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Research by Den Budden 2007

Corporal JOSEPH ARTHUR MITCHELL, R.A.F.333884, Corporal Rigger, Royal Air Force. Age 56  Died 8.12.1942

At the Inquest, the Coroner for South Hampshire, Major G.H. Warner, at the Nicholson Memorial Hall, on Friday 11th December 1942, heard evidence, that: “ a lose tap on a gas fire, accidentally turned on.” Was believed to have caused the death of Corporal JOSEPH ARTHUR MITCHELL, Royal Air Force, age 56. As he lay in his bed at No. 6, Camden Street, Gosport, on Tuesday 8th of December 1942. The theory was advanced, that the bedclothes might have touched the tap, and accidentally turned in on. Mrs Mary Mitchell said her husband, who was a rigger in the Royal Air Force, slept alone in a small room. On December 8th he made a little joke when he left her to go to bed, at 6:30am the following morning, she found him dead.

Mr S.J. Davis, of Portsmouth & Gosport Gas Company, who was watching the proceedings for the company, said there was a space of nine inches between the bed and the gas fire. The room was not ventilated, and the fire should not have been in the room. He understood, it was used for airing purposes. He asserted there were no record that the company had installed the fire. After due consideration, the Coroner, recorded a verdict of ‘accidental death’.

Corporal JOSEPH ARTHUR MITCHELL, R.A.F., who was the son of Percy and Elizabeth Mitchell, was buried in the War Graves Section (see plans on back pages), Row 3 Grave 6. A CWG headstone commemorates his final resting-place.

Sergeant WILLIAM HENRY MOFFATT, R.C.A.F. R150855 Sergeant, Royal Canadian Air Force. Age 23 Died 11.8.1943

Sergeant WILLIAM HENRY MOFFAT, Royal Canadian Air Force, was born Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, on the 23rd of July 1920, the son of William John and Mary Olive Moffatt. He joined the Royal Canadian Air Force on the 20th of February 1942, after initial training he qualified as an air gunner and was awarded his brevet on the 20th of November 1942 promotion to Sgt. also being earned. Sgt Moffatt arrived in this Country, in November 1942. After a spell with 200 Operational Training Unit, he was posted onto the strength of 1663 Co-operation Unit, before arriving at his first Operational Squadron No. 76 were he spent 6 weeks, then being posted to No. 158 Squadron on the 9th of August 1943.

On the 11th of August, Sgt. Moffatt and his fellow crewmen, took-off from Lissett, Humberside, at 9:40pm. Their mission, to bomb Nuremberg, Germany. The Halifax Mk II aircraft coded NP-J (NR721), nicknamed ‘My Gal Sal’. Having survived the attempts of enemy flak and fighters, to shoot them down, they found themselves in dire trouble on the return journey. The aircraft, with its fuel tanks run dry, sent out a mayday signal, stating that they were a few miles off Selsey Bill, Sussex. One by one the engines starved of fuel cut out, using the last vapours, the pilot attempted to gain height so that the crew could bale out, at 5:10am. Sadly, offshore winds carried six of the crew out to sea. The only member of the crew to survive, was Flying Officer T.C. Walker. Who was rescued by air sea rescue launch. Over the next few weeks, the bodies of three of the crew were washed ashore. Sergeant Moffat's body being found during the salvage operations to recover the crashed aircraft of P/O Bill Shaver (sic) off Portsmouth. The other members of the crew were F/S W.C. Freeman, Sgt. L.L. Sheenan, Sgt. J.H. Simpson, Sgt. A.W. Kind and Sgt. T. Rockett.

Sergeant WILLIAM HENRY MOFFATT , R.C.A.F. was buried on Friday 20th August 1943, in War Graves Section (see plans on back pages), and is laid to rest, Row 3 Grave 8, and is commemorated by a CWG headstone.

Mrs CHARLOTTE MATILDA MOGG No. 30 the Crossways Age 55 Died 12.8.1940

E.R.A. Apprentice GEOFFREY RICHARD MORETON, R.N. MX/5749, Engine Room Artificer Apprentice, Royal Navy. Age 17    Died 12.8.1940

Mrs AMY UTTING Age 55  Died 12.8.1940

During the second air raid on the area, A heavy and particularly heavy arid, which occurred on Monday 12th August 1940. A large amount of bombs were dropped. A direct hit on an air raid shelter used by personnel manning a barrage balloon site at St. Vincent Sports Ground, Gosport. 10 Royal Air Force, 2 Naval servicemen and two civilians were killed (see Corporal Barrell, R.A.F.), elsewhere;

Mrs CHARLOTTE MATILDA MOGG, the wife of Charles, aged 55, was in her home at No. 30 The Crossways, Forton, Gosport, was killed during the bombing and strafing runs of the dive bombing aircraft. One of the first civilians to be listed as ‘killed by enemy action’. Mrs CHARLOTTE MATILDA MOGG, was buried on Friday 16th August 1940, and is laid to rest Plot 195 Space 66, and is commemorated by a Civilian War Grave headstone.

Engine Room Artificer Apprentice GODFREY RICHARD MORETON, Royal Navy, was the son of Godfrey Stewart and Clara Ruth Moreton of No.31, Heaton Road, Gosport, who was a boy artificer in the Royal Navy, aged 17. He was killed when exploding incendiary bombs, set alight and gutted Portsmouth Harbour railway station. In the attempt to get the blaze under control, and to move two trains by the platforms, Sailors based at Portsmouth Dockyard were drafted in to help. It was whilst engaged in these duties that E.R.A. Moreton was killed. Engine Room Artificer Apprentice GODFREY RICHARD MORETON, RN, was buried on Monday 19th August 1940, he was originally laid to rest in the War Graves Section, but was re-interred in 1941, Plot 47 Space 9, he is commemorated by a Family Memorial headstone.

Mrs AMY UTTING, was at her home No. 131 Queens Road, Gosport. The wife of James, and 55 years of age, she was taking shelter during the heavy raid. It is most probable, that the aircraft that dropped the large calibre bomb on the barrage balloon site was responsible for dropping the bomb, which demolished No. 131 Queens Road, and crushed Mrs Utting. Her body was recovered during the evening; she had been killed instantly in the initial explosion. Mrs AMY UTTING, was buried on Friday 16th August 1940, Plot 195 Space 68, (next to Mrs Mogg), and is commemorated by a Civilian War Grave headstone.

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