Bruce Woodward Ellison
Born 24 May 1918 - Died 12 Sept 1944
- Service number
- NZ4310166 AWMM
- WWII 4310166 AWMM
- WWII 4379 AWMM
- WWII FX85044 AWMM
- Also known as
- —
- Last rank
- Flight Sergeant (Navigator)/Military AWMM Royal Air Force, No. 148 Squadron AWMM
- War
- World War II, 1939-1945 AWMM
About
- Title
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- Forenames
- Bruce Woodward AWMM
- Surname
- Ellison AWMM
- Ingoa
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- Also known as
- —
- Service number
- NZ4310166 AWMM
- WWII 4310166 AWMM
- WWII 4379 AWMM
- WWII FX85044 AWMM
- Gender
- Male AWMM
- Iwi / Hapū / Waka / Rohe
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- Religion
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Images
Documents
About birth
- Birth
- 24 May 1918 AWMM
- Date of birth
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- Place of birth
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- Birth notes
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- Address before enlistment
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- Post war occupation
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- Next of kin
- WW2 Father: Mr S. C. Ellison AWMM
- Relationship status
- Single/WWII AWMM
Wars and conflicts
- War
- World War II, 1939-1945 AWMM
- Campaign
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- Service number
- NZ4310166 AWMM
- WWII 4310166 AWMM
- WWII 4379 AWMM
- WWII FX85044 AWMM
- Military service
- Attached, Royal Navy, Fleet Air Arm, HMS St Vincent AWMM
- Royal Navy, Fleet Air Arm, HMS Daedalus AWMM
- Royal Air Force, No. 614 Squadron AWMM
- Royal New Zealand Navy AWMM
Hostilities Only AWMM - Royal Navy AWMM
- Royal Navy, Fleet Air Arm, Scheme F AWMM
- Promotions/ Postings/ Transfers
- Royal Air Force, No. 148 Squadron AWMM
Military decorations
- Medals and Awards
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Training and Enlistment
- Military training
- British Commonwealth Air Training Plan, Air Observer School, Canada AWMM
Course 1: Graduation Date: 22/01/1943. AWMM - 28 Sep 1942 AWMM
British Commonwealth Air Training Plan, No. 5 Air Observer School, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada AWMM
- British Commonwealth Air Training Plan, Air Observer School, Canada AWMM
- Branch Trade Proficiency
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- Enlistment
- WW2 01 Aug 1942 AWMM Clerk/Civilian AWMM
- Age on enlistment
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- Occupation before enlistment
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Embarkations
- Embarkation details
- WW2 Royal New Zealand Air Force AWMM
Prisoner of war
- Capture details
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- Days interned
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- Liberation date
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- POW liberation details
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- Liberation Repatriation
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- POW serial number
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Medical history
- Medical notes
- Killed on Active Service, Cause of Death AWMM
Last known rank
- Last rank
- Flight Sergeant (Navigator)/Military AWMM
Royal Air Force, No. 148 Squadron AWMM - Last rank
- —
Biographical information
- Son of Percy Charles Ellison and of Gwenllian Glamorgan Ellison (nee Richards), of Napier, Hawke's Bay. Initially enlisted with the Royal Navy/Fleet Air Arm and was attached to HMS St. Vincent/Gosport. His Pilot training was terminated in December 1941, and he transferred to the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve at Euston. He then embarked overseas to Canada where he underwent training as an Air Navigator and received his Air Observers Badge around January 1943. He returned to the UK, and then transferred to the RNZAF attached to the Royal Air Force, and went to Algeria via Morocco in May 1944. He also served with the 614 Squadron, before going to Italy in June 1944, where he served with the 148 Squadron. (Martyn, p. 181).
Attended Napier Boys High School (Source: RNZAF Biographies (R17845610)) AWMM
About death
- Death
- 12 Sept 1944 AWMM
Age 26 AWMM - Date of death
- 11 September 1944 23.45Public - Rolf Martin - 4 April 2016 - Errol Martyn "'For Your Tomorrow - A record of New Zealanders who have died while serving with the RNZAF and Allied Air Services since 1915' (Volume Two: Fates 1943-1998"
- Age at death
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- Place of death
- Cavallaria mountain, near Ivrea, Italy.Public - Rolf Martin - 4 April 2016 - Military Personnel File
- Cause of death
- Killed on Active Service AWMM
- Aircraft, Halifax BB412, crashed into mountainPublic - Rolf Martin - 4 April 2016 - Errol Martyn
- Death notes
- From an extract by Mr Devis Ughetti: I know the history of this aircraft since I was child. I live at the foot of the Cavallaria mountain on which it crashed in 1944. My father and his brothers at the time lived in a farmhouse near the impact site. My uncle Guido (which these days is in the hospital) being born in 1933 at the time was the older brother and was the one who ran to see the disaster. There were already the partisans on the crash place and they not let him to stay there. However he gave a closer look at the dead body of one of the crew, probably the tail gunner who, unlike the others, was not charred but was intact, only mutilated an arm. The partisans recovered weapons (one of the two tie machineguns and three STEN submachine guns that were repaired in secret by the grandfather of my friend .. the village blacksmith) and the functioning ammunition. after that they buried the bodies on the spot. One of these partisans is still alive and is called Italo and is an elder of my country that I know well. It also appears that some local residents came before the partisans and took several pounds. In fact it is said that the mission Silica II, which was part of this aircraft, had to airdrop of some agents who had to bribe with the pounds the Czechs who fought with the Germans. Then the next day came the fascists at the accident site and, finally, in 1946 a team of British exhumed corpses that were packed to the military cemetery Trenno (MI).
