No.116059, Flying Officer (pilot) John David Annesley THARP
Aged 21
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John David Annesley Tharp was born on 22nd August 1922 in Stroud [ 6A:583] the son of Lt.Col. Gerard Prideaux and Dora Maryan THARP (née WESLEY-HALL). A chapel in St Margaret's Church is dedicated to his memory. In 1939 his widowed mother [5-12-189] dairy and arable farmer and sister Mary P [8-12-1918] were at The Stables, Chippenham Park. His father had died in 1934. |
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Based at RAF Bone, or Setif, in Algeria/Tunisia, flying Beaufighter Mk VI night fighters. 255 Squadron records credit him with one kill, a Cant Z.1007 bis destroyed on 7th/8th February 1943. It appears that on 13th/14th April, 1943 No.255 Squadron Beaufighter VI V8649 was hit by return fire from Ju88 and crashed into sea near Sassari, off north coast of Sardinia. According to 255 squadron website they were actually on detachment to No.153 Squadron from 3rd April 1943 and on patrol from Maison Blanche, in Algeria. 116059 F/O (Pilot) John David Annesley THARP RAFVR - Missing 132988 P/O (Nav./Rad.) David Arthur KING RAFVR - Missing A Bristol Beaufighter Mk VI...it would have been all black in it's night fighter role.
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