Sergeant Trevor Barkley Boyd - Royal Air Force Reserve

This week Carrickfergus remembers Sergeant Trevor Barkley Boyd - 1145139 - Royal Air Force Reserve.  Born in Greenisland, Carrickfergus in 1922 he was killed in the air on a bombing run over Burma on 23rd/24th February 1944 aged 22. 

Trevor was the son of Edgar and Margaret Jessie Boyd of Greenisland and like many others in Northern Ireland during the war enlisted with the Royal Airforce Reserve.  He was assigned to a B-24 Liberator bombing crew as one of the 11 man crew.  On the evening of 23rd February 1944 he has the B-24 crew of BZ951 were on a bombing mission en route to Sinde in Burma when the aircraft was lost in the sky due to an explosion.  Records on the event are vague but it appears that the entire crew were lost and none of the men were ever recovered for burial.  The entire crew including Trevor are remembered on the Singapore Memorial, Malaya on column 43 (pictured). 

Singapore Memorial

The crew included another County Antrim man, flight Sergeant David Nelson from Larne.

At this stage I have been unable to find out anything more about the Boyd family or stories Trevor's service.  If anyone has any information at all please do get in touch.

We will remember them.

Details of the crew of B-24 BZ951:

ALLITT, Flight Lieutenant, ROBERT EDWARD, D F C, 40594. Royal Air Force. 23rd February 1944. Column 431. 

BEATEY, Warrant Officer, THOMAS ATKINSON, 1104751. Royal Air Force. 23rd February 1944. Age 28. Son of Thomas Beatey, and of Catherine Beatey, of Percy Main, Northumberland. Column 433.

BOYD, Sergeant, TREVOR BARKLEY, 1145139. Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve. 23rd February 1944. Age 22. Son of A. Edgar and Margaret Jessie Boyd, of Greenisland, Co. Antrim, Northern Ireland. Column 435. 

FLETCHER, Sergeant, WILLIAM KENNETH, 1601738. Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve. 23rd February 1944. Column 436. 

FRASER, Flight Lieutenant, FRANCIS JAMES, 66511. Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve. 23rd February 1944. Age 25. Son of James and Janette Fraser, of Hove, Sussex. Column 431. 

HOUGHTON, Flight Lieutenant, RAYMOND DOUGLAS, 109364. Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve. 23rd February 1944. Column 431. 

NELSON, Flight Sergeant, DAVID, 533351. Royal Air Force. 23rd February 1944. Age 26. Son of Hugh and Nancy Nelson, of Ballyhampton, Larne, Co. Antrim, Northern Ireland. Column 435. 

O'DONNELL, Pilot Officer, ERNEST WILLIAM, J/86852. Royal Canadian Air Force. 23rd February 1944. Column 444. 

RICHARDSON, Flight Sergeant, HERBERT ARTHUR, 517958. Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve. 23rd February 1944. Age 29. Son of Herbert George and Selena Richardson, of Southsea, Hampshire. Column 435. 

MERRIMAN, Flying Officer, SYDNEY, 1791. Royal Indian Air Force. 23rd February 1944. Age 21. Son of Ernest and Gladys Merriman, of Agra, India. Column 445. 

An R.A.F B-24 Liberator