Map key:	Cemetery:	Town:
1	West Bromwich, (All Saints Churchyard Extension)	West Bromwich
2	Penn Fields (St Philip)	Wolverhampton
3	Donnington (St. Cuthbert Churchyard)	Donnington
4	Wellington General Cemetery	Wellington
5	Stoke-upon-Tern (St Peter Church Cemetery)	Stoke-upn-Tern
6	Market Drayton Cemetery	Market Drayton
7	Scropton (St Paul Churchyard)	Scropton
8	Cranwell (St. Andrew Churchyard)	Cranwell

Staffordshire

1. West Bromwich, (All Saints Churchyard Extension), West Bromwich.

Historical Information:

No dedicated CWGC section at this cemetery but scattered amongst the civilian graves are 6 RAF graves from WW2 and 19 Army graves from WW1 and WW2.

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MAŇÁSEK Miloslav Bedřich, 21, Sgt, 311 Sqn, Flight Engineer.

* 01/11/22, Slavonský Kobaš,Yugoslavia .

† 13/07/44, nr Bold Head, Devon.

Liberator crashed into hill in fog on return from submarine patrol in Western approach to English Channel.

Grave ref: Jubilee Extn. Grave 1895.

A symbolic urn was returned to Prague Olšanský, 1945.

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Location Information:

Address:	West Bromwich (All Saints Churchyard Extension), Newton Rd, West Bromwich, West Midlands B71 1RU‎.
GPS Location:	52°32’1.56″N 01°58’58.92″W
Map Location:	View

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2. Penn Fields (St Philip), Wolverhampton.

Historical Information:

The cemetery has 39 military graves scattered within its grounds from all three services from both WW1 and WW2. Six of the graves are for RAF airmen from WW2.

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HAŇKA Václav, 22, F/Lt, 311 Sqn, Navigator.

* 07/11/19, Sokolnice, Brno.

† 18/10/42, Uxbridge, Middx.

Accident on transit flight from Northolt to Talbenny, Wellington T2564 crashed ½ mile east of Northolt, all onboard killed.

Grave ref: Jubilee Extn. Grave 1895.

A symbolic urn, no. 170 was returned to Prostějov, 1945.

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Location Information:

Address:	Penn Fields (St Philip), 130 Church Rd, Wolverhampton, West Midlands WV3 7EJ.
GPS Location:	52°34’14” N 2°9’29” W
Map Location:	View

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Shropshire

3. Donnington (St. Cuthbert Churchyard), Donnington.

Historical Information:

Donington (St Cuthbert) Churchyard contains only two First World War burials but during the Second World War, there was a Royal Air Force Station at Cosford, Albrighton, and most of the 23 war burials from this period are of airmen and women. Four Polish and two Czechoslovak airmen are also buried here.

The churchyard also contains 43 post war service burials, most of them RAF.

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DRNEK Miroslav, 23, LAC, 2 SFTS, Pilot Trainee.

* 26/10/17, Blovice, Plzeň.

† 21/07/41, Wolverhampton.

Training flight in Oxford Mk1, on returning to Brize Norton, crashed into houses in Pousen Avenue, Wolverhampton.

Grave ref: Row 13. Grave 6.

A symbolic urn was returned to Plzeň, 1945.

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MELENA Josef, 23, LAC, 2 SFTS, Pilot Trainee.

* 09/02/18, Prague.

† 21/07/41, Wolverhampton.

Training flight in Oxford Mk1, on returning to Brize Norton, crashed into houses in Pousen Avenue, Wolverhampton.

Grave ref: Row 13. Grave 6.

A symbolic urn was returned to Prague Olšanský, 1945.

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Location Information:

Address:	Donnington (St. Cuthbert Churchyard), Rectory Rd, Albrighton, Wolverhampton, Shropshire WV7.
GPS Location:	52°38’22.17″N 02°17’1.85″W
Map Location:	View

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4. Wellington General Cemetery, Wellington.

