84 Squadron RAF - Deaths While Stationed in Iraq
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Seven months after being disbanded in January 1920 at RAF Kenley in England, 84 Squadron was reformed as a bomber squadron in Iraq on 13 August 1920 at the Baghdad West aerodrome, having left England with a full complement of DH9A medium bombers. Little did they know that the squadron would never return to the UK. The following month 84 Squadron moved to the newly established RAF Shaibah, becoming the resident squadron at that station for twenty years, though several other squadrons (e.g. No. 55 Squadron RAF) visited the primitive airfield over that period, either for short-term detachments to assist 84 Squadron in its duties or for refuelling purposes.
Even after 84 Squadron left RAF Shaibah in September 1940 and moved to Heliopolis in Egypt, it did have a presence in Iraq (Habbaniya, Mosul and Shaibah) on a number of occasions in 1941 before returning to Egypt in November 1941. In January 1942 the squadron was ordered to travel to the Far East to help defend Western Java by being based at the Kalidjati Airfield, flying there via PI (Palembang I) in Sumatra and PII (a secret jungle strip). With the sudden fall of Singapore in early February 1942 and the evacuation of all allied air force aircraft from Kalidjati, 84 Squadron was dispersed on the 1st March 1942, re-established at Drigh Road in India and three months later moved to Quetta (then in India, now part of Pakistan). From that time forwards, 84 Squadron moved bases often but would return to Iraq one last time in October 1948, where it was stationed at RAF Habbaniya until April 1950. The squadron then moved back to the Far East to Tangah, Singapore, where it had been stationed before the brief interlude at RAF Habbaniya.
According to a Royal Air Force pamphlet, published in 1935, that was given to every British service personnel posted to Iraq for the first time, RAF Shaibah was not the most hospitable place to live and work. Here is an extract from the pamphlet:
Across the various times 84 Squadron was stationed at bases in Iraq, it suffered forty-six (46) fatalities. Twenty-four (24) of the men who lost their lives were buried at the Basra (Makina) RAF Cemetery, seven (7) were buried at the Basra War Cemetery, one (1) was buried at the Baghdad (North Gate) War Cemetery, four (4) were buried at the Ma'Asker Al Raschid RAF Cemetery in Baghdad, four (4) were buried at the Habbaniya War Cemetery, three (3) were buried at the Christian Cemetery, Muscat (now known as the Old Muscat Cemetery) and three (3) with unknown graves were recorded as being listed on the Basra Memorial.
Below is a complete list of the forty-six 84 Squadron deaths:
07-Sep-1920 | AC2 | Rigby, George (331588) | Died in 3rd British General Hospital, Basra from malaria whilst serving as an Air Mechanic with No 84 Sqn. Buried in Basra War Cemetery | ||
22-Sep-1920 | Fg Off | Bockett-Pugh, Henry Charles Edward DFC | Shot down in 84 Squadron DH9A F2838 whilst dropping food to the stranded vessel 'Greenfly'. After landing in a river at Samawahon was seen to wade ashore but was captured and later killed at Dangatora. With no known grave his name is commemorated on the Basra Memorial | ||
Fg Off | McDonald, Ian Donald Ray MC, DFC | Shot down in 84 Squadron DH9A F2838 whilst dropping food to the stranded vessel 'Greenfly'. After landing in a river at Samawahon was seen to wade ashore but was captured and later killed at Dangatora. With no known grave his name is commemorated on the Basra Memorial | |||
01-Nov-1920 | AC2 | Marshall, Alec (333247) | Fitter (Armourer) with 84 Squadron, Killed when a 112 lb bomb on DH9A, E779 exploded accidentally. Buried in Basra War Cemetery | ||
AC2 | Wallwork, Wallace (248661) | Fitter (Aero Engine) with 84 Squadron. Killed when a 112lb bomb on DH9A, E779 exploded accidentally and buried in Basra War Cemetery | |||
