Trafford

Born on the 19th February 1915 at Greenville, Texas, the son of Sidney
Francis & Amy Carragher of St. Joseph, Missouri, USA.

AM 118 - Attached to No. 3 FPP (Ferry Pilots Pool situated at Hawarden,
near Chester), he was flying a Mohawk MkIV aircraft, No. AR664 with a
Cyclone engine from Blackpool Airport to Manchester Ringway Airport. 
Francis died whilst performing unauthorised aerobatics at Ringway Airport. 
 Engine failure led to a stall and spin into the ground.  Fourteen days
previous to this incident he had been prohibited from undertaking any
inverted or low flying.  He had 700 hours flying time experience.

My thanks to the RAF AHB for much of this information.

His death was reported in the Saturday 8th February 1941 edition of "The
Frederick Post" newspaper.   The report stated that he was friends with a
Miss Marjorie E. Dunn who also resided in the town of Frederick.  They both
attended Rhode Island State School and she last saw him in October 1940
when he left for England to join the A.T.A.  He started his military career
on his graduation from college.  After training at Fort Adams, Randolph
Field and Kelly Field [presumably airfields], he was commissioned as a
Second Lieutenant and assigned as a flying instructor at a Californian
Field.   Upon being placed on the Army Reserve List last Fall, he went to
Canada and volunteered for service in England.

After his graduation from High School, he worked for two years as an
Elevator Boy in order to earn money to put himself through college.  Whilst
attending Rhode Island State, he worked as a Waiter in the College's
cafeterias and in hotels at New England summer resorts.  He was survived by
his mother, five sisters and one brother.

See also the excellent website - www.afleetingpeace.org/the -ata/index.php

He was buried in the Manchester (Southern) Cemetery on the 5th February
1941.