Tilden, George Raymond Havard; b. Feb. 20, 1902; adm. Jan. 20, 1916 (R); left April 1916.
Titcomb, John Abbot, son of Harold Abbot Titcomb, mining engineer, of Farmington, Maine, USA, and Ethel, d. olJames Brignall of Wallington, Surrey; b. 27 Oct. 1910; adm. Jan. 1925 (R); left July 1929; Dartmouth Coll., BA 1932; Yale Univ. 1933-5; a mining engineer; Newmont Mining Corpn New York; US Marine Corps in WW2 (Capt.); rn. 3 Feb. 1940Janet, d. of Arthur Burling Foote of Grass Valley, California; d. I Mar. 1945 of wounds received in action, at Luzon, Philippines.
John Abbott “Jack” Titcomb was born at Newton, Massachusetts on the 27th of October 1910 the elder son of Harold Abbott Titcomb, a mining engineer, and Ethel (nee Brignall) Titcomb of High Street, Farmington, Maine and of 60, Addison Road, Kensington in London. He was educated at Westminster School where he was up Rigaud’s from January 1925 to July 1929 and won the Junior Rouse Ball Prize for Mathematics in 1928. He rowed at bow for the 2nd IV in 1928. He went on to Dartmouth College where he studied Mining and Geology and graduated with a BA in 1932. He then studied at the Sheffield Mining School at Yale from 1933 to 1935 and later studied in Yugoslavia. On leaving university he worked for the Newmont Mining Corporation of New York and was an active member of the Ledyard Canoe Club. He was a skiing instructor and a ski racer.
He was married at Emanuel Church, Grass Valley, California on the 3rd of February 1940 to Janet Stanwood (nee Foote, later Micoleau). They had a daughter, Marian, born on the 11th of July 1942 and a son, Peter Abbot, born on the 9th of May 1944.
He was acting as the head of a Marine air-ground liaison party on Luzon in the Philippines when he was shot and killed by a Japanese sniper at San Fernando, La Union. He was awarded a posthumous Silver Star with Gold Star.
His father donated land in his memory for the Titcomb Memorial Ski Slope (now Titcomb Mountain) in Maine, which was named in his honour in 1949.
He is commemorated on a plaque at the base ski lodge at Titcomb Mountain.
He is buried at Manila American Cemetery and Memorial Plot A, Row 9, Grave 164.
Whitehead, Eric Alfred, younger son of Alfred North Whitehead, F.R.S., of Chelsea, by Evelyn, daughter of Capt. A. Wade, Seaforth Highlanders; b. Nov. 23, 1898; adm. April 30, 1914 (R); left April 1917; Ball. Coll. Oxon.; temp. 2nd Lieut. R.F.C. Nov. 4, 1917; went out to the western front Feb. 1918; killed in action over the Forêt de Cobain March 13, 1918.
WICKHAM, HENRY LAMPLUGH, son of Henry Lewis Wickham (qv); b. 19 Feb 1838; adm. 30 May 1850 (Rigaud's); left Bartholomewtide 1854; Ensign, Rifle Brigade 11 May 1855; Lieut., 3 Mar 1857; Capt., 4 Aug 1865; ret. Sep 1872; served in Crimean War; of Wootton Hall, Warwicks.; JP Hampshire 1875, also Worcestershire; Roman Catholic convert 1859; m. 24 Feb 1873 Hon. Theresa Maria Josephine Arundell, widow of Sir Alfred Joseph Doughty-Tichborne, Bart., and dau. of Henry Arundell, 11th Baron Arundell of Wardour; d. 8 Feb 1929.
Wyke-Smith, Edward Searle, son of Edward A. Wyke-Smith of Carshalton, Surrey, mining engineer; b. 23 Jan. 1916; adm. Jan. 1930 (R); left July 1933; RE 1939-45 (Lieut.), MC (Italy) Apr. 1945; m. 19 Sept. 1952 Sheila Mary, d. of W. H. Demel of Earlswood, Warks.; d. 2007.
