John Arthur Ashley – Royal Air Force, 5 Elementary Flying Training School

Leading Aircraftman John Arthur Ashley – Royal Air Force, 5 Elementary Flying Training School

Early Life and Family Background

John Arthur Ashley was born in 1920 in Wolverhampton, Staffordshire, the son of Horace Arthur Ashley and Ada Mabel Sadler, who had married in 1915 at Tamworth, Staffordshire.

1921 Census

At the time of the 1921 Census, Ada—recorded as Mabel Ada, aged 36—was residing as a boarder at 38 Boulward, Weston‑super‑Mare, Somerset, together with her infant son John Arthur, then eleven months old. Horace was not present in the household at the time of the census.

Family Life in the 1930s

1939 Register

By the time of the 1939 Register, the Ashley family were living at “Ceres”, Gower, where Horace A. Ashley was employed as a Shop Domestic Manager. His wife, Ada Mabel, was recorded as undertaking household duties, while John Arthur was living at home as a young man preparing for wartime service.

Royal Air Force Service

John enlisted in the Royal Air Force, serving as a Leading Aircraftman (Pilot) with No. 5 Elementary Flying Training School, based at Meir, Staffordshire. Elementary Flying Training Schools formed the first stage of pilot instruction, where trainees learned basic flying skills before progressing to more advanced training. Aircraft at Meir included the Miles Magister, a widely used primary trainer known for its responsiveness and suitability for early flight training.

The Fatal Accident: 2 February 1941

Miles Magister I

By early 1941, No. 5 EFTS at Meir was operating at full capacity as the RAF accelerated the training of new pilots. Winter conditions at the aerodrome were often difficult, with low cloud, gusting winds, and poor visibility, all of which increased the risks associated with flying light training aircraft such as the Miles Magister I. These aircraft, though reliable, were unforgiving of errors during instrument or stall‑recovery exercises.

On 2 February 1941, Leading Aircraftman John Arthur Ashley was undertaking a dual instrument training flight in a Magister I, accompanied by Pilot Officer Geoffrey Chicheley Blunt, who was serving as instructor. Pilot Officer Blunt was the son of Dr. A. W. E. Blunt, Bishop of Bradford, and was himself a capable and experienced young officer entrusted with the training of new pilots. Instrument flying was one of the most demanding stages of early pilot instruction, requiring the trainee to fly “under the hood,” relying solely on instruments while the instructor maintained lookout and supervision.

During this flight, the aircraft entered a spin off a turn, a situation that could develop rapidly if the aircraft was flown too slowly or if unbalanced rudder was applied while banking. At low altitude, recovery from a spin was extremely difficult, and often impossible, as the aircraft required significant height to stabilise and regain controlled flight. Despite the presence of Pilot Officer Blunt, the aircraft failed to recover and spun into the ground near Meir Aerodrome, killing both men instantly.

Staffordshire Sentinel

The accident was reported in the Staffordshire Sentinel in February 1941, which noted the loss of both the young trainee pilot and his instructor, drawing particular attention to the death of Pilot Officer Blunt, the son of the Bishop of Bradford. The report reflected the wider public concern at the growing number of training accidents during the rapid wartime expansion of the RAF, when intensive schedules, crowded airfields, and winter flying conditions placed immense demands on both instructors and pupils. The deaths of Pilot Officer Geoffrey Chicheley Blunt and Leading Aircraftman John Arthur Ashley occurred within this wider context of high‑risk, high‑intensity pilot training, where many young airmen lost their lives before ever reaching an operational squadron.

John Arthur Ashley
Glyntaff Crematorium and Cemetery, Pontypridd credit - findagrave

Commemoration

John is commemorated at Glyntaff Crematorium and Cemetery, Pontypridd, where his name is recorded among those airmen who died during training in the early years of the Second World War. His service and sacrifice—alongside that of Pilot Officer Blunt—form part of the essential contribution made by trainee pilots and instructors whose lives were lost in the vital but perilous work of preparing the RAF for wartime operations.