Historical Information:

Wellington General Cemetery was begun in 1875, and belongs to the Wellington (Salop) Burial Joint Committee. It contains twelve War Graves.

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KLOBOUČNÍK Josef, 30, F/O, 68 Sqn, Pilot.

* 10/03/11, Vienna, Austria.

† 22/10/41, High Ercal, Wellington.

Killed when Beaufighter R2029 crashed at Poynton Green, Shropshire for reasons unknown.

Grave ref: Grave 0713 B.

A symbolic urn was returned to Prague, 1945.

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KLVÁČEK Josef, 30, Sgt, 68 Sqn, Navigator/Radar Operator.

* 01/03/16, Hodolany, Olomouc.

† 22/10/41, High Ercal, Wellington.

Killed when Beaufighter R2029 crashed at Poynton Green, Shropshire for reasons unknown.

Grave ref: Grave 0728 B..

A symbolic urn was returned to Ostrava, 1945.

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Location Information:

Address:	Wellington General Cemetery), Linden Ave, Wellington, Telford, TF1.
GPS Location:	52°41’47.78″N 02°31’25.95″W
Map Location:	View

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5. Stoke-upon-Tern (St Peter Church Cemetery), Stoke-upn-Tern.

Historical Information:

The cemetery has 36 military graves from both world wars all of which are connected to the nearby RAF Ternhill airfield. Nine of the graves are RFC from WW1. The WW2 graves include airmen from Britain, the Commonwealth as well as Czechoslovakia, France and Poland.

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ČÁP Miroslav, 24, Sgt, 6 OTU, Pilot.

* 03/06/19, Humpolec, Pelhřimov.

† 17/06/43, Kelsall, Cheshire.

Accident during a training flight.

Grave ref: Row J. Grave 307.

A symbolic urn, no. 188 was returned to Prostějov, 1945.

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Location Information:

Address:	Stoke-upon-Tern (St Peter Church Cemetery), Warrant Rd, Market Drayton, Shropshire TF9.
GPS Location:	52°51’1″ N 2°32’7″ W
Map Location:	View

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6. Market Drayton Cemetery, Market Drayton.

Historical Information:

No dedicated CWGC section at this cemetery but scattered amongst the civilian graves are 28 WW1 and WW2 graves.

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KESTLER Oldřich, 28, Sgt, 605 Sqn, Pilot.

* 18/03/13, Čižice, Klatovy.

† 07/04/41, Ternhill.

Killed in collision with Sgt Josef Martinec during a training flight in Hurricane IIa Z2318.

Grave ref: Sec. A.F. Grave 103.

A symbolic urn, no. 203 was returned to Prostějov, 1945.

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MARTINEC Josef, 25, Sgt, 24 MU, Pilot.

* 19/07/15, Rychnov nad Kňežnou.

† 07/04/41, Ternhill.

Killed in collision with Sgt Oldřich Kestler during a training flight.

Grave ref: Sec. A.F. Grave 104.

A symbolic urn was returned to Hradec Králové, 1945.

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Location Information:

Address:	Market Drayton Cemetery, Cemetery Rd, Market Drayton, Shropshire TF9 3BD.
GPS Location:	52°54’16.29″N 02°29’29.86″W
Map Location:	View

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Derbyshire

7. Scropton (St Paul Churchyard), Scropton.

Historical Information:

The cemetery holds 17 WW2 graves in its CWGC section. All are airmen who had been undergoing flight training with 27 OTU at nearby RAF Church Broughton.

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FANTA František, 27, F/Lt, 27 OTU, Pilot.

* 10/11/14, Chlum, Kutná Hora.

† 13/10/42, Church Broughton, Derby.

Grave ref: Extn. Grave 101.

A symbolic urn, no. 240 was returned to Prostějov, 1945.

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HRALA Jozef, 27, F/Sgt, 27 OTU, Pilot.

* 21/02/15, Bánovská Kesa, Nové Zámky.

† 13/10/42, Church Broughton, Derby.

Grave ref: Extn. Grave 103.