Zoephel, Peter Charles, son of Ernest Charles Zoephel of Chislehurst, Kent, and Dorothy Frances Gertrude, d. of Capt. William George Romeril MN, of Blackheath; b. 8 Sept. 1921; adm. Sept. 1935 (R); left Apr. 1939 and went to Milton Academy Boston, Mass.; Harvard Univ.; PO RCAF Ferry Command; lost at sea in the South Atlantic Jan. 1943.
Peter Charles Zoephel was born at Blackheath, Kent on the 8th of September 1921 the eldest son of Ernest Christopher Zoephel. Chairman and owner of the British Domolac Company Ltd, paint works of Woolwich, and Dorothy Frances Gertrude (nee Romeril) Zoephel of “Elmstead Garth”, Chislehurst in Kent, later of Little Common, Bexhill-on-Sea. He was educated at Carn Brea Preparatory School, Bromley from 1931 to 1935 and at Westminster School where he was up Rigaud’s from September 1935 to April 1939. He served as a Cadet in the Officer Training Corps from September 1935 to 1939. He went on to the Milton Academy, Wilton Massachusetts for a short time in 1939 before entering Harvard University later the same year as a member of the Class of 1943, where he read Economics and Languages, but left for Canada in late 1940 to volunteer for military service.
He attended a medical examination on the 4th of January 1941 where it was recorded that he was 5 feet 10 and 3/8ths of an inch tall and that he weighed 152lbs. It was also recorded that he had hazel eyes, brown hair and a fair complexion. He attested for service as an Aircraftman 2nd Class in the Royal Canadian Air Force for the duration of the war at the Royal Canadian Air Force Recruiting Station at Montreal on the 7th of February 1941. He was posted to No. 4 Bombing and Gunnery School at Fingal, Ontario on the 2rd of March 1941 and to No. 1 Initial Training School at Toronto on the 29th of March 1941. He was promoted to Leading Aircraftman on the 20th of August 1941 and joined No. 10 Elementary Flying Training School at Hamilton, Ontario on the 21st of August 1941 where he trained as a pilot. Having ceased training as a pilot at his own request, he was posted to No. 10 Air Observers School at Chatham, New Brunswick on the 27th of October 1941 to receive training as a navigator. On the 15th of March 1942 he was posted to No. 29 Navigators School at Pennfield Ridge, New Brunswick. He was promoted to Sergeant on the 14th of March 1942 and was commissioned as a Pilot Officer on the 13th of April 1942. He was posted to No. 31 General Reconnaissance Squadron at Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island on the 9th of May 1942 and was attached to the Ferry Command, Royal Air Force at Dorval, Quebec on the 23rd of July 1942. He was promoted to Flying Officer on the 13th of October 1942.
On the 16th of January 1943, Peter Zoephel and his crew boarded Liberator C87 41-11708, of 12 Squadron, 12th Ferry Group United States Transport Command, at Accra in Ghana as passengers, bound for the United States air base at Natal in Brazil and then on their base at Dorval. On board was a crew from the United States Air Transport Command, who had ferried a Boeing B-17 aircraft from Miami to Africa and were returning home. Also on board was a crew from Royal Air Force Ferry Command and four other passengers. The aircraft took off at 11.30pm that night but failed to arrive at its destination and all on board were lost.
