Identity
Person No.
811
Service No.
542987V
Last Name
First Name
Frank William
Initials
F W
Date of Birth
Unknown
Est. Birth Year
Age at Death
22
Death Record
Date of Death
Cause code
KIA 14,780
Killed in action
Cause of Death
Killed in action, Vickers Wellington Mk XI #HZ522, missing on patrol. Scrambled to go to the assistance of a Sunderland flying boat that had sent out a distress signal. No one knows what happened but towards evening another Sunderland spotted burning wreckage on the surface of the sea far away from where the crews of the originally missing Sunderland were eventually picked up by the hospital ship "Chantilly". The Wellington and its crew were officially posted "missing". After a few hours the posting was reclassified to "presumed dead". Subsequent searches found no trace of the missing Wellington or its 6 crew
Military Service
Branch
Air Force
Rank
Warrant Officer Class II
Regiment
Unit
Unknown
Defence Force
UDF 24,808
Union Defence Force
Location
Country
Locality
Unknown
Cemetery
Grave Reference
Coordinates
Unit History
Notes
Son of Bert Aylett and Gladys Dorothy Rowley, of Durban. Born Durban. An apprentice printer
Research notes
5 Sep 2026: Unit "26 Squadron" (a squadron, SAAF's regiment-equivalent) promoted to Regiment, per John's decision. Corps (South African Air Force) unchanged.
Citations
Unknown
External References
Stories
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Dedications
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