Unit: 3 Advanced (M East) RAF

Discussion in 'Introductions' started by Nephew John, Apr 27, 2010.

  1. Nephew John

    Nephew John New Member

    Hi Everyone,
    please make this aged senior welcome as I try to find as much as I can about my late uncle who was 'accidentally' dead in Algeria, just months after I was born in 1944.
    Not much is known as the DoD in Aus [as far as I known] didn't pass on a lot on the death.
    Nothing is known about the above 'unit'. I presume that it was a RAF advanced unit of 3 Sqd. Other than that, as Sgt Schultz would say ... I know nothing!
    Can anyone help?
    cheers
     
  2. Kitty

    Kitty New Member

    welcome to the forum John.

    First things first the old chestnut: do you have a copy of his service records?

    i am aware the RAF had a good presence in North Africa and also in the Middle East. As an Advanced unit he was probably out front creating new airstrips as the lines moved forwards. What we really need is his service records to begin with as they will tell you precisly which squadron he was associated to. Also as Middle East command, he may have been caught out alone by the locals; they were'nt precisely friendly, hence the secrecy.
     
  3. Cobber

    Cobber New Member

    Welcome to the site.


    Is it possible you mean 3 Squadron RAAF as that Sqdn was in middle east/Italy for most of war. 3 Squadron RAF was based in GB and France during war.

    3 RAAF Sqdn started as a Army cooperation Sqdn in 1940 then changed to a fighter Sqdn
    Try http://www.3squadron.org.au/subpages/roll.htm
    This is a list of all 3 RAAF Sqdns Deaths during WW2 in a chronological order.

    if this link does not help then try Google search, type in 3 Sqdn RAAF you will find many internet sites dealing with this Sqdn. Also try typing in his name and see where it leads you, or try the Australian war memorial web site, www.awm.gov.au/ and as Kitty has said, get a set of his military records. The AWM site will give you the details for getting his military files.
     
  4. Nephew John

    Nephew John New Member

    hi kitty, my uncle was a pilot [flying officer] tag no 401558, service record? not been able to get that info - could you point me in the right direction, perhaps?
     
  5. Cobber

    Cobber New Member

    Is this your uncle?
    I got this from
    http://www.ww2roll.gov.au
    You can print out a copy the information below as well as a certificate of WW2 service and on this site you can follow link for application for his full military records from, Australia National Archives


    Service Record
    Name WHITE, WESLEY JOHN
    Service Royal Australian Air Force
    Service Number 401558
    Date of Birth 3 Jan 1916
    Place of Birth KEW, VIC
    Date of Enlistment 28 Feb 1941
    Locality on Enlistment Unknown
    Place of Enlistment MELBOURNE, VIC
    Next of Kin WHITE, M
    Date of Death 3 Jun 1944
    Rank Flying Officer
    Posting on Death 3 ADU
    WW2 Honours and Gallantry None for display
    Prisoner of War No
    Roll of Honour Unknown
    Copyright Commonwealth of Australia 2002.
     
  6. Nephew John

    Nephew John New Member

    yep, that's him. thks cobber, jumped on the link and got it all
     
  7. spidge

    spidge Active Member

    Hi John,

    The link below also has the information that Wesley was a Book Keeper and the family home was at 15 Edgevale Road Kew. (Know the street well as I grew up in Ivanhoe and worked in Kew.)

    http://www.awm.gov.au/cms_images/AWM108/022/022617.pdf

    I have his unit as 3 ADU and that he was killed in North West Algeria.

    Hopefully our RAAF member may be able to shed some further light on his accident.

    Sadly I do not have a photo of his headstone as yet but hopefully will have it in the near future.

    Cheers

    Geoff
     
  8. Nephew John

    Nephew John New Member

    Hi Geoff,
    yes, have been to all the sites that you, cobber and others have directed me to and got most of the info needed. lived in kew myself in mortimer st off davis st about 2 miles from where my uncle lived.
    Cheers
    John
     
  9. Cobber

    Cobber New Member

    I have been intrigued by the ADU, does anyone know what ADU actually means? I have searched and searched to no avail.

    Air Dispatch Unit???
     
  10. spidge

    spidge Active Member

    With respect to Le Petit Lac Cemetery, I had a look through the cemetery deaths for that day and came up with all these lads from 216sq who were killed on the same day, British, South African, Au8stralian and Canadian.

    A transport may have crashed or two planes collided.

    In Memory of
    Lieutenant DENIS OSWALD BILSE

    328283V, 216 (R.A.F.) Sqdn., South African Air Force
    who died age 21
    on 03 June 1944
    Son of Oswald R. and Alice M. Bilse, of Johannesburg, Transvaal, South Africa.
    Remembered with honour
    LE PETIT LAC CEMETERY


    In Memory of
    Corporal JOHN BRAYAM BONE

    932754, 216 Sqdn., Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
    who died age 23
    on 03 June 1944
    Son of John and Violet Bone, of Folkestone.
    Remembered with honour
    LE PETIT LAC CEMETERY


    In Memory of
    Captain PHILIP COHEN

    311995V, South African Medical Corps
    who died age 30
    on 03 June 1944
    Son of Harris and Sarah R. Cohen, of Cape Town, South Africa. M.B., Ch. B.
    Remembered with honour
    LE PETIT LAC CEMETERY


    In Memory of
    Corporal JOHN ARTHUR FORKNALL

    641245, 216 Sqdn., Royal Air Force
    who died age 23
    on 03 June 1944
    Son of John Richard and Margaret Forknall, of Bolsover, Derbyshire; husband of Doris Forknall, of Bolsover.
    Remembered with honour
    LE PETIT LAC CEMETERY


