Rene Arthur Thompson Renshaw
Attended Queen Elizabeth School from 1927 and 1936. He played cricket for the school and his name appears on the 1935 shield.
- Family History
- Military history
- Extra information
- Photographs
Son of Arthur Bosher Renshaw and Patricia Renshaw of Charlton Kings, Gloucestershire, but in 1911 Arthur was living at 28 Church Street Mansfield and he had been baptised at St John's Church, Mansfield in 1892.
Arthur was a career soldier and in 1921 he was stationed in Bombay, India with rank of Lieutenant with the RASC. Meanwhile in 1921 Rene was living with his mother Ethel at his paternal grandparents, at 19 Woodhouse Road, Mansfield.
Rene had 3 siblings all born in Mansfield, Peter (1922), Eve (1925) and Veronica (1929).
Rene, known as Arthur on IBCC site, flew in a Vickers Wellington , serial Z9040 as an air gunner. They were flying to the Middle East via Gibralter and Malta to deliver the aircraft. The plane crashed into the sea, 6.5km from Portreath. They had taken off from RAF St Eval further up the north Cornish coast from Portreath . The rear gunner was the only survivor.
Rene has enlisted in the RAF in October 1939 and trained as a wireless operator and air gunner. On one occasion he had to bail out of his aircraft and he needed hospital treatment for an eye injury.
Old Elizabethan's Service Record:
Sgt Rene Arthur Thompson Renshaw lost his life when the aircraft, in which he was the wireless operator, crashed into the sea on Jan 7th 1942. He had been in the RAF since October 1939 and was trained as a wireless operator and air gunner. On the last flight the crew were in a new Wellington. They left their station in Berkshire flew to the coast of Cornwell and set off from Portreath at 3am to fly to the Middle East via Gibralter and Malta.
Unfortunately the aircraft crashed into the sea 10 miles from land. The only survivor was the rear gunner who was picked up from a raft.
Sgt Renshaw loved the Air Force and was never happier then when he was flying. On one occasion he had to bail out and required hospital treatment for an eye injury.
He had made many long flights to the Continent.
Renshaw was a fine cricketer ar school and his name appears on the 1935 Shield.
On CWGC Rene's parents are noted as being Arthur and Patricia Renshaw but Rene's mother was Ethel so she may have died in 1930 and Arthur remarried later. Rene is also known as Arthur Thompson Rene on CWGC.
Mansfield Chronicle Advertiser: 1//1/1942: Local Man Missing Overshadows Well-Known Musician's Golden Wedding.
The celebrations of the Golden Wedding of Mr & Mrs T W Renshaw of 19 Woodhouse Road, Mansfield will be tinged with anxiety of their grandson Sgt Rennie Renshaw has been reported missing during RAF operations. An Old Boy of Mansfield Grammar School Sgt Renshaw had been a wireless operative/air gunner for over 2 years.
Having bailed out of his aircraft Rene would have become a member of the Caterpiller Club. Named for the silk worm from which the silk for parachutes was made from. Members would receive a certificate and a badge in the shape of a caterpiller.
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