Porthcawl Cemetery - Thomas Wallace Shrimpton & John Francis Teskey

 

SS Samtampa
Porthcawl Cemetery.  The victims of the 39 crew members of the SS Samtampa, who perished during April 1947, of Mumbles Lifeboat disaster are buried here at Porthcawl Cemetery.







However, a few years earlier, Thomas Wallace Shrimpton of the Royal New Zealand Air Force and John Francis Teskey of the Royal Canadian Air Force, were buried here following their plane, Boulton Paul Defiant MK I, crashed into the sea off Aberavon Beach.

Aberavon Beach

Sker beach
1939, Sker beach and Margam beach had been used for air-to-ground training range.  That April, the No.9 Armament Training Section had been established.  The range which consisted of 4x3.4 sq. screen targets situated on the north/south from Margam to Sker.  When the tide out a further 8 fabric targets had been laid on the beach.  The air-to-air firing had carried out over the Bristol Channel. 


Boulton Paul Defiant MK I
22nd September 1942, Flight T4074, having been seen by residents was in an air-air exercise.  Having taken off from the nearby RAF Stromy Down, Port Talbot, with a crew of two, Flight Sergeant Thomas Wallace Shrimpton, Pilot and Sergeant John Francis Teskey, Air Gunner Under Training.  At the northern end of the run, which became slightly steeper, which caused the Defiant to stall and crash into the sea just off the low water mark, just south of Port Talbot.  The RAF launch was quickly launched to the scene, but the two crew had perished in the initial crash.  The crew were able to recover the bodies, before the aircraft finally sank.

Over the years a few aero engines of Rolls Royce Merlin have been snagged into fishermen nets.  Could on of these have been from Flight T4074.  They were on display at the Swansea Bay War Museum.  Currently the whereabouts are unknown!

John Francis Teskey
John Francis Teskey, was born 1919, was the son of John and Mary Elizabeth Tesky, nee. White.  At the time of the 1931 Canadian Census, John was 12 years old and was listed as Student.  He was living at his family home, 144 Summet, Port Arthur, Ontario. 

1931 Canadian Census

John was the eldest of 4 children.  His father, John occupation is Insurance Agent.

Province of Ontario, Certificate of Death
John’s Attestation Papers, list that his occupation is a Paper Maker. The Province of Ontario, Certificate of Death is also in the public.  The cause of death, states that John was killed in a flying accident.








New Zealand Electrical Rolls
1938
3 McMillian Street, Otago, Dunedin

Thomas Wallace Shrimpton was born 1917, he was born in the region of Dunedin, New Zealand.  The only other information available regarding Thomas, is the 1938 New Zealand Electrical Rolls, which lists Thomas’s address as 3 McMillian Street, Otago, Dunedin.








Thomas Wallace Shrimpton headstone
Porthcawl Cemetery 
credit - findagrave
John Francis Teskey headstone
Porthcawl Cemetery 
credit - findagrave
Thomas Wallace Shrimpton and John Francis Teskey headstone Porthcawl Cemetery.


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