    In Memory of
    Lieutenant Colonel CULLIS WILLIAM GAU

    120467, Royal Engineers
    who died age 21
    on 03 June 1944

    Remembered with honour
    LE PETIT LAC CEMETERY


    In Memory of
    Pilot Officer CLIFFORD JAMES HIGGINS

    176098, 216 Sqdn., Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
    who died age 27
    on 03 June 1944
    Son of Alfred James Higgins and Ada Squire Higgins; husband of Alice Beatrice Violet Higgins, of Harrowbarrow, Cornwall.
    Remembered with honour
    LE PETIT LAC CEMETERY


    In Memory of
    Warrant Officer THOMAS ATHERTON HINDMARCH

    1207526, 216 Sqdn., Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
    who died age 33
    on 03 June 1944
    Son of George I. and Alice M. Hindmarch, of Saltburn-by-the-Sea, Yorkshire. B.A. Hons.
    Remembered with honour
    LE PETIT LAC CEMETERY


    In Memory of
    Flight Sergeant RALPH JOHN HODGSON

    1322082, 216 Sqdn., Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
    who died age 22
    on 03 June 1944
    Son of Ralph and Elizabeth Hodgson, of Thornton Heath, Surrey.
    Remembered with honour
    LE PETIT LAC CEMETERY


    In Memory of
    Flight Sergeant FRANCIS VINCENT McFARLANE

    1131689, 216 Sqdn., Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
    who died age 21
    on 03 June 1944
    Son of Edward and Henrietta McFarlane, of Anfield, Liverpool.
    Remembered with honour
    LE PETIT LAC CEMETERY


    In Memory of
    Flight Sergeant THOMAS WILLIAM SPARK

    1319803, 216 Sqdn., Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
    who died age 31
    on 03 June 1944
    Son of Mathew William and Ellen Spark, of Carlisle; husband of Doris Esme Spark, of Carlisle.
    Remembered with honour
    LE PETIT LAC CEMETERY


    In Memory of
    Flying Officer HAROLD KENT THOMPSON

    157316, 216 Sqdn., Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
    who died
    on 03 June 1944

    Remembered with honour
    LE PETIT LAC CEMETERY


    In Memory of
    Flying Officer WESLEY JOHN WHITE

    401558, Royal Australian Air Force
    who died age 28
    on 03 June 1944
    Son of Francis John and Fanny Louisa White, of Kew, Victoria, Australia.
    Remembered with honour
    LE PETIT LAC CEMETERY


    In Memory of
    Warrant Officer Class I FREDERICK HENRY THEODORE WHITTARD

    R/82421, 216 (R.A.F.) Sqdn, Royal Canadian Air Force
    who died age 21
    on 03 June 1944
    Son of Charles Henry and May Eveline Whittard, of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
    Remembered with honour
    LE PETIT LAC CEMETERY


    In Memory of
    Flying Officer JOHN ST CLAIR WOOTTON

    J/22148, Royal Canadian Air Force
    who died
    on 03 June 1944

    Remembered with honour
    LE PETIT LAC CEMETERY
     
  11. Cobber

    Cobber New Member


    Hi again N John with the information that the DOD have and also with military records, you will find that it all comes down to the persons writing the reports of death and filling in the file records and how much info they had or felt was needed to be recorded.
    Some will have (fill in) quite detailed items while others will just have a very small entries.
    It can be quite frustrating at times reading military writing.
     
  12. Nephew John

    Nephew John New Member

    Geoff,
    you are correct in the assumption that it was a transport crash, apparently into a solid cloud whilst off course heading for the airfield at . PIC deemed to be negligent plus the navigator as well.
    Pilot I understand to be Thompson but nothing I've seen indicates who was the Navigator.
    Thanks for all your hard work.
    Cheers
     
  13. Nephew John

    Nephew John New Member

    Hi Cobber,
    Yes, I've gone through the 'crash investigation' file and while there is some information, it is scratchy in parts and more detailed in others.
    Just like my time in the military!
    cheers
     
  14. Dave Barlow

    Dave Barlow Member

    Not a lot to add - the crash report on folio 30 of the casualty file is pretty descriptive concerning the causes of the accident.

    Random hits from Google below - ADU was an Aircraft Delivery Unit which is a RAF unit (the casualty file identifies FLGOFF White as RAAF attached to RAF). Where did the term "Unit: 3 Advanced (M East) RAF" come from?? I doubt that the FLGOFF was part of 3SQN.

    ************************************************************

    T1: blida1ATntlworld.com
    Date: 01 Feb 2004
    Time: 11:17:22

    Congratulations on this splendid web sote. I have an interest in anyone who served with 3ADU/Ferry Unit in N.Africa 1943/1945. The stations where at Blida, Algeria and Oujda/Morocco. I was an NCO Pilot on this unit up to November 1945 Charles Matthews

    ************************************************************

    http://www.spitfires.ukf.net/units.htm

    Spitfire
    Units


    Units referred to in the production list:


    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    AAEE Aeroplane & Armament Experimental Establishment
    AAS Air Armament School
    ACSEA Air Command SE Asia
    ADF Aircraft Delivery Flight
    ADFU Air Defence Flight Unit
    ADU Aircraft Delivery Unit
    AEAF Allied Expeditionary AF
    AFDU Air Fighting Development Unit
     
  15. spidge

    spidge Active Member

    Hi Dave,

    It designates that on the AWM ROH.

    My info on my spreadsheet states 3ADU.

    Cheers

    Geoff
     

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