Robert Trevor MULLIGAN
The Fate of Pilot Officer RT Mulligan, 1940
Reports on 2 separate Air Accidents
The Officer Commanding, Lindholme Airbase, submitted a report on 1st October 1940, entitled "Accident to Hampden L.4062 on 26.9.40."
"This aircraft completed an operational flight on the night of the 26th September, 1940, with the following crew:
Captain .... P/O R.T. Mulligan
Navigator .. P/O G.O.R. Kilner
WT/AG ...... 612904 Sgt. Smith, C.J.
AG ......... P/O G.W. Leonard.
The aircraft returned to Base at 2359 hours, and on the final approach under conditions of bad visibility the pilot had difficulty in discerning the flarepath and stuck[sic] the top of a tree near the aerodrome boundary. This caused the aircraft to stall from fifty feet and was completely wrecked. The crew escaped serious injury - the Navigator sustaining a bruised forehead above the right eye."
In a letter sent to Robert Trevors father in October 1940, he was advised that his son "is suffering from slight injuries during air operations on September 26th, 1940.
As his condition is not stated to be serious, no further reports are expected but should any be received you will be informed as quickly as possible."
The airplane was not so fortunate, being completely written off.
MULLIGAN, Robert Trevor, Flying Officer 41864, Date of Casualty 8-12-1940, Date and reference of report: A703 8/12/40
Pilot of a Hampden 1 X3004
A letter to his father, dated 11 December 1940, the writer is "to confirm the telegram in which you were notified that your son, Flying Officer Robert Trevor Mulligan, Royal Air Force, was reported on the 8th December, 1940, to be missing as the result of air operations. He goes on to say "this does not necessarily mean that he is killed or wounded, and if he is a prisoner of war he should be able to communicate with you in due course. ... The Air Council desire me to express their sincere sympathy with you in your present anxiety."
Squadron Leader Walker, 50 Squadron, Lindholme, submitted a report, dated 9th December 1940 on an "Accident to Hampden X.3004 on 8-12-40"
"Hampden X.3004, with the following crew, took off from BASE at 1810 hours on 7-12-40 to carry out an operational flight.
Captain .... F/O R.T. Mulligan
Navigator .. P/O M.J. Preece
WT/AG ...... 612904 Sgt. Smith, C.J.
AG ......... 638746 Sgt. Buckle, F.A.
The aircraft called up Regional Control, Waddington, on Regional Guard frequency at 0130 hours. No emergency priority was used; no message given. Strength of signals reported by Waddington to be strength 6. Regional Control requested aircraft to go over on to H.F. This request was not complied with.
At 0135 hours X.3004 still on Regional Guard frequency requested Waddington to transmit call signs. After this, no further messages were received from this aircraft. No requests for M.F. fixes or H.F. bearings were received from this aircraft prior to calling up Regional Control, Waddington.
Bad weather prevailed on the East Coast of England at the time when X.3004 was in touch Regional Control, Waddington. Another aircraft from this unit had considerable difficulty in making a land-fall. The cloud base was down to 500 feet in places and frontal clouds reached up to 14,000 feet."
On 24 July, 1941, The Air Council wrote individually to the next of kin of each of the 4 flyers, that "in view of the lapse of time and the absence of any further news regarding your son, ..., since the date on which he was reported missing, [the Air Council] must regretfully conclude that he has lost lost his life, and his death will be presumed, for official purposes, to have occurred on the 8th December, 1940.
The Council desire me to express again their sincere sympathy with you in your bereavement and in the anxiety which you have suffered."
RAF Lindholme
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