John BASELEY

Aircraftman 2nd Class 1084639 John BASELEY. Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve. Born 23 March 1909 William Thomas and Isabella Baseley, nee Morris of Notting Hill, London. 1911 residing with his parents and siblings at 14 Boundary Road, Shepherds Bush, London. 1939 residing at Hammersmith, London, occupation, plumber. Died 21 October 1941 aged 32 as the result of a road traffic accident. Laid to rest 28 October 1941. At rest at Little Rissington St Peter churchyard, Gloucestershire.

His father joined the 3rd Royal Dublin Fusiliers as Private 15982, the 27 October 1914, aged 33 years and 127 days, residing with his wife and children at 14 Boundary Road, Shepherds Bush, London. He married Isabella Morris the 26 May 1890 at St Helens Church, Kensington, London. He was discharged 31 December 1914 not likely to become an efficient soldier. (Medically unfit).


Following extract credited to - Chipping Norton British Legion.com
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 has 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 11pm. 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 though the authorities should have had a 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.