In Sunderland Southwick Cemetery is the Commonwealth War Grave of:
940001 Sergeant
E.P. Hogan
Wireless Op. /Air Gunner
Royal Air Force
13th August 1941
Eternal rest
Give unto him, O Lord
May he rest in peace
Amen
Derek Haynes has submitted the following:
Edward was born September 1919 in the Sunderland. He was the 7th of 10 children of Edward and Ellen Hogan (nee Hammill). His parents married in 1906 in Sunderland. His father was of Irish descent coming from Newry, Co. Down. Some time prior to the 1901 census Edward’s father came to England with his elder brother James and younger sister Annie. Both the brothers were employed as shipyard labourers. His mother Ellen was born in Sunderland.
The children from the marriage were:
Annie June 1907
Mary March 1909
Cornelius December 1910 (died 21st December 1910)
Margaret June 1912
Johanna September 1914
Patricia September 1916
Edward Peter September 1919
Cornelius September 1920
Eleanor March 1924
Helena March 1924
All above births registered in Sunderland.
By the 1911 census Edward’s parents were residing in 3 rooms at 21 John Street, Southwick with two of his siblings. Up to the time of the census there had been three children born but sadly Cornelius, born 19th December 1910, died aged only two days on the 21st December 1910 at the above address. He was buried on the 23rd December in Southwick Cemetery.
1939 found the family residing at the General Havelock Hotel, Stoney Lane, Southwick. At one time employed as a shipyard labourer, Edward senior was now managing the General Havelock and gives his occupation as a Licensed Victualler. Son Edward does not appear on the 1939 Registration, by this time he may have already enlisted into the RAF.
On August 10th 1940 Edward senior died. He was laid to rest on the 2nd September 1940 in Section 2 Grave no. 560 of Southwick Cemetery.
Edward joined the RAF Volunteer Reserve serving with 76 Squadron as a Wireless Operator attaining the rank of Sergeant, his service number was 94000. Unfortunately I have been unable to find any service records for Edward.
Before Edward was tragically killed, it is possible he was involved in an earlier flying accident on the 22nd December 1940 on a training flight in a Whitley P4994.
I found an excellent website (see link below) concerned with recording aircraft accidents in Yorkshire. Please note that the webmaster of the site Richard Allenby informed me that he has not yet totally confirmed that Edward was on this flight, he told me that information from Bill Chorleys Bomber Command 1941 Losses Book does list Edward as being on the flight and that generally his research is very good. There is a good possibility Edward took part in the training exercise.
The following is the report from the website.
Whitley P4994 at Leeming airfield.
On 22nd December 1940 this aircraft was taking off at night from Leeming airfield for a local night circuits and landings flying practice when the aircraft failed to get airborne and struck the roof of a farm house at Newton Picot close to the airfield at 19.07hrs. The aircraft crashed soon after and caught fire and sadly one member of the crew died as a result of the accident. A police report located states that four airmen were on the aircraft and the first three listed below were definitely on board; the fourth member was either one of the two below these confirmed three. Their names have been found in 10 Squadron’s ORB appendix for the planned date of 19th December 1940 for the series of training flights however all flights were cancelled on this night and were flown on the next available night which turned out to be 22nd December 1940. There is no entry for the 22nd however a handwritten note on the 19th states that the flights were made on 22nd and almost certainly with the same airmen in each aircraft as were planned for the 19th.
Pilot – P/O Peter Beckford Gough RAF (42599), of Wivenhoe, Essex. Slightly injured.
Second Pilot – P/O Ross Leslie Flewelling RAF (42703), aged 24, of Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Buried Leeming Churchyard, Yorkshire.
Wireless Operator – Sgt John Thomas Evans RAF (939688). Slightly injured.
Plus one of the following:
Wireless Operator – Sgt Ronald Leslie Somerville RAFVR (970048), of Newport, Monmouthshire, Wales. Slightly injured.
Wireless Operator – Sgt Edward Peter Hogan RAFVR (940001).
Tragically eight months later Edward would lose his life when, on the 13th August 1941, Halifax L9562 of 76 Squadron based at Middleton St George crashed near the base on return from Operations to Berlin. It was thought that it may have been damaged by enemy action prior to stalling on its approach to land and crashing at 05.25hrs. All on board were killed.
The crew who were all Sergeants was:
J. McHale
R. J. McInnes (RCAF)
C. Austin
S. C. Mayes
E. P. Hogan
L. E. Brown (RCAF)
Flight Sergeant J. G. S. West (DFM)
Royal Air Force Bomber Command Losses of the Second World War: 1941. W.R. Chorley; 1993; Midland Counties Publications; ISBN 0 904597 87 3
Edward’s body was returned home and on the 18th August 1941 he was laid to rest in Section 2, Grave no. 560 of Southwick Cemetery. A CWGC headstone marks his final resting place.
Ellen, Edward’s mother, died at Sunderland General Hospital on the 3rd June 1969 aged 92 years. She was laid to rest in the same plot as her husband and son.
With special thanks to Richard Allenby for allowing me to use the information from his website.
Edward Peter Hogan is remembered at Southwick on S130.22, in Peter Gibson’s Book and in a R.A.F. Book of Remembrance page 51.
