Harold Thomas STOKES. Leading Aircraftman 52152 Royal Air Force. stationed at RAF Little Rissington. Born 11 November 1881, baptised 10 January 1882 at All Saints, Cheltenham., parent, Annie Stokes, domestic servant. 1891 it appears that Harold aged 9 was foster child to Henry and Martha Brown of 18 Cleeveland Street, Cheltenham. 1901 still with the same foster parents at 6 Ambrose Place, Cheltenham, newspaper vendor. 1911 residing with his wife and son, Francis Harold at 3 Dunalley Parade, St Pauls Road, Cheltenham, occupation, photographer. He named his father as John Bramwell Thomas Stokes. Married 8 September 1909 in St Pauls Church, Cheltenham to Laura Louise Jelf aged 24 of 1 College Terrace, Cheltenham. He was aged 27, photographer of 35 Hungerford Street, Cheltenham, father, John Bramwell Thomas Stokes no further record of this person). Enlisted into the Royal Flying Corps as Aircraftman 52152. 21 October 1941 he was a passenger in a RAF Bus returning back to his base when the bus collided with a stationary lorry. The bus caught fire and 9 airmen including Harold died at the scene, he was aged 60.
At rest in St Peter Churchyard, Little Rissington, Gloucestershire.
Source for the following –
http://www.chippingnortonbritishlegion.com/little-rissington-churchyard.php
He had married to Laura Jeff in Cheltenham in September 1909 and he had worked as a photographer. He enlisted into the Royal Flying Corps on 18th December 1916 as an Aircraftman and joined 8 Squadron in France on 12th February 1917 as an AC2 photographer. At that time 8 Squadron were engaged in a reconnaissance role flying the British Aircraft Factory BE2 and then the Armstrong Whitlworth AK8. He served with them in France until 10 February 1919 and discharged to the Reserves the following month. He had 4 children and was recalled to service at the beginning of the Second World War.
On 21 October 1941 a RAF bus was in collision with a stationary lorry on the London Road, Charlton Kings, near Cheltenham. The bus caught fire and 9 airmen died, in addition to the above AC2 Ronald Rosenthall died, being buried in Hull, with 13 others being injured. The men had been in Cheltenham for a night out and were on the way back to Little Rissington when the crowded bus hit a broken-down lorry at shortly after 2300. Although the lorry did have a red lamp on the back as a warning it was a dark night and wartime blackout conditions meant that the road was unlit. At the inquest held on Monday 3 November a verdict of accidental death found by the jury in a unanimous decision. They said that they would like to exonerate the driver of the coach from all blame but thought the authorities should have had an older and experienced man driving the bus, especially at night, than the young man carrying out the duty. The coroner intimated that he agreed with the verdict of accidental death, but entirely disagreed that no blame attached the driver.