22-Jun-1921 | Plt Off | Brewe, Cyril | Pilot with 84 Sqn who died in No 3 British General Hospital in Basrah from acute alcoholism and buried in Basra War Cemetery. | ||
13-Jul-1921 | AC2 | Reid, James Christopher (406523) | He died from heat stroke whilst serving as a Cook and Butcher with No 84 Sqn and is buried in Basra War Cemetery. | ||
09-Aug-1921 | AC1 | Magee, Patrick (291496) | Died in 23rd British Stationary Hospital, Baghdad from a fractured skull after being run over by a car whilst serving with No 84 Sqn but attached to the Aircraft Park. Buried in Baghdad (North Gate) War Cemetery | ||
14-Aug-1921 | Flt Sgt | Marchment, Henry George (60) | Died from heatstroke whilst serving as a Hydrogen Worker with No 84 Sqn and buried in Basra War Cemetery | ||
30-Sep-1921 | Fg Off | Hyslop, Maitland | Killed whilst piloting DH9A, H66 of No 84 Sqn, which was destroyed when a bomb exploded after falling from its rack on taking off from Nasiriyeh. Buried in Basra War Cemetery | ||
AC1 | Plummer, Edward (158676) | A Rigger (Aero) with 84 Squadron, he was killed whilst flying in DH9A, H66 which was destroyed when a bomb exploded after falling from its rack on taking off from Nasiriyeh. He is reported to have been commemorated on the Basra Memorial (possibly because his body was not able to be recovered) but he is not on the latest CWGC Virtual Memorial nor on the actual panels at Basra. | |||
16-Sep-1922 | AC1 | Hayes, Bernard (334346) | He was killed whilst a passenger in DH9A, E899 of No 84 Sqn, which crashed during a night landing at Shaibah, he is buried in Basra (Makina) R.A.F. Cemetery | ||
17-Jul-1923 | Sgt | Wright, Arthur Christopher | Died from malignant malaria whilst serving with No 84 Sqn and is buried in Basra (Makina) RAF Cemetery | ||
04-Jan-1924 | Fg Off | Harrison, Robert Cuthbert | Killed whilst piloting DH9A D9854 of No 84 Sqn which spun into the desert near Naziriyah. Buried in Basra (Makina) RAF Cemetery. | ||
LAC | Key, Harold Walter (330927) | Killed as observer / gunner in DH9A, D9854 of No 84 Sqn which spun into the desert near Naziriyah. Buried in Basra (Makina) RAF Cemetery | |||
12-Apr-1924 | Flt Lt | Kemp, William Horace Ernest AFC | Killed whilst serving with No 84 Sqn, possibly whilst flying DH9A, J552, which stalled on take-off. He is buried in Basra (Makina) RAF Cemetery. | ||
AC2 | Adams, Arthur Lee (341319) | Serving as a Rigger (Aero) and was killed whilst flying with Flt Lt W H E Kemp of No 84 Sqn, in DH9A, J552, which stalled on take-off. He is buried in Basra (Makina) RAF Cemetery. | |||
25-Jul-1924 | Flt Lt | Day, William Conway MC | He was killed or died whilst flying in DH9A, H147 of No 84 Sqn which force landed in the desert near Jalibah and is buried in Basra (Makina) RAF Cemetery. | ||
Fg Off | Stewart, Donald Ramsay | He was killed or died whilst flying in DH9A, H147 of No 84 Sqn which force landed in the desert near Jalibah and is buried in Basra (Makina) RAF Cemetery. | |||
11-Oct-1924 | Fg Off | Franklin, John Hayward Godfrey | Killed in a flying accident at Shaibah whilst piloting DH9A, J7253 of No 84 Sqn which overturned and burst into flames. He is buried in Basra (Makina) RAF Cemetery | ||
17 Apr 1925 | Fg Off | Thomson, Thomas | Killed whilst flying as observer to Flt Lt Cyril Jameson Truran AFC in DH9A of No 84 Sqn at Shaibah in Iraq. Truran was injured and later cashiered. Thomson is buried in Basra (Makina) R.A.F. Cemetery | ||
08-May-1925 | AC1 | Turnbull, Joseph Cecil | Serving as a Fitter (Aero Engine) with No 84 Sqn and died in the RAF Combined Hospital, Basra from burns sustained whilst making adjustments to an engine, he is buried in Basra (Makina) RAF Cemetery | ||
25-May-1925 | Flt Lt | Lowe, Theodore Linley | Serving with No 84 Sqn when he died from unspecified injuries at Shaibah. Buried in Basra (Makina) RAF Cemetery | ||