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JELÍNEK Rudolf, 27, Sgt, 27 OTU, Air Gunner.

* 09/04/15, Lomnice nad Popelkou, Semily.

† 13/10/42, Church Broughton, Derby.

Grave ref: Extn. Grave 102.

A symbolic urn, no. 207 was returned to Prostějov, 1945.

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MUCHA Miroslav, 22, Sgt, 27 OTU, Navigator.

* 31/01/20, Ivančice, Brno.

† 13/10/42, Church Broughton, Derby.

Grave ref: Extn. Grave 102.

A symbolic urn was returned to Brno, 1945.

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OBŠIL Václav, 27, P/O, 27 OTU, Wireless Operator/Air Gunner.

* 28/09/15, Pňovice, Olomouc.

† 13/10/42, Church Broughton, Derby.

Grave ref: Extn. Grave 104.

A symbolic urn was returned to Ostrava, 1945.

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TÜRKL Emil, 20, Sgt, 27 OTU, Wireless Operator/Air Gunner.

* 24/08/22, Děčín.

† 13/10/42, Church Broughton, Derby.

Grave ref: Extn. Grave 105.

A symbolic urn, no. 211 was returned to Prostějov, 1945.

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Location Information:

Address:	Scropton (St Paul Churchyard), 165 Scropton Rd, Scropton, Derby, Derbyshire DE65 5PS.
GPS Location:	52°52’7″ N 1°42’49” W
Map Location:	View

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Lincolnshire

8. Cranwell (St. Andrew Churchyard), Cranwell.

Historical Information:

Cranwell has been a flying training centre since the First World War when the Admiralty requisitioned 2500 acres of the Earl of Bristol’s estate in November 1915, to create the Royal Naval Air Service Central Training Depot. Since then the aerodrome has been taken over by the Royal Air Force and the RAF Staff College is at Cranwell.

The graves of 25 First World War airmen will be found on the northern side of the church. The churchyard was used between the wars for RAF burials and during the Second World War the RAF plot, in the eastern part of the churchyard, was used for service burials not only from Cranwell RAF station but from others also, including Finningley and Binbrook.

Cranwell (St Andrew) Churchyard contains 25 Commonwealth burials of the First World War and 58 from the Second. There are also four Polish and three Czechoslovak war graves.

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KAŠPAR Antonín, 26, P/O, 1 SS, Pilot.

* 14/01/15, Velké Svatoňovice, Trutnov.

† 10/07/41, Cranwell, Lincs.

Killed in a training flight accident at Cranwell.

Grave ref: Plot 2. Row C. Grave 18.

A symbolic urn, no. 159 was returned to Prostějov, 1945.

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KRAJINA Emanuel, 25, F/O, 1 SS, Pilot.

* 01/06/15, Třebíč.

† 23/02/41, Sleaford, Lincs.

Killed in car crash on road from Cranwell to Lincoln.

Grave ref: Plot 2. Row C. Grave 16.

A symbolic urn was returned to Brno, 1945.

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VOCETKA František, 27, F/O, 1 SS, Pilot.

* 11/04/13, Prague.

† 07/02/411, Cranwell, Lincs.

Pilot error during flight manouvere, resulting in loss of speed and casusing the Proctor aircraft to crash.

Grave ref: Plot 2. Row B. Grave 16.

A symbolic urn was returned to Prague, 1945.

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Location Information:

Cranwell is a village three miles north-west of Sleaford, west of the A15 to Lincoln along the B1429. The churchyard is on the north side of this main road through the village.

Address:	Cranwell (St. Andrew Churchyard), Sleaford Rd, Cranwell Village, Sleaford, Lincolnshire NG34 8DD.
GPS Location:	53°2’13” N 0°27’40” W
Map Location:	View

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The assistance of Ministerstvo obrany České republiky [Ministry of Defence, Czech Republic], the Commonwealth War Graves Commission and The War Graves Photographic Project, with this article, is very much appreciated.

Article last updated: 3.6.2018.