft crashed into the sea and although the cause is. not definitely known, it is believed have been the result of failure of the artificial horizon while flying through cloud. A naval launch which witnessed the crash, searched the vicinity and picked up a Mae West believed to belong to P/O. Ives. In the view of this information, |P/O Ives and F/Sgt, Reynolds were reclassified to "Missing
Believed Killed in Action'.
The three remaining members of this crew were not R.C.A.F.
personnel. Two R.A.F on one W.A.A.F. Nursing Orderly.
