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CARS, VANS UP TO 3.5T, MOTORHOMES UP TO 30’ 023 8001 0029 Badminston Lane, Fawley, SO45 1BX 023 8001 0029 Tales From The Graveyard of All Saints Church, Fawley by Patricia Hedley-Goddard, Churchyard Archivist for the ancient parish of All Saints’ Fawley A Multiple Tragedy On the south side of the Graveyard of All Saints Church, Fawley, in what is known as the Old Portion, lie the bodies of a number of aircrew who died during the second world war. ese graves are maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, and there is a Title Deed on these grave sites ensuring that they are maintained in perpetuity. In 1999 All Saints Church, Fawley, was dedicated as ‘Flyers of the Forest Church’. is is the tragic story of ve of those brave men who fought for the freedom we enjoy today. On the night of Wednesday 14th August 1940, an Armstrong Whitworth Whitley Mk V bomber, marked KN-O, serial number P5044 and belonging to 77 squadron Royal Air Force took o from its base at RAF Dri eld in Yorkshire. Its mission was to bomb the oil re neries in the Gironde, a department in the South West of France and in the vicinity of Bordeaux. On board the aircra were a crew of ve: F/O William Alan Stenhouse, Captain. P/O Robert Butler McGregor, 2nd Pilot. Sgt. Claude Lionel Geo rey Hood, Air Observer. Sgt. John Burrow, W/Op./Gunner Sgt. Harold Davies, Rear Gunner. Having completed their mission the crew headed home, arriving overhead Southampton at about 03:20hrs on 15th August. Due to cloud cover, the rules were that an aircra should descend to below the clouds to enable the ground defences to identify friendly aircra . KN-O descended from ten thousand feet through the clouds and at approximately 03.40hrs, struck a barrage balloon which severed een feet of wing from the aircra . KN-O crashed to the ground at Allington Lane, Eastleigh. All ve crew members died immediately. Unfortunately the main Accident Reports for this aircra are missing so we will never know the precise sequence of events leading to this tragedy. Flying O cer William Alan Stenhouse was 26 years old and had been born in Edinburgh. His parents were Alexander James Stenhouse and his Mother was Jessie Lamb Stenhouse nee Wilkie. William was educated at George Watson’s College, Edinburgh. He joined the RAF and received his commission on 5th August 1937; he had been promoted to Flying O cer on 10th December 1939. e grave of William is shared by that of A.C.2 Alexander Taylor killed on the same day in another incident which was written about in Book One of Tales from the Graveyard. Pilot O cer Robert Butler Macgregor known as ‘Bobbie’ was born in Durban on 7th April 1921. His father was Robert Maurice Macgregor and his Mother was Carmel Gertrude Macgregor. ey lived in Nairobi, Kenya. Following the death of Robert’s mother, her ashes were own from South Africa and laid to rest in the same grave as her son. Sergeant Claude Lionel Geoffrey Hood was born on 1st March 1909 in Northampton. His parents were William Herbert Hood and Mabel Hood. In 1932 he married Maria Eva Hickling and the family had moved to Leicester. In 1939 at the age of 30 he joined the Royal Air Force as a Volunteer Reservist and a er various postings landed up being posted to Armstrong Whitworth Whitley 77 squadron based in Dri eld in Yorkshire as an Observer. (His full Tale is to be found in ‘Tales’ Book 2) Sergeant John Burrow known as ‘Jack’ was born on 28th July 1920 at Blackburn Lancashire, his father was James Burrow and his mother was Helen Burrow nee Marr. Sergeant Harold Davies was born in 1920 at Bishops Castle Shropshire. His father was Walter Davies and his mother was Mary Davies nee Hughes, and they lived at Bridgetown, Cannock, Sta s. e funeral of the above crew members took place on Wednesday 21st August 1940 at All Saints Church, Fawley. e crew received full military honours. A large crowd of mourners attended the funeral service, many of them from the surrounding local community. In a post script it is interesting to note that on Sunday 4th August 1940, this same crew were involved in another crash. On returning from a bombing mission to the Ruhr. Continued on page 85
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