12-Aug-1925 | Plt Off | Fitzgerald, John Jellett | Killed in a flying accident near Ur in Iraq flying DH9A of No 84 Sqn. His gunner, AC1 Frank Edward Leatherdale was slightly wounded (but died in an another dlying accident the following year). Fitzpatrick is buried in Basra (Makina) R.A.F. Cemetery | ||
15-Apr-1926 | Fg Off | Tomes, James Eric | Killed in a flying accident whilst flying a DH9A of No 84 Sqn. His gunner LAC F E Leatherdale was also killed. He is buried in Basra (Makina) RAF Cemetery | ||
LAC | Leatherdale, Frank Edward (348244) | Killed in a flying accident whilst acting as the gunner in a DH9A of No 84 Sqn. His pilot, Fg Off J E Tomes was also killed. He is buried in Basra (Makina) RAF Cemetery | |||
08-Aug-1926 | SM1 | Storey, John | A Fitter (Aero Engine) with 84 Sqn, he died at Shaibah from heat stroke and heart failure. Buried in Basra (Makina) RAF Cemetery | ||
19-Nov-1927 | Sgt | Cole, Arthur Alfred (345692) | Killed whilst piloting an unidentified DH9A of No 84 Sqn which spun into the ground at low altitude and was destroyed by fire and exploding bombs. He is buried in Basra (Makina) RAF Cemetery. See photo of crash | ||
AC1 | Conlon, Patrick (342720) | He was serving as a Carpenter Rigger and was killed whilst flying as the gunner/observer in an unidentified DH9A of No 84 Sqn that spun into the ground at low altitude and was destroyed by fire and exploding bombs. He is buried in Basra (Makina) RAF Cemetery. See photo of crash | |||
26 May 1928 | Flt Lt | Fenwick, William Longstaffe | Attached to No 84 Sqn from No 5 Armoured Car Company when he was killed in a motor-car accident in Baghdad. He is buried in the Ma'asker Al Raschid RAF Cemetery | ||
Fg Off | Forster, Edward Beresford | Having just left No 84 Sqn he was preparing to return to the UK when he was killed in a motor-car accident in Baghdad. He is buried in the Ma'asker Al Raschid RAF Cemetery | |||
12-Jun-1928 | Sgt | Bamford, Francis George (359131) | Killed whilst flying a DH9A of No 84 Sqn, which spun into the ground during a low level turn. He is buried in Basra (Makina) RAF Cemetery | ||
LAC | Frost, Arthur Sydney (359418) | Serving as a Fitter (Aero Engine), when he was killed whilst flying in a DH9A of No 84 Sqn, which spun into the ground during a low level turn. He is buried in Basra (Makina) RAF Cemetery | |||
03-Mar-1929 | AC1 | Knight, James Richard (364049) | Serving as a Wireless Operator/Mechanic with No 84 Sqn who was killed in action whilst flying in an unidentified Wapiti during an engagement with Wahibi raiders and is buried in Basra (Makina) RAF Cemetery | ||
29-Mar-1929 | Cpl | Parker, Reginald James (345420) | Serving as an air mechanic with No 84 Sqn, when he drowned in the River Tigris and is buried in Basra (Makina) RAF Cemetery | ||
05-Jan-1931 | Sqn Ldr | Stewart, Harry | Killed whilst flying Wapiti, J9092 of No 84 Sqn, which crashed during a night landing at Shaibah, overturned and burst into flames. He is buried in Basra (Makina) RAF Cemetery | ||
28-May-1934 | Fg Off | Supple, Jeffrey Hale | Serving with No 84 Sqn when he died from malignant malaria in the sick quarters in Makina and is buried in Basra (Makina) R.A.F. Cemetery | ||
25-Jun-1936 | LAC | Borthwick, John Albert | Severely injured and died three days later as the result of an accident whilst he was flying in Vincent, K4120 of No 84 Sqn on 22 Jun 1936. At the time the aircraft was conducting a camera gun practice, when it hit the ground at Shaibah in Iraq. He died in the Royal Air Force General Hospital at Hinaidi and was buried in the Ma'asker Al Raschid R.A.F. Cemetery | ||
30-Oct-1937 | Wg Cdr | Rickards, Aubrey Robert Maxwell Obe, AFC | Killed whilst flying (in) Vincent, K6346 of No 84 Sqn when it stalled and dived into the ground at Khor Gharim, off the coast of Oman. Also killed in the accident were Plt Off R H McClatchey and AC1 L G O'Leary. His body was buried at the site but exhumed in 1997 and reinterred at the Christian Cemetery at Muscat, now named the Old Muscat Cemetery. Note that both 84 and 55 Squadron often used an emergency landing strip set up at Khor Gharim in Oman whilst on long patrols, even though both squadrons operated out of Iraq (RAF Shaibah and RAF Habbaniya respectively) | ||