I have always been fascinated by this story. When I was a child my father took me in the place of the disaster. Although the years "collects iron" cleaned up the area and took away 90% of the scrap. However I have always found many pieces, every time I went there, especially bullets. Still they remain of shells, fragments and rusty "metal sheets".
In the 80's two Piedmontese journalists have rebuilt in part the story of this disaster following the "logbook" (mission book) discovered by a partisan.
In recent years I helpedPublic - Rolf Martin - 4 April 2016 - Mr Devis Ughetti, Ivrea, Italy - Cemetery
- Milan War Cemetery, Italy AWMM Coll. grave VI. C. 5-6. AWMM
- Cemetery name
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- Grave reference
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- Obituary
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- Memorial name
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- Memorial reference
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Memorial
- Memorial name
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Sources
- External links
- Commonwealth War Graves Commission record
https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/2816815
Sources Used - Record Book of Naval Personnel - c.1920-1945 - Lists Navy number, alphabetical list of names of ratings trained in England, numerical lists of officers. Archives New Zealand, R21346617, AAYT 8495 N12
https://collections.archives.govt.nz/web/arena/search/#/entity/aims-archive/R21346617
Further Reference - RNZAF [Royal New Zealand Air Force] Biographies of Deceased Personnel 1939 - 1945 (Bound Volumes) - Ea - Gw. ARchives New Zealand (R17845610)
https://collections.archives.govt.nz/web/arena/search/#/entity/aims-archive/R17845610
Sources Used - List of RNZAF [Royal New Zealand Air Force] Personnel - List of Personnel Killed or Missing in Various Theatres, 1940 - 1945. Archives New Zealand (R17845745)
https://collections.archives.govt.nz/web/arena/search/#/entity/aims-archive/R17845745
Sources Used
- Commonwealth War Graves Commission record
- References
- Martyn, E. (1998-2008). For Your Tomorrow (Vols. 1-3). Christchurch, N.Z.: Volplane Press.
- Allison, D. (2009). Flying Navy: The story of New Zealanders who flew in the Fleet Air Arm in World War I and World War II and the Roll of Honour of those who died in action and on active service. Auckland, N.Z.: Fleet Air Arm Museum of New Zealand.
- This record is a work in progress and was partially compiled from the “Database of New Zealand Airmen who took part in Advanced Air Training in Canada during WW2”. Researched by Ivan and Lorna Lindsey of Tauranga. N.Z. 2003 – 2012. Reproduced with permission.
- Royal New Zealand Navy List (c.1921-c.1970) - kindly provided by Ralph McNabb. This list was not collated by McNabb but was sourced from the Royal New Zealand Navy.
- Record Book of Naval Personnel - c.1920-1945 - Lists Navy number, alphabetical list of names of ratings trained in England, numerical lists of officers. Archives New Zealand, R21346617, AAYT 8495 N12
- Personnel - War service - Required for RN [Royal Navy] - Fleet air arm (naval airmen) - Scheme F (Part 3), Archives New Zealand, R21465677, AAYT 8490
- Personnel - War service - Required for RN [Royal Navy] - Fleet air arm (naval airmen) - Scheme F (Part 4), Archives New Zealand, R21465678, AAYT
- Personnel - War service - Required for RN [Royal Navy] - Fleet air arm (naval airmen) - Scheme F (Part 5), Archives New Zealand, R21465679, AAYT
- Personnel - War service - Required for RN [Royal Navy] - Fleet air arm (naval airmen) - Scheme F (Part 7), Archives New Zealand, R21465682, AAYT
- Allison, D., Richards, R., & Fleet Air Arm Museum of New Zealand. (2009). Flying navy : the story of new zealanders who flew in the fleet air arm in world war i and world war ii and the roll of honour of those who died in action and on active service. Auckland [N.Z.] : Fleet Air Arm Museum of New Zealand.
- RNZAF [Royal New Zealand Air Force] Biographies of Deceased Personnel 1939 - 1945 (Bound Volumes) - Ea - Gw. Archives New Zealand (R17845610) - Former archives reference: AIR118
- Please note that the 11 volumes of the "RNZAF [Royal New Zealand Air Force] Biographies of Deceased Personnel 1939-1945" held at Archives NZ (formerly known as AIR118) should be used in conjunction with Errol Martyn's "For Your Tomorrow". FYT reflects detailed examination of all of the AIR118 bios which contain many inaccuracies and omissions.
- List of RNZAF [Royal New Zealand Air Force] Personnel - List of Personnel Killed or Missing in Various Theatres, 1940 - 1945. [List of Missing - United Kingdom, Airmen]. Archives New Zealand (R17845745)
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