HEATH, John Hawarth

NZ 41903, Flying Officer, Pilot, Royal New Zealand Air Force

29 Operational Training Unit

Born 1919, Grimsby

Died 29/08/1943, Age 24, at Oakham, Rutland

Buried 02/09/1943

Son of George Harold (b 1887) and Sarah Beatrice Heath (nee Rushby, b 1887) , married 1906 in Sheffield.

Brother of Beatrice Aileen (b 1908), Wilfred (b 1910), Elsie (b. 1912), George H (b 1917 – d 1917) and Robert N (b. 1921)

John’s parents were natives of Darnall, Yorkshire. George, a blacksmith, moved his family to Lincolnshire at some point after the birth of daughter Elsie and before John’s birth in Grimsby in 1919. They lived in the area until October 1923 when the Heath family left their home at 65 Bentley Street, Cleethorpes and emigrated to New Zealand, the “Arana” taking them from Southampton to Wellington. After some time in Patea on North Island, they settled in another coastal town, Napier, Hawke’s Bay, where the family was still based at the time of John’s death.

John was the pilot of Wellington III BK431-J, which took off at 1125 on 29th August 1943 from Bruntlingthorpe for an air firing detail with a staff captain, screened wireless operator, a gunnery instructor, an Air Training Corp cadet and three trainee air gunners. The Wellington had only been in the air for 10-15 minutes when the port wing folded upwards whilst pulling out of a dive. Metal fatigue had caused the bolts securing the lower port wing spar to fail and the plane hurtled into the ground near Oakham, Rutland, killing all on board.

The men who died with John Hawarth Heath that day were:

Warrant Officer William John Patrick Gibbons, age 23

Sergeant Samuel Godson DFM, age 32, gunnery instructor

Sergeant James Albert Farnhurst, age 26

Sergeant Vickers Graham, age 23, air gunner

Sergeant Laurence Cyril Salmon, age 22, air gunner

Cadet John Derek Woodward, age 16, Air Training Corps (1434 Squadron)

Records show that John Hawarth Heath had previously flown a tour of operations in the Middle East with 37 Squadron and only a month before he died had been involved in another serious accident which left his Wellington X HZ412  requiring extensive repairs.

 Address at time of death: 37 Claremont Road, Grimsby - this address seems to have a family connection as John’s mother was shown as staying there when she visited England for an extended period in 1946/47.