Plt Off | Mcclatchey, Robert Henry | Killed whilst piloting Vincent, K6346 of No 84 Sqn when it stalled and dived into the ground at Khor Gharim, off the coast of Oman. Also killed in the accident were Wg Cdr A R M Rickards, OBE, AFC and AC1 L G O'Leary. His body was buried at the site but exhumed in 1997 and reinterred at the Christian Cemetery at Muscat, now named the Old Muscat Cemetery | |||
AC1 | O'leary, Leslie George | Killed whilst flying (in) Vincent, K6346 of No 84 Sqn when it stalled and dived into the ground at Khor Gharim, off the coast of Oman. Also killed in the accident were Wg Cdr A R M Rickards OBE, AFC and Plt Off R H McClatchey. His body was buried at the site but exhumed in 1997 and reinterred at the Christian Cemetery at Muscat, now named the Old Muscat Cemetery | |||
30-Jan-1940 | Cpl | Hampson, Norman | Serving with No 84 Sqn, and died in the RAF General Hospital, Habbaniya, from heat exhaustion whilst working inside a Blenheim alone. He was buried in the Habbaniya War Cemetery | ||
31-May-1941 | Flt Sgt | Furney, George DFM (Aux AF) | Air gunner in Blenheim IV, L9316 of No 84 Sqn, which was shot down by a MS406 near Al Musayib in Iraq during a reconnaissance sortie. He is buried in Habbaniya War Cemetery | ||
Sgt | Humber, George Francis | Observer in Blenheim IV, L9316 of No 84 Sqn, which was shot down by a MS406 near Al Musayib in Iraq during a reconnaissance sortie. He is buried in Habbaniya War Cemetery | |||
Sgt Pilot | Gordon, Alexander DFM | Pilot of Blenheim IV, L9316 of No 84 Sqn, which was shot down by a MS406 near Al Musayib in Iraq during a reconnaissance sortie. He is buried in Habbaniya War Cemetery | |||
Of the forty-six 84 Squadron men who died whilst serving in Iraq, physical evidence only exists for eight of those names, either in the form of a headstone (complete or fragmented) or on a memorial panel.
As mentioned above, four of the 84 Squadron casualties were buried at the Ma'Asker Al Rschid RAF Cemetery in Baghdad. Originally named the Hinaidi RAF Peace Cemetery, the cemetery was renamed the Ma'Asker Al Raschid RAF Cemetery in 1961. According to the CWGC Annual Reports it was last maintained in 1974 and is now in a derelict condition, though a new wall was constructed around the used part of the cemetery in October 2021. Only 77 identifiable headstones have survived at the cemetery today but only two of these headstones are for 84 Squadron burials.
Four 84 Squadron men lie in the Habbaniya War Cemetery. One of tghose men was Corporal Norman Hampson, who succumbed to heat exhaustion while working alone inside a Blenheim bomber at RAF Habbaniya on the 30th January 1940. Why he was at RAF Habbaniya is not known as the official records show that 84 Squadron did not have an official presence at RAF Habbaniya until April 1941. The other three 84 Squadron men died during WW2 when their Blenheim IV bomber was shot down on the 31st May 1941. Attached below are photographs of the four headstones, re-made by the CWGC as part of the complete restoration the Habbaniya War Cemetery in 2019.
In looking at the actual Basra Memorial panels and the official CWGC virtual Basra Memorial I was only able to find two of the three 84 Squadron men who died in Iraq and whose names were reportedly recorded on the panels at the Basra that memorial. I have attached below a photograph of Panel No: 43 on which their names can clearly be seen - Flying Officer Henry Charles Edward Bockett-Pugh DFC and Flying Officer Ian Donald Ray McDonald DFC. The photograph was taken in 2025.
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