Allan Charles Taylor

Sergeant Allan Charles Taylor – Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve

Early Life

Allan Charles Taylor

Allan Charles Taylor was born in August 1921, the son of Frank Charles Taylor and Gertrude Mary Cornelius, who had married in February 1915. His birth came shortly after the 1921 Census had been completed, and therefore, his name does not appear in that record.

1939 Register 

By the time of the 1939 Register, the Taylor family was living at 24 Balaclava Street, Swansea. Frank, then working as a fruit and potato traveller, supported the household, while Gertrude undertook domestic duties. Allan, aged 18, was recorded as an apprentice chemist.

Military Service

During the Second World War, Allan enlisted in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve (RAFVR), training as a pilot. By 1943, he was serving as a Sergeant pilot and was flying the Airspeed Oxford I, a twin-engine training aircraft widely used by the RAF to prepare aircrew for operational service.

Allan was based at RAF Carew Cheriton, in Pembrokeshire, a Coastal Command airfield originally constructed in the First World War and reopened in 1939. During the Second World War, it served as a key training and operational base for RAF squadrons, including anti-submarine and maritime patrol units tasked with protecting Allied shipping in the Western Approaches.

By 1943, the airfield was heavily used for training flights and operational exercises, particularly with multi-engine aircraft like the Oxford, which was used to train bomber and reconnaissance crews. The combination of intense training schedules, busy runways, and high traffic made flying from Carew Cheriton particularly hazardous, and several accidents were recorded there during the war.

Death

Oxford I

On 3^rd September 1943, while piloting Oxford I flight X6813, Allan was attempting to land at RAF Carew Cheriton when his aircraft collided with Oxford I flight V3976, which was taxiing into position. The collision proved fatal for all five Commonwealth airmen aboard Allan’s aircraft. He was just 22 years old.

The casualties of this accident were:

Name	Service Branch	Rank	Burial Place
Allan Charles Taylor	RAFVR	Sergeant	Danygraig Cemetery, Swansea
Wilfred James Louden	RCAF	Warrant Officer	Haycombe Cemetery, Bath
Herbert Glyn Price	RAF	Pilot Officer	Christchurch Cemetery, Newport
Kenneth James May	RAFVR	Sergeant	Anfield Cemetery, Liverpool
Frank Leslie	RAF	Warrant Officer	Witton Cemetery, Birmingham

Burial

Herald of Wales

South Wales Daily Post

Following the accident, Sergeant Allan Charles Taylor was buried in Danygraig Cemetery, Swansea. His funeral was reported in the South Wales Daily Post, while the Herald of Wales first carried the news of his tragic death.

Allan Charles Taylor
Danygraig Cemetery
credit - findagrave

His interment marked not only the last burial of 1943 at Danygraig but also the final burial of an airman there during the Second World War. His grave, therefore, holds a particular significance in the cemetery, symbolising both the loss of one young life and the closing chapter of Swansea’s wartime RAF burials.

Legacy

Though his life was cut short, Allan Charles Taylor’s service stands as a reminder of the many young airmen who lost their lives in training accidents while preparing for combat duty during the war. His grave at Danygraig Cemetery continues to honour his sacrifice, alongside others from Swansea who served with the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve.