Trafford

Died 12th - 13th October 1944.    One of eight crew members 31 Sqn SAAF -
Liberator KG999 which was one of five Liberators that crashed that night
whilst taking part in the same mission to drop supplies to partisans in the
north of Italy, near to Lake Maggiore.   The weather was bad with poor
visibility and high winds and the aircraft crashed into a mountainside NW
of Turin - possibly blown off course & crew unable to see the mountain
until too late. 

Manchester Evening News appeal 11/01/2003 by an Anne Storm of Wiltshire.

E-Mail message from her - "My Australian RAAF father was a crew member of a
31 SAAF Liberator KH158 which disappeared, with 8 crew [5 SAAF, 2 RAF, 1
RAAF] while on a sortie to drop supplies to Italian partisans on 12/13th
Oct 1944, wreckage never found, possibly in the Med. sea.  I have been
researching his disappearance & the squadron, wartime history & events of
12/10/44.  4 other planes of 31 & 34 sqdns crashed on that mission & their
wreckage was eventually found.The 6th, my father's was never found.  Twenty
planes had taken off, each with 8 crew, so 48 men were lost that night - 8
from 34 SAAF [1 aircraft] & the rest from 31 SAAF [5 aircraft]
 
I have been trying to find relatives of the RAF crew of KG999 for a friend
in SA who is the nephew of the Liberator's pilot, CP Nel.   I know Henry
Foy came from Old Trafford because of the "sortie missing" report & the
CWGC debt of honour site.  His mother may have remarried as her Ada Broster
name is different on the missing report to that on the CWGC site - but may
be a mistake.  Perhaps the mother moved from Old Trafford after Henry died
& did not get his name put in the Memorial Book - or did the town council
do that sort of thing ? 
 
31 SAAF was a Sth African Sqn based in Celone, Foggia, Italy 1944-45.  
They lost a lot of crew during the Warsaw supply drops & were joined by RAF
crews.   My father had been in Italy with 104 Sqn RAF from Jan 44 to July
44 when he was seconded to 31 SAAF.   He was a F/O & Observer & had left
Sydney in 1943 to train for war in England /Scotland".