F50 RALPH WINSTON ASKIN, JOHN WILLIAM CLIFF, ARTHUR JAMES WORSFIELD
- Extended Description
- F050 RALPH WINSTON ASKIN. Sergeant, 40957, Royal New Zealand Air Force. Attached to 15 Operational Training Unit. He was crew of Vickers Wellington Bomber Z8775. Born 1918 to Henry Walter and Edith Maud Askin, of Albury Canterbury, New Zealand. Died 12th July 1941 aged 23 years as the result of his plane crashing at Safi Landing Strip, St Nicola, Malta after getting airbourne from RAF Luqa. The crew and one passenger, Lt Peter Dale. Total of seven all perished.
Where was Safi Airstrip. Safi air field, or more precisely the airstrips at Safi, was an auxiliary airfield to RAF Luqa and RAF Hal Far. It was constructed from 1941 by order of Air Commodore Maynard, who foresaw that both airfields would become a prime bombing target during World War II.
No. 15 Operational Training Unit RAF (15 OUT) was formed in August 1940 as part of No. 6 Group RAF Bomber Command at RAF Harwell to train night bomber crews on the Vickers Wellington. In 1942 it carried out seven operational missions. It was disbanded in March 1944.
F050 ARTHUR JAMES WORSFIELD, Sergeant, Wireless Operator/Air Gunner, 924678, Royal Air Force (VR), of 15 Operational Training Unit. He was crew of Vickers Wellington Bomber Z8775. Born 1920 to Arthur James and Rachel Worsfield, of Hove, Sussex. Died 12th July 1941 aged 21 years as the result of his plane crashing at Safi Landing Strip, St Nicola, Malta after getting airbourne from RAF Luqa. The crew and one passenger, Lt Peter Dale. Total of seven all perished.
F050 JOHN WILLIAM CLIFF. Corporal, 334172, Royal Air Force. Husband of Lily Cliff, of Arnold, Nottinghamshire. Died 15th June 1944 aged 42 years.
All at rest in Capuccini Naval Cemetery, Malta Plot F Grave 50.
