i'm researching my family tree and found the CWGC cert. of my mum's cousin Paul Kirton (Arthur Paul Mons KIRTON).
His details are given as 1172546, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve.
Paul was a sgt Wireless Operator/Air Gunner. He died 4 FEB 1942 aged 25. As far as I can ascertain there were no missions that day, or on 3rd Feb, so assume he was wounded earlier or was a casualty of a training accident.
Hi Rich, A place to start might be to try and obtain the service records to determine what Sqdn. this airman flew with. From there you could perhaps try to have a look at the Sqdn. Operations Record Book and there is a possibility that something might be recorded there. Your own suggestion that he could have been injured previously or killed on exercise with his aircraft having a mechanical failure leading to a crash which I'm led to believe happened on occasion are both good possibilities There was only one operation on the date you mentioned and that involved 3 Manchesters on a mining Op. to the Frisian Islands but they were recalled, this according to "Bomber Command War Diaries". Sorry I couldn't be anymore help. Good luck with your search. Bill Heron/Niagara/Canada.
It is always possible of course that he died of natural causes or of some other non aviation related accident. A copy of his death certificate would give either the answer or a clue as to what may have happened
http://twgpp.org/information.php?id=2878649 Not sure if you´re still looking but on this link you find a picture of his gravestone, buried in Kettering (London Road) Cemetery
