RCAF Officers Uniforms

The uniforms were an ebay win from a couple of years ago. The other stuff was flea market finds from that weekend.
The one RCAF uniform turned out to belong to a pilot that was KIA. I will post more on him in a minute.

Name: CARRUTHERS, ALEXANDER
Initials: A
Nationality: Canadian
Rank: Pilot Officer (Pilot)
Regiment/Service: Royal Canadian Air Force
Unit Text: 214 (R.A.F.) Sqdn.
Age: 28
Date of Death: 12/03/1943
Service No: J/16064
Additional information: Son of James D. Carruthers and Agnes D. Carruthers, of Tonawanda, New York, U.S.A.
Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead
Grave/Memorial Reference: Sec. I. Coll. grave 1591.
Cemetery: CHALONS-EN-CHAMPAGNE EAST COMMUNAL CEMETERY

214 (Malay States) Squadron was flying Short Stirlings at the time - it later transitioned to flying B-17 ECM aircraft as part of 100 Group, RAF. Perhaps the finest bomber aircrew autobiography of the war was written by Murray Peden (Flt Lt RCAF; DFC) who served with 214 Squadron - joining it in the fall of 1943 after the loss of Pilot Officer Carruthers.

Stirling Mark III BF469 BU-M

BF469 took off from RAF Chedburgh, Suffolk, at 20:02hrs on 11 March 1943 on an operational flight to Stuttgart. It was later established that the aircraft was shot down at 00:15hrs on 12 March 1943 over Central France. Tyrell managed to bail out and was taken POW and later repatriated. The other 6 members were all killed in action.

Date of loss : 12 March 1943

Crew of Stirling Mark III BF469 BU-M consisted of :

FS Basil Carnell, 798585, Wireless Operator / Air Gunner, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, Nationality : United Kingdom, KIA 12 March 1943, Aged 21
Plt/Off Alexander 'Alex' Carruthers, J16064, Pilot, Royal Canadian Air Force, Nationality : American, KIA 12 March 1943, Aged 28
Sgt Edgar Louis Eaglen, 629071, Flight Engineer, Royal Air Force, Nationality : United Kingdom, KIA 12 March 1943, Aged 23
Sgt Brian Roland Jennings, 1215579, Air Gunner, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, Nationality : United Kingdom, KIA 12 March 1943, Aged 19
Sgt Percy Pugh Oakes, 1201575, Air Bomber, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, Nationality : United Kingdom, KIA 12 March 1943
Sgt Eric Parker, 655812, Navigator / Observer, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, Nationality : United Kingdom, KIA 12 March 1943, Aged 26
FS A J Tyrrell, Rear Gunner, Royal Air Force, Nationality : United Kingdom, POW 12 March 1943

Source : CWGC and Nightjar Newsletter Spring 2004

Pics of PO Carruthers uniform....

I had sent off an email to the 214 Squadron historian asking for any information on P/O Carruthers or the only survivor from his plane Mr. Tyrell. Just tonight I heard back from Carruther's nephew and it contains some information regarding him.
Here it is:

Dear Carol and John,



Thank you for forwarding this correspondence. I tried to contact Mr. Tyrell back in the 1980’s when I lived in England. I had his last known address (which I do not have now). I even placed ads in the newspaper to no avail.



My Uncle Alex was a very interesting man. Born in Scotland, he came to the USA in 1922 on the boat with my grandmother and 2 other siblings. They settled in Pennsylvania where there was work in the coal mines. He was a miner; he rode motorcycles; he was a boxer (even boxed one time in Madison Square Garden in New York); built his own airplane and taught himself how to fly (he was a “barnstormer” in the day). He tried to join the US Army Air Corps but was denied entrance because of education standards. He then found out about the “British Commonwealth Air Training Plan”. He went to Canada and joined the RCAF. He earned his wings and was shipped to England where he became part of the 214 Squadron and a Pilot for the Stirling Bomber.



I learned all of this from family stories and friends of his in my hometown in Pennsylvania when I was young. I regret that I never met him but his spirit always stayed with me.



I’m wondering how Mr. H came across his uniform?



Hope this info is helpful to the inquirer. Feel free to forward my e-mail.



Best,

Jim

A pic of PO Carruthers from his nephew.


A pic of a display Carruthers' nephew has set up.