The crew was: -
Captain Orval Eknes (Pilot)
Captain Felton Barton Lancaster (2nd Pilot)
Second Lieutenant Joseph F. Peoples (Navigator)
Master Sergeant Alvin A. Young (Radio operator)
Sergeant James N. Clauss (Crew Member)
Master Sergeant Charles W. McKain (Crew Chief)
The passengers were: -
The United States Air Transport Command crew was: -
First Lieutenant John Allen Byler (Navigator)
First Lieutenant Hugh Parker Minor Sr. USAAF (2nd Pilot)
Major Arthur Mills USAAF (Pilot)
Corporal Joseph P. Braniff USAAF
Corporal Grover Kirby Trees Jr. USAAF
The Royal Air Force Ferry Command crew was: -
Flight Lieutenant Herbert James Martin (RCAF) (Pilot)
Sergeant Harold Victor. Lamb RAAF (Wireless Operator)
Flight Sergeant John Henry Warman RCAF (Navigator)
Captain Paul Bleecker Makepeace (American Civilian Pilot)
Radio Officer Clinton Blackwell Berry (Canadian Civilian Wireless Operator)
Flying Officer Peter Charles Zoephel RCAF (Navigator)
Captain William Richard Nixon (Canadian Civilian Pilot)
Flight Sergeant Norman Patrick Drury (Radio Operator)
Flying Officer William Thomas Wright Smithson (Navigator)
Sergeant John Lowery Bell (Navigator)
Flying Officer Geoffrey Addison Clegg (Pilot)
Radio Officer Otway Cecil McCombie (Canadian Civilian Wireless Operator)
The passengers were: -
Lieutenant Colonel Russell Reed Brunner US Army (Pilot)
Colonel Douglas Cornell MacKeachie DSM US Army (Director of Procurement European Theatre of Operations)
Major Arthur Mills US Army
Air Commodore Desmond Herlouin De Burgh AFC
An extensive search was mounted which lasted until the 29th of January. On the 4th of February, the destroyer USS Kearney found a life raft some 60 miles from the coast of Brazil, to the east of Ponte Negro. It contained the body of one of the passengers. The following day another raft was discovered containing the body of Major Arthur Mills and with six life jackets on board. The evidence on board the raft led to the conclusion that there had been others on board who had died and had probably been buried at sea by others, other than the last man to have died.
He is commemorated on the war memorial at Harvard University.
He is commemorated on the Ottawa Memorial Panel 2, Column 3.
AVELING, CLAUDE LINDSAY CLIFFORD, second son of Stephen Thomas Aveling, Boveney, near Windsor, Berks. , mechanical engineer, and Mary Phebe, dau. of Rev. Richard Samuel Clifford, Vicar of Teynham, Kent; b. 26 Oct 1869; adm. from King’s School, Rochester (R) 31 May 1883; QS Jan 1884; elected to an exhibition at Christ Church, Oxford Jul 1888, matr. 12 Oct 1888; BA 1893; MA 1921; Assistant to Director, Royal Coll. of Music 1894; Assistant Registrar, Royal Coll. of Music, Registrar 1913-35; author, libretti and songs; m. 16 Apr 1903 Marguerite Mary Theodora, only dau. of Rev. William Henry Robins DD, Vicar of Gillingham, Kent, and Hon. Canon of Rochester; d. 28 Dec 1943.
Lochhead, Alexander David, son of Thomas Lochhead CBE, financial controller BBC, and Isobel Clyne, d. of David Guthrie of Glasgow; b. 26 Feb. 1929; adm. Sept. 1942 (R); left July 1946; a chartered accountant, ACA 1954; m. 21 Sept. 1957 Cicely Cristall, d. of Frederick Varley Marsh; d. in the Cayman Islands 7 Dec. 1973.
Lochhead, James Middleton George, brother of Alexander David Lochhead (qv); b. 17 Oct. 1930; adm. Sept. 1944 (R); left July 1948; MIMechE; d. 28 Aug. 2005.
LOWE, HENRY PARKER, second son of Henry William Lowe, Norwood, Surrey, and Bolton Gardens, Kensington, shipowner; b. 21 Oct 1866; adm. 18 Jun 1879 (R); QS Jan 1882; elected head to Christ Church, Oxford 1885, matr. 16 Oct 1885; 1st cl. Classics (Mods) 1887, 2nd cl. Lit. Hum. 1889; BA 1889; MA and BCL 1892; adm. Middle Temple 27 Jan 1888, called to bar 17 Nov 1890; Northern Circuit; m. 6 Feb 1894 Mabel Alicia, second dau. of Right Hon. Sir John Tomlinson Brunner, Bart. PC MP, chemical manufacturer.